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EnglishHow to Use the Council Finder on nmgirlscouts.org
Updated
The Council Finder on nmgirlscouts.org is a navigation aid: it points you to the Girl Scouts council that serves a given location, and it does so by sending you off girlscouts.org to an external site. Use it when you know the place you're searching for (a city, town, or ZIP code) but not which council covers it. If you already know you're in the New Mexico Trails service area, you don't need the finder at all — you're already on the right council's site.
What the Council Finder is for
Girl Scouts is organized into local councils, and each council serves a defined geographic area. The Council Finder exists to answer one question: which council covers this address? On nmgirlscouts.org the feature appears under the Council Finder heading, which is the entry point for that lookup.
It is not a membership application, a troop locator, or a store. It's a routing tool — its job ends when it hands you off to the correct council's website.
Step by step
- Start on nmgirlscouts.org and locate the Council Finder heading.
- Follow the Council Finder link. This is the action that begins the lookup.
- Expect a leave-site notice. Before the external site opens, a dialog appears stating that you are leaving girlscouts.org for a website opened by an external party and that you will be subject to that website's privacy and security policies. It offers two choices: CONTINUE to proceed, or STAY HERE to remain on nmgirlscouts.org.
- Choose CONTINUE if you want to complete the lookup.
- Enter your location on the external site and review the council result it returns.
Expected result: you land on a council lookup page outside girlscouts.org and receive the council that serves your area.
The hand-off matters
The most common point of confusion is the leave-site dialog. It is not an error and not a warning that something went wrong — it's a standard notice that the next page is operated by someone other than girlscouts.org.
Two practical consequences:
- Policies change at the boundary. Once you continue, the privacy and security rules you're under are the external site's, not those of nmgirlscouts.org. If you plan to submit personal details, read that site's policies rather than assuming the council site's terms match the one you came from.
- STAY HERE is a real option. If you only wanted to confirm what the finder does, or you'd rather not leave, choose STAY HERE and you'll remain on nmgirlscouts.org.
Choosing the right path
| Your situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| You know the city or ZIP code you're asking about | Use the Council Finder and continue to the external lookup |
| You already know you're in the New Mexico Trails area | Stay on nmgirlscouts.org; the finder adds nothing |
| You're unsure whether a location is in this council's area | Use the finder — that's exactly the case it resolves |
| You don't want to leave girlscouts.org | Choose STAY HERE on the notice |
Common snags
- Closing the dialog instead of choosing. The notice has two buttons; dismissing it without picking one leaves you where you started. Pick CONTINUE or STAY HERE deliberately.
- Assuming the finder enrolls you. It only identifies a council. Joining, troop placement, and program registration happen on the council's own site after you arrive.
- Treating the external site as part of nmgirlscouts.org. Bookmark the council site you land on separately if you'll return to it — the finder is a one-way routing step, not a permanent link to your council.