New Troop Leaders

From everyone at Girl Scouts: thank you for signing up as a troop leader.

Your talents and experience have the power to change girls' lives. As a Girl Scout volunteer, you’ll help craft their experiences—from the way they run their cookie businesses to the way they speak up in meetings. You’ll also teach them the skills and give them the confidence they need to bring their unique ideas to life and make changes that they never thought possible.

As girls learn, grow, and lead, you’re there through it all—shaping the future right along with us. And while you teach them important life lessons and set them up for happy, successful lives, you’ll grow too—honing your own leadership and organizational skills. It's a win-win.

Let's get started.

Complete Troop Start-Up & Other Trainings

Complete this within your first 15 days

Troop Start-Up will help you get started with your new Girl Scout troop. You can access it through gsLearn, Girl Scout’s online learning platform. There is one learning path to complete: Troop Start-up Training. You can access gsLearn through MyGS. Log into your account and go to My Account. In the left navigation you will see gsLearn.

We recommend you complete this before your first troop meeting. Your troop assistants are welcome to complete the training as well, but it is only required for troop leaders.

gsLearn houses a variety of learning modules beyond Troop Start-Up! They can be completed at your own pace, meaning you can start and stop at your convenience. Once you've completed Troop Start-Up, explore the other trainings available to you in gsLearn!

LOG INTO MYGS »
DOWNLOAD THE NEW TROOP START-UP GUIDE »

Review Volunteer Essentials

Complete this within your first 15 days

Volunteer Essentials is designed to support busy troop volunteers on the go. You can easily find what you need to get started on your Girl Scout journey and search for answers throughout the troop year. Think of it as your encyclopedia to Girl Scout volunteering.

We recommend reviewing Volunteer Essentials at a glance so you're familiar with what information is available and where to find it when you need it!

As an appointed volunteer, you agree to follow the council policies and procedures found in Volunteer Essentials.

LEARN MORE »

Explore the Volunteer Toolkit (VTK)

Complete this within your first 30 days

Spend less time planning and more time adventuring! The Volunteer Toolkit (VTK) is a digital planning tool that helps you set up, customize, and track your troop activities and achievements. With easy online access, you get official GSUSA program content and related resources and troop financial management support.

You can access the VTK through MyGS. Log into your account and go to My Account. In the left navigation you will see the Volunteer Toolkit.

LOG INTO MYGS »

Set Up Your Troop's Checking Account

Collaborate with your troop leadership committee to open your troop checking account within 30 days of the first troop meeting. The bank account needs at least one leader, plus a second leader or troop assistant (not related or from the same household) as account signers.

When you are ready to open the account, please download the Troop Checking Account Procedures packet so you'll have everything you need to open your troop checking account with your second signer. Don’t forget to complete your Troop Start-up Training on gsLearn as well!

If you would like another troop volunteer besides the troop leader to be the bank account signer, contact Customer Care at 888.350.9050 or by email.

Once your account is open, please complete the GSWO Bank Information Form within 30 days.

LEARN MORE »

Join Rallyhood to Connect with the Girl Scout Community

Complete this within your first 60 days

Meet other Girl Scout volunteers from across western Ohio and southeastern Indiana on Rallyhood, our all-in-one communication and collaboration platform! Get fast answers and feedback from council staff and other volunteers.

Join our Rally for new troop leaders! You can also create a Rally for your troop! You can post updates, share photos, do sign-ups and polls, and more. Connect with your service team to set up a Rally for your troop.

LEARN MORE »

Plan Your First Adventure

Complete this within your first 90 days

You can find a searchable list of upcoming events and an events calendar at gswo.org/events. We recommend signing your troop up for an event right away, to give the girls something to look forward to, and to meet other Girl Scouts in your community! But don't forget that Girl Scouts is girl-led, so have the girls assist in the event selection.

EXPLORE EVENTS »

Purchase a gsZoom Volunteer License, If Needed

Complete this before your first Zoom meeting or event for your troop

Many troops find that they prefer a combination of in-person and virtual meetings. If the free version of Zoom is too limited for your troop, you can purchase a discounted gsZoom Volunteer License for $3/month.

LEARN MORE »

FREE "Leading the Way" New Leader Patch

To commemorate your experience as a new leader, we want to provide you with a series of five free patches. Patches are a fun way to show an accomplishment for both girls and adults and are great swag for your uniform vests. Together these five patches will create a compass that shows you are "Leading the Way".

To earn the compass patches in any order:

Meet your community development manager staff from council or attend the New Leader Fair to earn the Leading the Way patch.
Attend a local service unit meeting to earn the North patch.
With your troop, attend any Girl Scout Council or Partner event to earn the South patch.
With your troop, participate in the Product Program to earn the East patch.
With your troop, complete a community service project to earn the West patch.

Click the link below to complete the form. You will receive an email which you can take with you to the council shop to pick up the free patches you have earned. You can submit the form individually for each patch so you can put it on your vest right away!

SUBMIT PATCH REQUEST FORM

Be Prepared Podcast

The Girl Scout motto is be prepared, and this includes our volunteers! We want to make sure you're ready to tackle new adventures in Girl Scouting and provide resources on the topics you care about. Tune into the Be Prepared Podcast the third Thursday of every month to gain:

The latest insights into an ever-changing girl world
Stories of real-life experience from our community partners
Volunteer trainings on-the-go
And more!