START A FRONTIER GIRLS TROOP

Interested in Starting a Frontier Girls Troop?

Read through the steps below or contact Kerry Cordy directly via either phone or email via the Contact Page.

Structure: Frontier Girls is a scout-like program for girls only that utilizes the badges and awards of the Curiosity Untamed program. Each Frontier Girls troop is independently owned and operated. Unlike other scouting style programs, Frontier Girls is not a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that you join.  Curiosity Untamed simply sells membership subscriptions to the content on our website along with a license to use the Frontier Girls name and uniform in your youth programming. Most troops are owned and run through a local non-profit such as a church, school or veterans organization. Read through the website and familiarize yourself with with the program. Make sure to read through the FAQ page which will answer many of your questions.  Most of the information you will need is in the public areas of the website, but if you have any additional questions, just email Kerry Cordy at kerry@frontiergirls.com.

Troop Costs: The annual troop membership fee is $99.99 and grants a license to run one Frontier Girls troop. Included with the troop membership is access to all leader materials including a leader handbook, a variety of forms for running a troop, leader level badge tracking software, and more. Each girl who participates in the troop needs to purchase an individual ($35/yr) or family ($69.99/yr for 2+ girls in one household) Frontier Girls membership in order to have a license to the the Frontier Girls name and uniform and gain access to all badge requirements. Each troop may either charge dues to cover their operating costs, fundraise for them or use a combination of both. All fundraising is done at the troop level and troops keep 100% of any money they earn. All funds earned must be used for troop expenses and no one may personally profit from the troop.

Troop Type: Decide what type of troop works for you and your family. Will you serve all age levels or just one? How many girls do you wish to serve? Do you want a small troop of 6 or a large troop of 30? How often will you meet and for how long? Will you meet every week or just once a month? How many volunteers will you need to help you? How much space will you need to meet in?

Find a Charter Organization: Each troop takes on the characteristics of the charter organization that runs their troop. If the troop is run as a youth group at a church, it may teach church doctrine. If it is run as part of the youth programming of a VFW Post, it will focus much more on patriotism and civic duty.

Operating your troop through a local non-profit will provide you with basic liability insurance, financial oversight, a place to meet, and non-profit status which helps with fundraising. The organization that owns your troop will be in charge of all personnel training, insurance, finances. Brainstorm organizations in your community that you think would be a good fit with the Frontier Girls program. Examples might include:

• Churches
• Schools (both public and private)
• Veteran’s Organizations (American Legion, VFW posts, etc.)
• Moose Lodge, Elks Lodge, Lions Club, Kiwanis Club, Rotary Club, etc.
• Homeschooling Co-ops
• YMCA
• 4H

A printable sample proposal for approaching charters is below and brochures and other materials are available upon request to help in making presentations to potential charter organizations.

CHARTER PROPOSAL SAMPLE – PDF

CHARTER PROPOSAL SAMPLE – WORD (EDITABLE)

While having your troop operated by a local non-profit is preferable, independent troops run out of private homes are also allowed, but be aware that you do so at your own risk. Curiosity Untamed does not offer insurance of any kind and independent troops are 100% liable for all troop activities and finances. Talk to your insurance agent about what your homeowners policy will and won’t cover and make sure you understand current tax laws regarding how to handle troop money.

Purchase a Troop Membership: Once you find a charter organization, or feel comfortable operating a troop individually, purchase a Troop Membership via the Membership Pricing page of the website. The Troop membership grants a license to use the Frontier Girls name and uniform to run a Frontier Girls troop and gives you access to all leader materials.

If you have not yet found an organization to charter you, you can purchase the Troop Membership yourself and simply transfer it to an organization once you find one by emailing kerry@frontiergirls.com. If you are not yet ready to start a troop, but want to get started as an individual, you can always transfer your individual membership into a troop whenever you are ready.

Look Through All Leader Materials: Once a Troop Membership has been purchased, you will have access to all leader materials. Here you will find our Leader Handbook, all necessary forms for running a troop, record keeping instructions, financial instructions, access to troop badge tracking software and much more. Make sure to register for a troop number. All numbers are assigned in numerical order. 

Plan the First Few Meetings: Choose a couple of fun badges to start with to help everyone learn the program. A sample meeting might look something like:

• 5:45 – 6:00 – Make cards for veterans or service members while everyone arrives.
• 6:00 – 6:15 – Opening flag ceremony, announcements and a few silly songs or games
• 6:15- 7:15 – Badgework
• 7:15 – 7:30 – Snack, clean up and closing announcements

Register Your Girls: All girls who participate in a Frontier Girls troop, including those of the leader, must have their own individual or family Frontier Girls membership in order to have a license to use the Frontier Girls name and uniform and have access to the badge requirements and Frontier Girls resources.