Skip to main content
Volunteer Essentials
Home Home Home
Home Home Home
Search Search
  • SHOP
  • DONATE
  • MyGS MyGS MyGS
  • Espanol Espanol Espanol
  • Events Calendar Events Calendar Events Calendar
  • Forms and Documents Forms and Documents Forms and Documents
  • Camp & Outdoors Camp & Outdoors Camp & Outdoors
  • gsHelpCenter gsHelpCenter gsHelpCenter
  • Search Search
  • Discover Discover

    About Girl Scouts About Girl Scouts

    • What Girl Scouts Do What Girl Scouts Do
    • Benefits of Girl Scouting Benefits of Girl Scouting
    • Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging

    Activities Activities

    • Explore Girl Scouts Explore Girl Scouts
    • Travel Travel

    Our Council Our Council

    • Contact Us Contact Us
    • Newsroom News
    • Careers Careers
    • Shop GSNorCal Shop GSNorCal
    • Executive Leadership Executive Leadership

    Discover your local Girl Scout council: about Girl Scouts, what they do, what activities are available locally, and how to contact us.

  • Get Involved Get Involved

    Become a Girl Scout Become a Girl Scout

    • Join a Troop Join a Troop
    • Go Solo (Juliettes) Go Solo (Juliettes)
    • Staff-Led Troops Staff-Led Troops
    • Entering Kindergarten and 1st Grade Entering Kindergarten and 1st Grade
    • Financial Aid Financial Aid

    Become a Volunteer Become a Volunteer

    • Start a Troop Start a Troop

    Lifetime Membership Lifetime Membership

    Learn how to get involved with Girl Scouts: join a troop, go solo, or become a volunteer.

  • Programs Programs

    Girl Scouting Girl Scouting

    • Badges & Awards Badges & Awards
    • Highest Awards Highest Awards
    • Program Partners Program Partners
    • Older Girl Scouts Older Girl Scouts

    Cookies+ Cookies+

    • Buy Cookies Buy Cookies
    • Cookie Resources Cookie Resources
    • Available Cookie Flavors Available Cookie Flavors
    • Fall Product Program Fall Product Program

    Camp & Outdoors Camp & Outdoors

    • Camp Camp
    • Rent Our Properties Rent Our Properties

    Explore all that Girl Scouting has to offer, including our council and partner-run programs, the Cookie Program, camp, travel, and more!

  • Support Us Support Us

    Donate Donate

    • Ways to Give Ways to Give
    • Opportunity Fund Opportunity Fund
    • Giving Circles Giving Circles
    • Matching Donations Matching Donations

    Your Impact Your Impact

    • 2025 Annual Report 2025 Annual Report

    Community Advocate Community Advocate

    Support Girl Scouts by donating locally, becoming a lifetime member, or joining the Girl Scout Network for alums and supporters.

  • Members Members

    For Girl Scouts & Families For Girl Scouts & Families

    • Renew Your Membership Renew Your Membership
    • Resources for Parents & Guardians Resources for Parents & Guardians
    • Events Events

    For Volunteers For Volunteers

    • gsHelpCenter gsHelpCenter
    • Troop Year Plan Troop Year Plan
    • Girl Scout Experience Box Girl Scout Experience Box
    • Volunteer Essentials Volunteer Essentials
    • Forms and Documents Forms and Documents

    For Alums For Alums

    Resources for Girl Scout members. Find volunteer, Girl Scout, and family tools and support. Explore badges, activities, and more.

  • SHOP
  • DONATE
  • MyGS MyGS MyGS
  • Espanol Espanol Espanol
  • Events Calendar Events Calendar Events Calendar
  • Forms and Documents Forms and Documents Forms and Documents
  • Camp & Outdoors Camp & Outdoors Camp & Outdoors
  • gsHelpCenter gsHelpCenter gsHelpCenter
  • Search Search

Council Finder

Use this finder to connect with your local Girl Scout council.

By ZIP Code

By State

By Council

close
You are leaving girlscouts.org for a website opened by an external party. You will be subjected to the privacy and security policies of the website
  1. Members
  2. For Volunteers
  3. Volunteer Essentials

Volunteer Essentials

toggle arrow
  • All About Girl Scouts
  • Engaging Girl Scouts and Families
  • Girl Scout Troops and Program
  • Product Program
  • Troop Finances
  • Safety
 adult volunteer in vest outside hugging girl scout while hiking
print_icon

Adventure Ahead

Welcome to the great adventure that is Girl Scouting!

Thanks to volunteers and mentors like you, generations of girls have learned to be leaders in their own lives and in the world. Have no doubt: you, and nearly a million other volunteers like you, are helping girls make a lasting impact on the world. And we thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

This guide, 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. 

Get started by browsing through these sections: 

two girl scout juniors outside wearing junior vest uniform smiling two girl scout juniors outside wearing junior vest uniform smilingtwo girl scout juniors outside wearing junior vest uniform smiling
About Girl Scouts

Everything you need to know about Girl Scouts and GSNorCal.

group of girl scouts looking at laptop computer with adult volunteer group of girl scouts looking at laptop computer with adult volunteergroup of girl scouts looking at laptop computer with adult volunteer
Troop and Program

A guide to running your troop and programs to engage your girls.

photo of calculator and girl scout cookie boxes photo of calculator and girl scout cookie boxesphoto of calculator and girl scout cookie boxes
Troop Finances

Help your Girl Scouts build their cookie businesses and entrepreneur skills.

mom with girl scout daughter and daisy bear mom with girl scout daughter and daisy bearmom with girl scout daughter and daisy bear
Engaging Families

Get your Girl Scouts and their families involved with your troop.

young girl on skateboard at top of ramp with pink helmet elbow and knee pads young girl on skateboard at top of ramp with pink helmet elbow and knee padsyoung girl on skateboard at top of ramp with pink helmet elbow and knee pads
Safety

Keep Girl Scouts safe in every activity they enjoy with these guidelines.

group of ambassador high school girl scouts at outdoor booth selling cookies group of ambassador high school girl scouts at outdoor booth selling cookiesgroup of ambassador high school girl scouts at outdoor booth selling cookies
Product Program

Learn to think like an entrepreneur and developing business smarts.


New troop leader?

We’ve got you covered. Check out the New Troop Leader Checklist and the New Leader’s Guide to Success. These resources will help you get started, define your role, show how to get your families involved, and give you the tools you need to lead a successful troop.


 

© Copyright 2009–2022 Girl Scouts of the United States of America.  All rights reserved. All information and material contained in Girl Scouts’ Volunteer Essentials guide (“Material”) is provided by Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA) and is intended to be educational material solely to be used by Girl Scout volunteers and council staff. Reproduction, distribution, compiling, or creating derivative works of any portion of the Material or any use other than noncommercial uses as permitted by copyright law is prohibited, unless explicit, prior authorization by GSUSA in writing was granted. GSUSA reserves its exclusive right in its sole discretion to alter, limit, or discontinue the Material at any time without notice.

 
JOIN
VOLUNTEER
DONATE
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Youtube
  • Facebook
  • TikTok
  • Contact Us
  • Shop
  • Careers
  • News
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • gsHelpCenter
  • Camp

© 2016-2024 Girl Scouts of Northern California

A 501(c)(3) Organization. All Rights Reserved.

Join

Volunteer

Donate

close