Troop Roles
Adults guide Girl Scouts together, sharing the responsibilities and the fun! All training is provided for each role.
Troop Co-leader
- Two co-leaders are required to form a troop.
- The co-leaders work together to schedule and plan troop meetings and activities.
- Girl Scout membership with an approved background check is required.
- Access to an online Volunteer Toolkit, complete with pre-planned meetings and program content.
- Time commitment: 10 to 15 hours a month.
Troop Treasurer
- Manage troop finances, secure a troop checking account and track income and expenses.
- Girl Scout membership with an approved background check is required.
- Time commitment: three hours a month.
Fall Product Sale Coordinator
- Oversee the troop’s fall fundraiser of candy, nuts and magazines.
- Place orders, manage inventory, handle money and distribute product.
- Should be well organized and comfortable with spreadsheets and technology.
- Girl Scout membership with an approved background check is required.
- Time commitment: two hours a week during seven weeks in September/October/November.
Troop Cookie Coordinator
- Oversee the troop’s cookie program.
- Place orders, manage inventory, schedule cookie booths, handle money and distribute cookies.
- Should be well organized and comfortable with spreadsheets and technology.
- Girl Scout membership with an approved background check is required.
- Time commitment: five hours a week during the cookie sale in January/February/March.
Troop Helper
- Support the troop at meetings regularly, as well as chaperoning, and/or driving girls to and from activities and events.
- Girl Scout membership with an approved background check is required.
- There can be an unlimited number of troop helpers per troop!
- Time commitment for this position varies by necessity.
Starting New Troops
How many volunteers and girls are needed to start a troop?
It takes two unrelated adults and five girls to start a troop. However, Girl Scout research has shown for troops to be successful, the ideal troop size is at least 12 girls.
As a troop forms, Girl Scouts encourages the participation of one or more caregivers from every family in every troop. As more girls join, additional troop leadership is required to maintain GSUSA safety ratios. A caregiver can be another adult family relative or legal guardian.
Troops must have at least two trained troop co-leaders, one of whom is female. There is no limit to the number of co-leaders a troop can have. One adult never leads alone or is left alone with a group of girls or an individual girl.
Each caregiver who is helping with the troop, or just staying at the meetings on the sidelines, must register as a member and have a background check.
How do I start a troop?
- To get started, go to mygs.girlscouts.org, create your account and register as a member.
- Contact us at customercare@gsccc.org and let us know you would like to start a troop.
- When you become a member, we will mark you as “Troop Helper” temporarily to trigger the background check.
- Once the background check is complete we will let the New Troop Support Specialist know you are ready to be set up with your online training.
- Complete your training and you are ready to lead!
