Start a Troop

Do you love inspiring girls to grow, learn, and shine?

As a Girl Scout troop leader, you’ll guide girls to build confidence, explore the outdoors, make new friends, and discover their strengths, all while having fun every step of the way.

A Girl Scout troop is more than just meetings, it’s a safe, supportive space where girls dream big and take action to make their world better.

And you won’t do it alone: with training, ready-to-go meeting plans, and an entire Girl Scout team by your side, you’ll feel confident and prepared to lead.

Be the role model they’ll remember forever, become a Girl Scout troop leader today!

What do
troop leaders do?

Create a safe and welcoming experience for every Girl Scout.

Hold regular troop meetings. Most troops meet once or twice a month for one to two hours, but the meeting schedule and frequency are up to you!

Work alongside a co-leader, troop volunteers, and the parents/caregivers in your troop. Each troop needs at least two unrelated, background-checked adults.

Facilitate a variety of fun, youth-led activities. (We have ready-to-go activity plans to help!)

Keep track of troop funds and spending.

What support do troop leaders receive?

Easy-to-follow new leader instruction guide and welcome box.
Access to free online resources to help you quickly prepare for meetings, including activity guides for every grade level and troop year plans to help you plan out the year.
Experienced local volunteers ready to connect with you.
Individual guidance from knowledgeable, supportive staff members who are just an email or phone call away!
Starting a troop for K-3 graders? Sign up to receive free meeting kits during your first year!

Girl Scout Experience Box

Leaders with new Daisy (K-1) or Brownie (2-3) Girl Scouts can receive complementary monthly troop meeting supply boxes delivered right to their door.

CLAIM YOURS

Start your troop in five easy steps!

STEP 1: Submit your new troop request toggle arrow

Complete this form to start your troop.

STEP 2: Register as an adult member toggle arrow

_{*Girl Scout memberships must be renewed annually. The membership year is October 1–September 30. For a limited time, girls and adults who are new to Girl Scouts can join through the Extended Year membership and be a Girl Scout through September 30, 2027. Extended Year Membership dues are $91 for girls and $42 for adults.}

STEP 3: Connect with the volunteer support team toggle arrow

Once you have a processed background check, your volunteer support team will reach out by phone and/or email to introduce themselves and schedule a time to chat. This team is your go-to people in Girl Scouts and will get you set with the required training and other steps to get you started in your volunteer role.

Haven’t heard from them yet? Please let us know!

While you're waiting, follow Girl Scouts on Facebook to get real-time updates on happenings in our council.

STEP 4: Grow your troop toggle arrow

We have lots of resources to engage youth in your community to grow your troop. Customize recruitment resources or use ready-made digital and print assets. Don’t forget to list your troop number to make it easy for them to register!

Financial assistance is available for youth membership dues and more.

STEP 5: Get ready for your first troop meeting toggle arrow

Before you start planning troop activities, you need to first meet troop members and their families at a family involvement meeting. Follow the checklists found in the New Leader's Guide to Success (PDF) to help prepare.

The troop leadership team should organize a meeting that covers these essential topics:

Determine meeting time, place, and frequency
Collect necessary forms
Communicate expectations of youth and family involvement
Learn about Girl Scouts’ interests
Recruit more leaders! You'll want at least two people on your leadership team, and the more the merrier.

Most importantly, have an amazing Girl Scout year!

Real-world advice from troop leaders
who've been there:

Why be a troop leader?

There are so many benefits to becoming a Girl Scout's role model.

Learn together!

How to boost your confidence when you aren't an expert in a Girl Scout Program.

Build confident girls.

Seven tips for creating a space for girls to speak up.

Frequently Asked Questions toggle arrow

Who can be a Girl Scout volunteer?

Any adult age 18+ may volunteer (must be 21+ to become a troop leader). No Girl Scout experience is required! We provide the training, curriculum, and resources—you set the schedule! It's that easy.

Where are troop meetings held?

Your meeting space needs to be a safe, clean, and secure environment that allows all Girl Scouts to participate. Good options include:

Virtual troop meetings
Schools
Libraries
Places of worship
Community centers and buildings
Local businesses

How much time will I need to dedicate as a leader?

We value your time! Being a troop leader can be made to fit your schedule. Most leaders spend about three hours preparing for and leading meetings. We recommend meeting twice per month; however, some troops choose to meet more or less frequently. Meetings can be planned ahead of time in the Volunteer Toolkit—our online planning tool full of extensive programs and activities that you can incorporate into your yearly plan.

How do I know what activities to do with Girl Scouts?

The Volunteer Toolkit gives you access to a whole year of Girl Scout fun by age level. Year plans come with pre-populated sets of meetings that give you plenty of ideas for activities and all the resources you need at your fingertips. Your year plan is fully customizable. You can even track Girl Scouts’ attendance and achievements!

What support is available for me as a leader?

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

We provide online and in-person training for leaders that you can complete at your convenience, and we provide detailed activity plans that make it easy to get meetings going. You’ll also have access to our dedicated volunteer support team for guidance.

How do I get youth to join my troop?

It’s never too early to start spreading the word about your new Girl Scout troop! Even while you wait to complete your onboarding and get a troop number, you can talk to friends, your neighbors, and other families in the community to make sure that your Girl Scouts will have a lively troop. Before you host your first official meeting, you should aim to recruit at least eight Girl Scouts and one or more additional adult volunteers (who are not related to you) to create a thriving Girl Scout troop.

The youth and adult recruitment process should be about three to four weeks.

In addition to your word-of-mouth efforts, our recruitment team can help you with recruiting Girl Scouts, providing resources to help you spread the word.

Financial assistance is available for youth membership dues and more.

Are parents required to volunteer?

While parents are not required to volunteer, we strongly recommend all caregivers and adults be registered and background-checked so they can support the leaders at meetings and events when necessary.

Parents are also vital in the optimization of a troop!

Parents who wish to assist with the Girl Scout Cookie Program, troop finances, transportation, chaperone trips, and other volunteer-related activities, must complete a criminal background check.

Studies show that the most successful troops have the full support and participation of the Girl Scout’s family!

Need more information? toggle arrow

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Start a Troop

Do you love inspiring girls to grow, learn, and shine?

What do troop leaders do?

Create a safe and welcoming experience for every Girl Scout.

Hold regular troop meetings. Most troops meet once or twice a month for one to two hours, but the meeting schedule and frequency are up to you!

Work alongside a co-leader, troop volunteers, and the parents/caregivers in your troop. Each troop needs at least two unrelated, background-checked adults.

Facilitate a variety of fun, youth-led activities. (We have ready-to-go activity plans to help!)

Keep track of troop funds and spending.

What support do troop leaders receive?

Easy-to-follow new leader instruction guide and welcome box.

Access to free online resources to help you quickly prepare for meetings, including activity guides for every grade level and troop year plans to help you plan out the year.

Experienced local volunteers ready to connect with you.

Individual guidance from knowledgeable, supportive staff members who are just an email or phone call away!

Starting a troop for K-3 graders? Sign up to receive free meeting kits during your first year!

Start your troop in five easy steps!

Real-world advice from troop leaders who've been there:

Contact Information

What do
troop leaders do?

Real-world advice from troop leaders
who've been there: