Local support groups
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Friends of
Guiding
Friends of Guiding are parents, relatives and friends of
members, or Girlguiding UK members themselves, who:
- support the aims of Girlguiding UK
- actively work to help their local unit(s), District, Division
or other area.
Every District and/or Division is encouraged to have a Friends
of Guiding group. The aim of each group is to help local Leaders or
Commissioners, eg by fundraising, providing resources for events or
establishing contacts with other local organisations.
A Friend of Guiding does not wear guidewear unless she/he is
undertaking a role in guiding that entitles her/him to do so.
She/he may wear a Friend of Guiding badge; this does not confer
membership of Girlguiding UK.
All supporters are encouraged to be members of Girlguiding
UK.
An information booklet is available from Membership
Support Services.
Local organisation
A Friends of Guiding group must have a written constitution
approved by the appropriate local Commissioner. The Commissioner is
an ex-officio member of all Friends of Guiding, groups, and their
Executive Committees, in her area. At all times the group is under
the authority of the Commissioner concerned who may, at her
discretion, disband it.
A Friends of Guiding group:
- has no responsibility for, or involvement in, running the area
or unit(s) it serves
- may not make any decisions that affect members of Girlguiding
UK without consulting the appropriate Commissioner.
A Friends of Guiding group must be registered using
form R/F.
Finance
A Friends of Guiding group:
- is financially self-supporting
- has no call on unit funds.
A group should only own funds to cover its operating costs. Its
accounts must be prepared in accordance with the Charities Acts (or
appropriate legislation in Scotland) and be presented at the
group's Annual General Meeting.
Funds raised by a Friends of Guiding group, or an individual
Friend of Guiding, should be put to use for a specific guiding
purpose. The appropriate Commissioner must be consulted before
funds are spent.
Joint Supporters' Committees serving Guide and Scout units
Where a number of Girlguiding UK units and Scout Groups are
attached to the same meeting place, place of worship or sponsoring
body, a Joint Supporters' Committee can be formed. The approval of
both the Guide and Scout District Commissioners is required before
the committee is formed.
A member of a Joint Supporters' Committee does not wear
guidewear unless she/he is undertaking a role in guiding that
entitles her/him to do so. She/he may wear a Friend of Guiding
badge; this does not confer membership of Girlguiding UK.
All supporters are encouraged to be members of Girlguiding
UK.
Organisation
When the Joint Supporters' Committee is formed a constitution
must be drawn up and agreed by the Guide and Scout County
Commissioners. This should include details of how any money raised
will be spent.
Finance
All funds raised or received by a Joint Supporters' Committee
belong to the individual Girlguiding UK unit(s) and Scout Group(s)
concerned. The funds should be paid into the building society or
bank accounts of the unit(s) and Scout Group(s) as soon as
reasonably practicable:
- following the agreed distribution set down in the
constitution
or
- as agreed in advance of any major fundraising event.
Before a major fundraising event is undertaken, the Guide and
Scout Commissioners concerned must agree how the proceeds will be
distributed. The Joint Supporters' Committee should only retain
funds to cover its operating costs: the amount must be agreed with
the unit(s) or area(s) it supports and should not exceed ten per
cent of the funds raised during the year.
Property
A Joint Supporters' Committee may not own property of any kind.
If a joint headquarters exists it should be:
- vested in either The Guide Association Trust Corporation or The
Scout Association Trust Corporation
or
- held by local trustees, for the benefit of the Guide unit(s)
and Scout Group(s) concerned.
The headquarters should be run by a joint management committee
with representation from both Guide and Scout supporters. Income
and expenditure should be shared on an agreed basis that is
regularly reviewed by the Guide unit(s) and the Scout Group(s).
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