New Troop

Parents and community members make a key difference in the lives of girls by guiding them through the Girl Scout Leadership Experience! At GSWCF, we want leading a troop to be as amazing for you as it will be for the girls. That's why we support you every step of the way.

We provide our leaders with:

Convenient, online training that gives you everything you need on your schedule, with an option for in-person training opportunities.
Activity Plans to help you quickly and easily prepare for meetings.
Individual guidance from our Troop Support team and your local volunteer team.
Flexibility—leaders set the troop meeting times and locations.

Common Questions About Leading Girl Scouts

Many people have some questions and concerns before stepping up to lead their girl's troop. Here are some of the ones we hear most often.

How much time will I need?

Being a Troop Leader actually fits into a variety of schedules. We recommend that troops meet twice per month. Current leaders report volunteering around ten hours a month (including their troop meetings). Troop Leaders choose the day, time, and frequency of their Toop Meetings.

We provide our troop leaders with online meeting plans, so they can quickly and easily plan their troop’s activities.

Once a month, they also attend a Leaders' Meeting with other adults in their area where they receive support, get news and updates from council, and collaborate to organize events for girls in their area.

I don't have any Girl Scout experience.

You already have everything you need to start leading your troop. No Girl Scout experience is necessary. If the girls are smiling and having a good time, the leaders are doing a good job!

We provide online meeting plans to guide you through each step of planning your troop’s activities. We also provide convenient, online training videos and resources to help you learn to be a leader for your troop. You also have a local team of experienced volunteers to support you and offer training along the way.

You can also recruit a friend to be a co-leader, or a team of additional troop volunteers, to help you! Creating a troop volunteer team will bring complementary skills and expertise to your troop's Girl Scout experience.

What support or help is there for leaders?

Each troop has at least two leaders, so you'll always have a partner to help lead and share in the fun. We encourage you to invite another parent or friend to serve with you, or we can work with you and your community to help connect you with a co-leader.

We provide online, in person, and on-demand trainings for our leaders that you can take on your schedule. We've also created detailed activity plans that make it easy to get meetings going. And you’ll always have access to our dedicated Volunteer Support team for guidance when you need it.

What are the steps to getting started as a Troop Leader?

Registering yourself, with a Girl Scout background check - All volunteers are required to become adult Girl Scout members, which is $25 for the membership year. They will need to pass a background check.
Finding a meeting location- Public locations only. If assistance is needed, Girl Scouts is always happy to help!
Resources and Support- We’ll be connecting you with our Troop Support department and the volunteer team in your area to support you throughout your journey!
Building the Troop- We never let our Leaders do it alone. For each troop there needs to be a minimum of two registered and background checked adults at every meeting (but no worries if you don’t have someone, we’re great at helping build your leadership team). We’ll also help you fill your troop with girls!
First Meeting- When it’s time for your first troop meeting, we provide you an easy to follow guide and all the resources you’ll need!