Step 2: Invite Adults
Invite other parents, caregivers, and your friends to join you in building the troop! At a minimum, the troop needs two unrelated adult volunteers, one of whom is female, to get started. All involved adults must be at least 18 years old and need to register as a member of Girl Scouts and complete a background check prior to working with girls. One-time visitors are exempt from this but should always be supervised by a registered volunteer and never left alone with girls. Share the National Standard Safety Guidelines (in the Safety Activity Checkpoints) with all families and volunteers to set the expectations of adult behavior around the girls and emphasize that girl safety is of primary importance in Girl Scouts.
Troop Roles
Troop Leader: Lead the way! Troop Leaders are memory makers; they lead and guide a group of girls through Girl Scouting. They take the girls’ interests, abilities, and opinions into consideration when planning out their fun. As girls get older, Troop Leaders guide more than lead, but continue to help them grow, learn, and do amazing things!
Assistant Troop Leader: You’ve got the troop leader’s back! Work alongside the troop leader and making memories with the girls, mentoring them as they make new friends, try new things, and explore the world.
Fall Product Manager: Coordinate the annual Fall Product Program at the troop level. Manage the program and money, and then watch the girls light up when they reach their goals, learn something new, and squish the stuffed animal they didn’t buy, but earned!
Troop Cookie Manager: Coordinate the annual Girl Scout Cookie Program at the troop level. Set up cookie booths, manage inventory and money, and witness as girls turn into #CookieBosses- setting goals, making sales, and earning rewards!
Troop Treasurer: Got a knack for numbers? A passion for all things accounting? This role works with girls and the troop leader to keep troop finances in order. Troop treasurers work alongside the troop leader to prepare the annual troop finance report.
Troop Helper: Want to work with girls? These volunteers play a big role in making the troop run smoothly. They’re an extra set of eyes, ears, and hands that allow the troop to safely explore the world around them.
What can additional volunteers do? A lot!
It will help you to delegate tasks to other parents and caregivers. Most of them are looking for a specific task to get involved in a way that works for them.
- Secure the meeting location
- Drive girls to field trips or special events
- Find an adult to talk to the girls about the badge skill they are working on
- Chaperone trips and outings
- Manage some of the troop records (attendance, permission slips, finances)
- Shop for badges or troop supplies
- Send updates to families with pictures and announcements of troop activity
- Assist with the Fall Product Program and the Cookie Program
- Step in for you when you are ill, have a sick child, or a conflicting work commitment
- Lead a meeting, or a portion of a meeting
- Plan a party for special days or bridging ceremonies
- Send snacks to troop meetings
Choose a Troop Leadership Model
Which troop leadership model will work best for you and the families joining the troop? Consider how many other volunteers step forward to help and the level of commitment they are willing to make.
Adult to Youth Ratio Chart
Here’s a guide to help plan how many adults need to be present during Girl Scout meetings and events. The number of youth should include any tag-alongs (siblings or other non-members).
Adult Member Background Checks
It is expected that adults who participate in an overnight stay, handle money, drive youth members, or plan to regularly or periodically attend Girl Scout gatherings and share oversight of members, will join the troop as a volunteer in a Troop Helper role. A background check is required for the Troop Helper role. Troop funds may be used to purchase adult memberships.
