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!

Start a Girl Scout Troop in Your Community

You have the power to make a meaningful impact on the lives of young girls in your community. Imagine being the one to bring people together—whether it’s friends, neighbors, or fellow parents/caregivers—to create a Girl Scout troop that will inspire and uplift. Girl Scouts is all about fun, learning, and building lasting friendships, and if you’re organized, kind, and welcoming, you’re already the perfect person to start a troop!

When you start a troop, you’re not just leading—you’re creating a space where girls can grow, learn, and thrive together. With the support of your community, this journey will be as rewarding for you as it is for the girls you’ll guide. You can be the one to make a difference

The Joy and Impact of Starting a Girl Scout Troop

Becoming a Girl Scout troop leader means stepping into a role filled with joy, inspiration, and connection. As a leader, you’ll not only be a cheerleader and a champion of kindness but also set an example of what it means to lead with heart and empathy. Along the way, you'll gain confidence, discover your own unique leadership style, and build deeper connections within your community—all while guiding your Girl Scouts on their incredible journey.

Starting a troop is an amazing opportunity to make a lasting impact on the lives of young girls, and it’s a rewarding experience that you can shape to fit your life. As a troop leader, you’ll have the flexibility to set meeting times, choose locations, and decide on the size of your troop based on your availability and needs. At Girl Scouts-Arizona Cactus-Pine Council, we are dedicated to making this journey as fulfilling and fun as possible, and we’re here to support you every step of the way.

Here’s how we make it easy for you:

Flexible, at-your-own-pace online training with live webinars to connect and learn together.
Personal guidance from council staff and trained volunteers, offering the support you need.
Convenient online resources to help you prepare for each meeting with ease.
Girl Scout Experience Boxes – We're here to make your first year as a Daisy or Brownie Girl Scout troop leader easy and fun! New Daisy leaders (K-1) or Brownie leaders (2nd and 3rd grade) receive complimentary monthly Girl Scout Experience Boxes delivered right to your door. It has practical script suggestions, step-by-step instructions, and supplies that make meeting planning a breeze. Receive a Welcome Box and up to seven monthly boxes, depending on your troop's start date. To learn more, contact join@girlscoutsaz.org or 602-452-7040.

Starting a troop isn’t just about leadership—it’s about fostering growth, creating community, and making memories that last a lifetime. We can’t wait to see the difference you’ll make!

Ready to Lead?

Become a Troop Leader and start your adult adventure today with our Girl Scouts Experience Box Program.

*This is only available for the troop leaders of Daisy (Kindergarten - 1st grade) and Brownie (2nd—3rd grade) levels.

What is the Process

Step 1: Request a troop number toggle arrow

Click the “Start a Troop” button to answer a series of questions about your new troop.

Follow the prompts for questions such as school affiliation, grade(s), meeting zip code, etc. If you’re unsure about meeting days and times, use your best guess or choose “TBD”; you can always update it later by submitting the Meeting Detail Update Form to our Member Placement Department.

Step 2: Registration toggle arrow

Our Member Placement Department will contact you to register as an adult member and complete a background check and volunteer agreement.

Financial assistance is available.

Step 3: Connect with Onboarding Specialist and take training toggle arrow

You will receive a welcome email and phone call from our Onboarding Specialist. In these communications, our Onboarding Specialist will welcome you and offer support as you begin your troop leader journey. They will also provide dates for you to attend an Onboarding Introduction and explain what training is required for troop leaders.

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

Step 4: Grow your troop toggle arrow

Research has found that having 10-12 girls in your troop is the ‘sweet spot’ – small enough to encourage individual development and large enough to provide an interactive and cooperative learning environment. As troop leaders, you can make sure your troop is available in the opportunity catalog for new members to register at will, and you can also share a direct link for new families to register directly in your troop through your myGS account. Adults and girls alike can join your troop this way. If your troop doesn’t have enough girls assigned or you want a larger group, GSACPC is here to support you!

If you would like help growing your troop, contact your Member Placement Coordinator anytime throughout the year. Contact Member Placement by calling 602-452-7040 or emailing reghelp@girlscoutsaz.org.

Step 5: Hold a parent/caregiver meeting toggle arrow

Once you have completed your training, have your leadership team (at least two troop leaders who are unrelated registered background checked adult members one of whom is female), and at least 5 girls registered, it is time to schedule a Parent/Caregiver meeting. The troop leadership team should organize and hold a meeting that covers these essential topics using the 4-her Promise and Family Guide:

Meeting Time, place, and frequency
Collect necessary form(s): General Permission Health History and Code of Conduct Agreement (page 3 of Guide to Managing Girl Behavior)
Communicate expectations of youth and family involvement
Learn about youth and families’ interest in Girl Scouts
Recruit more volunteers. Encourage adults to join your troop committee.

Most importantly, have an amazing Girl Scout year! Don’t forget to join our GSACPC Rallyhood to stay connected and get real-time updates on what is happening in our council!

an illustration of a troop leader and the troop year plan PDFs

Preview Your Year

Our easy-to-follow Troop Year Plans are available for troops of all ages! Check out the fun that awaits you and your troop.

SEE PLANS

Common Questions about Being a Troop Leader

Where are troop meetings held? toggle arrow

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

Schools
Libraries
Places of worship
Community centers, buildings, and parks
Local businesses
Virtually via Zoom

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

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.

Leaders are also encouraged to attend monthly leader meetings in their Service Unit, which are typically one hour. At these meetings, you will meet with other leaders in your community to network, share ideas, and learn about what is new in the Service Unit and at the Council.

How do I know what activities to do with my troop? toggle arrow

Our Volunteer Toolkit and Troop Year Planners give you access to a whole year of Girl Scout fun by grade 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 individual attendance and achievements!

What support is available for me as a leader? toggle arrow

You will have access to our dedicated Volunteer Support team and your Member Support Executive for guidance. You will also be part of a network of local volunteers (Service Unit) who can support you. In addition, we provide you with online training courses and an Onboarding Introduction. Finally, we encourage you to invite other parents, caregivers, and friends to co-lead with you.

How do I get youth to join my troop? toggle arrow

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 your child’s friends, your neighbors, and other families in the community to make sure that you will have a lively troop.

In addition to your word-of-mouth efforts, our recruitment team can help you with recruiting youth at your child’s school or community and can provide you with resources to help you spread the word.

Are parents/caregivers required to volunteer? toggle arrow

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

Studies show that the most successful troops have the full support and participation of the caregivers!

Need more information? toggle arrow

If you are interested in leading a troop but have more questions, we would love to talk with you. Please email reghelp@girlscoutsaz.org.