Opportunity Catalog

Wouldn’t it be great if every girl could join a Girl Scout troop? Some girls don’t have the opportunity because they can’t find one in their area. By welcoming one more girl into your troop, you offer her a sense of belonging and the chance to develop courage and confidence to try new things and take the lead.

We can offer girls and volunteers easy access to troop membership with your help. By listing your troop openings in the Opportunity Catalog, families can select your troop—if it meets their location and scheduling requirements. Take a peek at the live Opportunity Catalog by using your zip code to search for girl or adult troop opportunities.

Opportunity Catalog FAQs

What is the Opportunity Catalog?

The Opportunity Catalog is an online listing of troops—some with space available, and others that are new troop opportunities for girls and/or volunteers. It enables caregivers to search by zip code to find local troops, making it easier and quicker for their girls to begin their leadership journey. Caregivers also will be able to sign up for available volunteer opportunities as they register their girl(s). This means more girls and adults participating in Girl Scouting!

How does the Opportunity Catalog work?

Troop leaders welcoming more girls into their troop will submit their information to be included in the online Opportunity Catalog using this online form. If you need to update your listing at any time, simply resubmit the same form.

Tell us how many available spaces you have in your troop (our recommended minimum troop size is 12 girls in K-5^th grade and 6 girls in 6^th-12^th grade), and when and where your troop meets, and we’ll add it to the online catalog so girls and potential volunteers can be matched with your opportunities.

Your service unit team and volunteer support specialist will provide any guidance you need as you welcome new girls and volunteers into your troop.

If your family is new to Girl Scouts, please provide contact information on our girl registration webpage to view troop options in the Opportunity Catalog.

How does a girl join my troop?

Fill out this online form to let us know you have room in your troop. We will use your response to add your troop to the Opportunity Catalog. When the troop is added to the Opportunity Catalog, caregivers will be able to select the troop as part of the registration process. You would receive an automated notification when a new girl chooses your troop! Once your troop is full, your troop will no longer appear in the catalog.

What information will my listing include?

Listings in the Opportunity Catalog include troop number, grade levels, location, meeting schedule, and the number of openings remaining for girls and volunteers. To ensure safety, you may choose not to display your meeting location. (Please indicate your preference in the form notes.) Prospective members clicking on the troop description link will see general information about your troop.

What am I committing to by adding my troop's information?

The goal of the Opportunity Catalog is to make it easier for girls to join a troop, and for adults to find compatible volunteer opportunities. Once you list opportunities for your troop, your next step is to welcome all the new girl(s) who enroll until your troop reaches capacity.

I have a new troop member, now what?

The first step is sending them a welcome email to your troop. When a new member joins and we have spoken them we have let them know that most of our leaders work full time jobs and may need a few days to get back to you. If you can reach out to them before your next meeting, that would be perfect. Here is a sample email you could use:

Welcome to Girl Scout Troop [number] . We are always excited to welcome new girl members and encourage parent/caregiver volunteers in the troop helper role.

Our troop meetings are held on [day of week and frequency] from [time] at [location] .

Most of our girls [wear/ don’t wear] a uniform to our troop meetings and always wear closed toed shoes. Also, our girls are responsible to bring $ [amount] for troop dues. Troop dues will be collected by one of the girls per meeting as part of the way for them to earn one of the financial literacy badges. The meeting dues will go towards the troop expenses (supplies, rewards, badges, trips, etc.). We can discuss more of those details in person. Looking forward to meeting you both!

What if I don't know the new girl/volunteer who joins my troop?

One of the best parts of Girl Scouting is having the opportunity to make new friends, and we hope leaders will welcome any new girl or volunteer who selects their troop. Most troop leaders craft a custom welcome email that they send once they have received email notification of a new member.

Are there troop size requirements? What if there are special circumstances?

We recommend a minimum of 12 girls per troop in K-5^th grade and 6 girls per troop in 6^th-12^th grade to provide a diverse, interactive experience for all. We understand there may be circumstances that make this impractical or challenging. If you would like to request a specific troop size, please complete this online form or contact your volunteer support specialist to discuss the options.

What if I have an opening mid-year?

The Opportunity Catalog can be updated at any time, so please let us know when you have changes to your meeting schedule, location, or troop availability by filling out the online form.

What if my troop is at capacity?

If you feel your troop is already at maximum capacity and that number is under our suggested minimums, we need to hear from you through the online form. We don’t want you to take on more than you can handle but need to understand your limitations. Even when your troop is not on the catalog, returning members can renew, but new members won’t be able to select your troop. There is no troop maximum. Troops may welcome as many girls as they would like as long as they are meeting volunteer to girl ratios (Volunteer Essentials, p. 64). If you already have 12 girls and would like more, you can let us know by filling out this online form.

What if our troop is not a good fit for a new member?

Girl Scouts embraces girls of all abilities, backgrounds, and heritage, with a specific and positive philosophy of inclusion that benefits everyone. Each girl—without regard to socioeconomic status, race, physical or cognitive ability, ethnicity, primary language, or religion—is an equal and valued member of the group, and groups reflect the diversity of the community.

Inclusion is an approach and an attitude, rather than a set of guidelines. Inclusion is about belonging, about all girls being offered the same opportunities, about respect and dignity, and about honoring the uniqueness of and differences among us all.

You’re accepting and inclusive when you:

Welcome every girl and focus on building community.
Emphasize cooperation instead of competition.
Provide a safe and socially comfortable environment for girls.
Teach respect for, understanding of, and dignity toward all girls and their families.
Honor the intrinsic value of each person’s life.

But, sometimes a first troop option will not be the best fit (usually based on style and type of activity), and that is ok. If you find the troop placement is the wrong fit for either party, please reach out to us at join@gswcf.org.

My GS

Each Girl Scout household has a membership profile in the My GS portal. Troop leaders will have troop and family membership tabs, while primary caregivers will have access to only their family memberships information. Your email address is your username. Choose "Forgot Your Password?" if you need to reset it. You can access your My GS account at your convenience from your desktop or mobile device.

The Volunteer Toolkit

The Volunteer Toolkit (VTK) is a time-saving online resource to help you make the most of every troop meeting and activity. It's designed for leading K-5 troops, but troop leaders working with older girls will find great information, too. The VTK provides everything needed to plan an awesome year of Girl Scouting. Watch this video to learn how to organize your troop with the VTK.

How can we help?

Have a question about Girl Scouts, our website, your membership status, or programs? We’re here to help! Email us at CustomerConnections@gswcf.org or call us at 813-281-GIRL (4475).