Participate in a National Service Project.
Discover how you can give back to make your community—and the world—a better place.
Girl Scouts always step up to do what they can to improve their communities and the world.
All across our country and our world, Girl Scouts are leaping to the aid of others by engaging in wonderful acts of service and kindness. Whether by writing letters to senior citizens, honoring first responders, taking part in a citizen science project, or promoting voting and democracy, now your troop can get involved in these unique Girl Scout activities too.
Explore projects for you and your troop.
National Service Project:
Girl Scout Tree Promise
Join in on our newest national service project by planting a tree and making an impact in your local community.
Planting trees is a great way to become a steward of the environment. Trees provide places for animals and birds to live, reduce pollutants, filter water, and combat climate change. Plus—you and your troop can be a part of the Girl Scout Tree Promise, an initiative to plant five million trees in five years.
Girl Scouts can make an enormous global impact by participating in this environmental and conservation initiative.
Here’s how you can take part:
- Identify where you will plant a tree(s) and get permission to conduct a tree planting.
- Planting on public or private property; suburban, rural, or urban; one tree or many—it is important to find a space where the tree will thrive under your care.
- Determine what type and size of tree is best for your location.
- It is important to plant trees native to the environment that are also climate adaptive. Depending on the location, determine if it is better to plant a seedling, a sapling, or a more mature tree.
- Prepare to plant.
- Determine when and how you will get your trees for planting
- Check out suggestions to find a tree near you.
- Choose a date to plant that will set your tree up for success! Spring and fall are often the best times to plant.
- Gather your supplies, including necessary tools and accessible water.
- Develop a maintenance schedule for your trees to make sure they continue to thrive.
- Invite your community to join you.
- Invite non-Girl Scout friends to join in on the fun of planting. Ask each member of your troop to invite a friend to be a part of the magic.
- Team up with your local partners, including faith communities, to host a tree planting event. (Check out this video for more info.)
- Plant your trees.
- Record the trees you plant on the Girl Scout Tree Promise Tree Tracker and get your national Girl Scout Tree Promise patch.
For more detailed information on the Girl Scout Tree Promise, including additional activities, information on tree maintenance and care, and more, check out the Girl Scout Tree Promise Toolkit (PDF). You can also find informative videos to share with your troop.
Girl Scouts Give Back:
Honoring our Everyday Changemakers
Small acts of kindness and gratitude can have an incredible impact on your community! And through this national service project, inspired by the Becoming Me program series, Girl Scouts can pay it forward by recognizing the people in their communities who have supported them in finding their unique paths.
Here’s how you can take part:
- Think about the people who support and inspire you. They might be teachers, parents, or any individuals serving your community and supporting others. Talk about why it’s important that we honor people who support us. Use our discussion guide to help you get started,
- Once you’ve decided on one person you’d like to honor, decide how you (and your troop) will show your gratitude. You could write a letter to tell the person what their support has meant to you or you could support a cause they champion—check out the discussion guide (PDF) for more ways to give thanks.
- Reflect on the experience of recognizing this person. How did it feel for you? How did they react? Were your actions responded to by others in your community? How so?
Once your troop has completed the service project, remember to:
- Inspire others to give back. Post a photo of your project on social media using the hashtag #GirlScoutsGiveBack. Be sure to tag @girlscouts too.
- Complete a survey so your troop’s impact can be counted in our national service project documentation.
- Take part in the Becoming Me program series to earn three badges that help you explore your story and the power of your voice. You can even receive a patch.
National Service Project:
Fighting Hunger
More than 50 million adults, kids, and families in the U.S. are experiencing food insecurity, a number that has only increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and may include members of our own communities, friends and family, or members of our troops, making this a sensitive and important take action issue for Girl Scouts.
As they think about how to give back this holiday season, Girl Scouts can make a big difference in their communities—and for children around the world—by supporting hunger relief efforts. There are lots of ways for your troop to make an impact, whether you’re meeting safely in person or virtually and even if you aren’t able to give food directly:
(Hint: check out our detailed troop leader instructions (PDF) for helpful tips for each project.)
- Support a food drive in your community or organize your own (DOC).
- Thank a Food Bank Hero. Write to a Food Bank Hero to show your troop’s appreciation and send encouragement for the hard and vital work they do. Mail your handwritten notes to your local food bank.
- Volunteer at a drive-thru food distribution program if there are COVID-safe options with local food banks in your area. (And if your troop is old enough.)
Once your troop has completed this service project, remember to:
- Inspire others to give back. Post a photo of your project to your social networks using the hashtag #GirlScoutsGiveBack. Be sure to tag @girlscouts too.
- Complete a survey so your troop’s impact can be counted in our national service projects.
- To recognize your troop’s participation with a patch, try this Girl Scouts Give Back patch.
National Civic Action:
Promote the Vote
Since Girl Scouts’ founding in 1912, our members have created lasting, positive change through advocacy and civic action. And though some girls may be too young to cast a ballot, they can still mobilize their communities to take action like a Girl Scout.
As we mark the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which removed the gender restriction to voting, Girl Scouts is launching a national “Promote the Vote” initiative to engage Girl Scout troops in the democratic process.
Voting is arguably our most important civic duty—but barriers still exist. In many parts of the country, voting laws and protocols make it difficult for many people, especially people of color, to cast their votes in local and federal elections. In other words, there’s work to be done—and girls can play a part!
We all have a role in helping people exercise their right to participate in the democratic process, including in this challenging time of COVID-19.
Here’s how your Girl Scout troop can promote the vote:
- Discuss the importance of voting. Lead your girls in a conversation (PDF) about why voting is essential and the power they have to increase access to the vote and to encourage others to vote, even if they are too young to vote themselves. (Hint: your troop could earn one of our new Democracy badges in the process!)
- Make a plan and set a goal. With your girls, decide which action(s) you’ll take to encourage people to register to vote and make a plan to vote, and how many people you’ll reach out to. There are so many ways your girls can share key information (PDF) and get the word out! Senior and Ambassador troops can register (or pre-register) to vote and make plans to cast their ballots together!
- Share your story on social media. Research shows that if you persuade one person to vote, they’ll likely influence at least one additional friend or family member to vote too! If you use social to educate and inspire others to vote, be sure to tag us using @girlscouts.
- Complete a survey so your troop’s impact can be counted in our national service projects.
- Encourage your girls’ ongoing civic engagement through working to earn Democracy badges and using GSUSA’s suffrage toolkit.
For more voting information, check out:
Girl Scouts is a § 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization. We do not take sides in elections or support or oppose any political candidates. Promote the Vote is a nonpolitical and nonpartisan initiative designed to increase civic participation and is not linked to any political party or to individuals on any one side of an issue. We encourage all citizens, regardless of political party, affiliation, or beliefs, to participate in the democratic process.
Girl Scouts Give Back:
Letter-Writing Service Project
The idea is simple: girls write letters to people in nursing homes, senior residences, and assisted living facilities, including the dedicated staff and caregivers. This long-distance hug is a way to share your good thoughts with these vulnerable and loved community members.
Here’s how it works:
Ask your girls (and their friends!) to write letters to senior and caretakers using our tips (PDF).
You can mail letters to one of the facilities (PDF) or reach out to a local assisted living center and find out how they would like to receive your troop’s letters. You could collect and deliver them (using no-contact practices), have girls mail them individually, or even deliver them via email. Don’t forget to include a note to tell the staff about the letters you’re sending (DOC).
Take a picture of your letter packet and post it to your social media networks using #GirlScoutsGiveBack (and be sure to tag us @girlscouts).
Don't forget to come back here and log the number of letters to add them to the national campaign! Let’s see how many letters of love and care our Movement can send!
To recognize your troop’s participation with a patch, check out this Girl Scouts Give Back patch.
National Service Project:
Cupid Crew Cards for Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity for you and your troop to reach out and show others that you care—especially those who may be alone on a day that’s all about connection!
For our second year, Girl Scouts of the USA is teaming up with Wish of a Lifetime from AARP, an organization dedicated to celebrating older adults’ stories and forging intergenerational connections, for their Cupid Crew 2022 campaign, a volunteer-driven effort to safely create heartfelt cards for older adults who are socially isolated. Building on last year’s momentum, Wish of a Lifetime hopes to send nearly a quarter million cards through the Cupid Crew campaign.
Your troop can help spread joy to thousands of older adults across the country by writing Valentine’s Day cards as part of the Cupid Crew Cards for Valentine’s Day National Service Project.
Here’s how it works:
1. Discuss the Cupid Crew national service project with your troop.
- Talk about how older adults may be experiencing feelings of loneliness and isolation, compounded by COVID-19 restrictions.
- Have the troop set a goal for the number of Cupid Crew valentine cards to create.
2. Create your valentines.
- Share this Cupid Crew Valentine’s Day Card Template (PDF) with each girl or create your own.
- Get creative! Share the link to our Cupid Crew Card Tips (PDF) with your girls to help them get started.
3. Decide where to send your troop’s cards.
- Reach out to a local senior living community and ask how they’d like to receive your troop’s cards—by mail or via safe drop-off. Choose a community that you have a connection to or check out our list of senior living communities to find one in your area.
- Get in touch with your troop’s senior living community of choice by Monday, February 7, to let them know to expect your package or delivery. We suggest calling and speaking to the activities director to find out how to best coordinate your drop-off given the community’s COVID-safety practices. Consider including one of your girls on the call to share in the experience.
4. Make a plan to send or deliver your Cupid Crew cards.
- Decide how to collect and deliver your troop’s cards. For example, you could collect the cards and mail them together or drop them off as a packet. Do whatever is easiest and safest for you and your troop.
- Send or deliver your cards to the local senior living community you identified in Step 3.
If you choose to deliver your cards, please do so by Monday, February 14.
For a COVID-safe drop-off, we we ask you to focus on the following:
- All cards be delivered either with a troop leader, parent, or volunteer;
- You place your cards in an envelope or box and drop it off in front of the senior community, after notifying the recipients you are on your way.
- Everyone wears masks and maintains at least six feet of distance when your contact comes outside to pick up the box.
If you choose to mail your cards, please send them by Thursday, February 3, to ensure that they arrive in time.
If your troop decides that each girl will mail their card(s), provide the council office as the return address and make sure they also include a note to let staff know that these are Valentine’s Day cards sent from Girl Scouts and Cupid Crew. To ensure your cards arrive in time, send them by Thursday, February 3, and be sure to let the community know to expect the package.
*Include a note (PDF) to the facility staff to let them know you’re sending cards as part of your Girl Scout troop’s participation in the Cupid Crew national service project.
5. Remember to wrap up by celebrating and sharing.
- Inspire others to give back! Post a photo of your troop, your cards, or your delivery to your social networks using the hashtags #GirlScoutsGiveBack and #CupidCrew. Be sure to tag @girlscouts and @wishofalifetime, too!
- After your troop has completed your cards, share your story with us to help us track Girl Scouts’ nationwide impact through service.
- If you wish to recognize your troop’s participation with a patch, we recommend this Girl Scouts Give Back patch.
Wish of a Lifetime from AARP grants wishes to people 65 and older in recognition of their special accomplishments, contributions, and sacrifices. As one of AARP’s charitable affiliates, Wish of a Lifetime helps people achieve long-held goals while also combating the negative effects of isolation and strengthening social ties and intergenerational connections. Connecting wish recipients with the people and passions that are important to them is central to the organization’s work. To learn more, visit www.wishofalifetime.org or follow @wishofalifetime on social media.
Thanks to Sodexo Seniors for their continued support of Girl Scout national service projects.
For all national service project activities taking place during COVID-19, please make sure your troop complies with health and safety guidelines of the CDC, your local government, and your local Girl Scout council.
