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New Leader Resources

Welcome to GSNETX!

Thinking about becoming a Girl Scout Troop Leader or ready to get started? You will find everything you need for your first year here – action steps to get a troop started, ideas for meetings and more, where to do to get the support you need! As a new leader, check out your week by week to do list along with additional info and support you will need throughout the year!

Have questions?  We're here to help!  Contact us at newtroop@gsnetx.org.

New Leader Checklist: Getting Your Troop Off to a Good Start󠆳

Week 1
Get Registered as a Girl Scout Troop Leader

Volunteer link:  https://mygs.girlscouts.org/

Instructions on how to register with a troop number:

  1. Click on the Volunteer link above.
  2. Click the Volunteer button.
  3. Add your zip code.
  4. Complete all fields and membership.
  5. The GSNETX Recruitment team will contact you in within a couple of days.

Instructions on how to register without a troop number:

  1. Click on the Volunteer link above.
  2. Click the Volunteer button.
  3. Add your zip code.
  4. In the Position field choose Troop Leader.
  5. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the ?
  6. Fill out your contact information.
  7. Under Subject, choose "I have always wanted to be a troop leader."
  8. Complete membership.
  9. The GSNETX Recruitment team will contact in within a couple of days.
Complete a Background Check
  • Email invite will come from theadvocates@sterlingvolunteers. Be sure to check your junk/spam inbox if you do not see the invitation in your email inbox.

Conditions Requiring Adult Membership Registration and Background Check: Any adults participating in Girl Scouts in the following ways must register with GSUSA and successfully complete a background check:

  • Taking responsibility for the safety of girls not in their family, including driving
  • Handling Girl Scout monies, including those funds involved in the GSNETX Cookie Program
  • Participating in overnights when girls attend without adults from their family
  • Serving as a Safety-Wise adult to meet adult-to-girl supervision ratios, as further defined in the Risk Management policy
  • Serving as Troop Camp Trained Adult or First Aider
  • Serving on a Girl Scout administrative team
  • Per GSNETX Policy & Procedures, page 4
Meet the Placement Specialists and Set Up Your Troop Profile

Information included in your Troop Profile:

  • Troop Meeting Location – Name and exact address
  • Meeting day of the week and which weeks of the month
  • Meeting start time and end time
  • Grade(s) of the girls in the troop
  • The school(s) name(s) of troop members
  • A short description of the types of activities the troop will do this year
  • Troop focuses, such as community service, creative arts, entrepreneurship, healthy living, life skills, outdoor activities, STEM
  • Languages that are spoken by members of the troop
This information is collected to keep track of our what our Girl Scouts' interests are and where they are located. This information is also used to help families find troops to join in their area.
 
Find your Placement Specialist by service unit number:

Tracey – tarnaud@gsnetx.org 
Service Units: 112, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 157, 158, 186, 403, 485

Jennifer – jpowdrill@gsnetx.org 
Service Units: 131, 141, 142, 160, 161, 163, 165, 174, 182, 183

Ashley – ajames@gsnetx.org 
Service Units: 101, 105, 108, 143, 147, 148, 170, 171, 184, 189, 483  

Mary – mabbott@gsnetx.org
Service Units: 173, 362, 363, 364, 365, 366, 368, 369, 372, 375, 377, 377, 379

Carrie – cbutler@gsnetx.org 
Service Units:  111, 123, 223, 404, 405, 406, 408, 409, 411, 412, 416

Sabrina – sterrazas@gsnetx.org
Service Units: 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 233, 234, 241, 242, 250, 251, 253, 263

Find a Co-Leader and Invite Girls to Join Your Troop

Tips for finding a co-leader:

  • Ask the troop parents/guardians/relatives.
  • Build a Troop Committee.
  • Ask a friend or co-worker who might be interested in working with girls.  Did you know that volunteers don’t have to have a daughter in the troop to volunteer.
  • Ask your Troop Support Coordinator if she knows any GS alums who might be interested.
  • Connect with others on social media, especially through your school’s or grade level groups.
  • Ask your service unit manager – they might know someone who’s waiting to find the perfect troop to volunteer with!

Inviting and Welcoming New Girls to Your Troop:

Join the New Leader Academy and Find Out About New Leader Training

Join the New Leader Academy

Required Trainings for New Leaders

    TR100 – New Leader Training (required)
    TR402 – Protecting Our Girls (required)
    GSUSA Daisy/Brownie/Junior Grade Level Essentials  (optional, but strongly recommended)   

Required Training  is FREE and found in your gsLearn portal found inside your MyGS account on the homepage

Find Your Training Courses: A Step-by-Step Guide (PowerPoint)

mem_2022_gslearn_diagram

Additional Recommended Trainings

    CPR/First Aid Training  (required for field trips & camping)     
    TR301 – GSNETX Camping  (required for camping or activities involving fire)

    *Troop funds may be used to pay for these course fees. 

Meet Your Troop Support Coordinator

Your Troop Support Team

The Troop Support Coordinator provides guidance for troop leaders especially through their first year of participation and crucial bridging years. They are the first point of contact for inquiries from troop volunteers and serve as a liaison between these volunteers and GSNETX. 

Go to your Troop Support Coordinator for help with:

  • New and returning troop volunteers
  • Volunteer training, awards/recognition, Kick-Off event
  • Troop-to-troop transfers
  • Membership records for active members
Find your Troop Support Coordinator by service unit number:

Keilene – kmiller@gsnetx.org
Service Units:  131, 141, 142, 160, 161, 163, 165, 174, 182, 183

Tiffany Barnes – tbarnes@gsnetx.org
Service Units:  101, 105, 108, 143, 147, 148, 170, 171, 184, 189, 483

Tiffany White – twhite@gnstex.org 
Service Units: 111, 123, 223, 404, 405, 406, 408, 409, 411, 412, 416

Hilary – hgrider-henk@gsnetx.org
Service Units: 173, 362, 363, 364, 365, 366, 368, 369, 372, 375, 377, 377, 379

Dawn – dburwell@gsnetx.org 
Service Units:  211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 233, 234, 241, 242, 250, 251, 253, 263

Elisha – eharrison@gsnetx.org  
Service Units:  112, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 157, 158, 186, 403, 485

Week 2
Complete New Leader Training

Your goal should be to complete New Leader Training before you meet as a troop. If that isn’t possible, it should be completed within two months of becoming a troop leader.

gsLearn – Log into your gsLearn account when you log in your MY GS account. gsLearn will be listed on the left.

Why is completing training important?

Building girls into great leaders starts with you! Many of our trainings our free and are created with the goal of empowering you with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to deliver fun, safe, and meaningful Girl Scouts experiences to the girls in your troop. Courses can be taken through gsLearn, in-person, or through our GSNETX Learning Channel Community.

Your goal should be to complete the required New Leader Trainings listed under Week 1 before you hold your first troop meeting. If that isn’t possible, it should be completed within two months of becoming a troop leader. The new leader trainings can be found by accessing gsLearn within your My GS account .

If you have questions about training opportunities, contact your Troop Support Coordinator or  newtroop@gsnetx.org .

Discover the Ins and Outs of the Volunteer Toolkit

What is the Volunteer Toolkit?

The First-Year Troop Leader and the Volunteer Toolkit

Through the Volunteer Toolkit, troop leaders can:

  • Plan the troop’s calendar year
  • Email parents with one click
  • View the troop roster, renew girls’ membership, and update girls' contact information
  • View Daisy through Ambassador Journeys and badges (to plan for troop meetings), including prepopulated tracks for younger and older Multi-Level troop groups (K–5 and 6–12)
  • Customize meetings by troop year with other badge and Journey options
  • Explore individual meeting plans that show a breakdown of every meeting, including a list of materials needed and editable time allotments for each activity within a meeting
  • Record girls’ attendance at meetings and their badge and Journey achievements
  • Add council or custom troop events to the troop’s calendar
  • Enter the troop’s finances
  • Easily locate resources both national and local council resources, such as Safety Activity Checkpoints
  • See the VTK Finance Tab FAQ and find out about Troop Financial Reporting and more
Find Your Troop Bank and Submit the Opening a Bank Account Form
Meet with your Co-Leader and Plan a Parent Meeting
Find Your Troop Roster / Email Your Troop Parents, Hold the Parent Meeting

Volunteer Toolkit – This is the best place to find your Troop Roster, it shows:

  • Girl Name
  • Parent Name
  • Email
  • Phone

MY GS – You can see your list of troop members on the My Troop(s) tab and you can renew their memberships. If you click on each girl to edit you will find: 

  • Girl Name
  • Phone
  • Email
  • Address
  • School
  • Language preferences
  • These things can be updated by you at any time
  • You will also find other info you cannot update
Contacting New Members of the Troop

Every time a new member is assigned to your troop, whether by GSNETX or by troop invitation, an email should be sent to the family welcoming the new member and her family to the troop.

Include the following info in the troop welcome email:

  • A warm welcome
  • A brief intro to the leaders (include a few things about yourselves)
  • A short description of troop activities and or troop goals
  • What is required for meeting attendance
  • Where meetings are held, the time period and meeting dates
  • Money – are there dues and how to pay them to the troop?
  • Needs for additional help with the troop
  • Info on uniforms and where to get everything needed

Email Template to welcome new families to the troop

Week 3
Complete Your Bank Account Set-Up
  • Collect your troop start-up dues from families. This will be the troop’s opening deposit.
  • You will receive an email once your Opening a Bank Account form has been approved.
  • Make an appointment with the bank and all account signers to meet at the bank with the needed identification.  The bank should have received the approval letter but take a printout of the approval email.
  • If your bank asks for official meeting notes, contact Customer Care and ask for documentation declaring who the signers for the bank account shall be (those listed on your form).
  • Most troops get checks and a debit card.
  • Once your account is open, submit the Bank Account Registration and ACH Authorization form to register your account with GSNETX.
Find out How to Hold Virtual Meetings
Virtual Meeting Planning Tools

Check out these tried-and-true resources from fellow troop leaders who successfully adapted their meetings for in-person-safe and virtual settings.

In-Person Activities during COVID-19

Virtual Meeting Facilitation

gsZoom

Plan and Hold Your First Troop Meeting
Week 4
Attend a Leader Meeting

Service Units

Definition and Purpose of a Service Unit: GSNETX is divided into 70 service units who are supported by the membership teams of recruitment, troop support and new leader engagement. A Girl Scout service unit is a community of volunteers and girls in a geographic area usually defined by the geographical area’s school feeder pattern. The service unit (or SU) is an essential support system that organizes trainings, provides mentorship, girl programs, and support for volunteers plus girls and their families.

Service Unit Leader Meetings: Usually held monthly, information is shared about upcoming events for girls and volunteers and new information from GSNETX and GSUSA. Any troop volunteer can serve as a troop’s representative at each SU meeting to listen to these vital and useful updates and ask questions. Contact your Membership Manager to find out when your service unit meeting are held.

Service Unit Team: Each Service Unit has a team of volunteers to help it run smoothly. Be sure to view the descriptions for each Service Unit Volunteer Role . You may want to volunteer for a role yourself someday! If so, let your SU know. There is always a need for volunteers at this level.

GSNETX-Led Virtual New Leader Meetings: If you do not have a service unit team or your service unit does not hold monthly meetings, consider attending a GSNETX staff-led leader meeting. These meetings last approximately an hour and are held via Zoom from August through May. New leaders have the choice to attend one of two sessions - the last Tuesday of the month at noon or the last Wednesday of the month at 7 PM.

In-Person Events

August 6: GSNETX Kickoff
Location: Collin College Frisco

Kickoff is our annual celebration where Girl Scout volunteers get prepared for the upcoming Girl Scout membership year! It’s an opportunity for you to meet other volunteers, here from our CEO Jennifer Bartkowski, and learn something new by taking various training courses. Look for registration information, list of classes, and more at gsnetx.org/kickoff.

Plan Your Troop Year

The New Troop Program Coordinator can help guide you on how to create impactful troop meetings, field trips, and community service for a fun, well-rounded year. Set-up a virtual one hour appointment here for help with:

  • creating your year plan and setting up the troop calendar in the Volunteer Toolkit
  • Where to find fun GSNETX events/programs and how to register for them
  • How to break badge requirements
  • How to utilize program partners
  • Field trips and community service ideas

Additional Resources and Support for Badges

Troop Leader Blueprint – Features program ideas and adaptations​ for in-person and virtual meetings, training and planning tools as well as current COVID-19 guidelines and resources.

Jumpstart — Jumpstart Girl Scouts in STEM is a great online aid for unplugged activates for girls, troop leaders and parents!

Find Out All About the GSNETX Cookie Program
Keeping the Fun in Girl Scouts
Fun Troop Meetings

GSNETX Patch Programs

Give back to your community by participating in our patch programs. Each patch has downloadable curriculum that you can complete at home with your troop or family. (Multi-level programs available.)

Fun Beyond Your Troop Meetings
Camping

Girl Scout camping is a time honored tradition. Girls embrace the outdoors, learn outdoor skills, gain independence, and more. Start with a day camp, move to a backyard camp-out and onward to our camps!

Download New Leader Handbooks

Daisy (PDF)
Brownie (PDF)
Junior (PDF)
Cadette, Senior, Ambassador (coming soon!)
Multi-Level (coming soon!)
Spanish (coming soon!)

 

 

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