Service Unit Team Roles:
A Service Unit Specialist takes training to:
• Lead Service Unit Teams to analyze their health and set goals to strengthen Girl Scouting within its boundaries, including developing a Plan of Action (POA).
• Achieve membership goals by recruiting new troops, both adults and girls, according to guidelines, to give families in the region an opportunity to participate.
• Hold a monthly service unit meeting (troop leader support meeting) that troop representatives must attend, disseminating information, helping to plan retention events, reinforcing policies and procedures and building a positive culture among adult volunteers.
• Appoint and oversee troop leaders and other volunteers in the service unit.
• Receive a monthly roster of registered adults and girls to monitor membership and training, as well as to help resolve membership issues.
• Help with caregiver concerns and provide conflict mediation in partnership with the Engagement Manager.
A Service Unit Troop Organizer takes training to:
• Recruit parents/caregivers and prospective Girl Scouts from their assigned school, community or place of worship.
• Help coordinate flyers, recruitment tables and troop formation meetings at their assigned school or place of worship.
• Run caregiver meetings to form or reform troops.
A Service Unit Banking Specialist takes training to:
• Oversee the service unit bank account, providing guidance on service unit budget annually.
• Help the Troop Banking Specialists and leaders understand the process of opening and changing signers on troop checking accounts.
• Assist Troop Banking Specialists with understanding appropriate expenses and reimbursement processes as well as guidelines for additional money earning.
• Ensure all troops submit their annual financial paperwork to the council.
A Service Unit Cookie Manager takes training to:
• Oversee the Girl Scout Cookie Program for troops and families in the service unit providing the opportunity for troops to participate.
• Distribute materials to troops for the cookie program.
• Ensure Troop Cookie Managers are registered and trained.
• Assist with cookie orders, connecting with assigned cookie booths when needed, and managing the rewards for the service unit.
• Encourage and support troop participation in the program.
A Service Unit Adult Recognitions Specialist takes training to:
• Work with the Volunteer Experience Manager to promote adult recognition.
• Solicit adult recognition and supporting documents for volunteers in the service unit for voting as a committee and/or presentation for board decisions.
• Assist with the planning and implementation of presentation of adult recognition ceremony at the service unit level and council level. 10
• Promote the understanding of recognition by presenting to troop leaders at service unit meetings at least twice a year.
• Provide feedback on volunteer thank you gifts to the Volunteer Experience Manager.
A Service Unit Girl Recognitions Specialist takes training to:
• Work with the Highest Awards Experience Manager to promote the Girl Scout Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards.
• Be knowledgeable about all processes and serve as a mentor for those in the service unit with questions about the awards, presenting to troop leaders on the subjects at service unit meetings at least twice a year.
• Assist with the planning and implementation of the Girl Awards Gala.
• Serve on a Gold Award or Silver Award panel and mentor girls through the process as time allows.
A Service Unit Fall Product Manager takes training to:
• Oversee the Fall Product Program for the service unit providing the opportunity for troops to participate.
• Distribute materials to troops for the Fall Product Program.
• Ensure Troop Fall Product Managers are registered and trained.
• Encourage and support troop participation in the program.
A Service Unit Events Specialist takes training to:
• Help facilitate and plan service unit events, such as STEM events, camporees, service unit-wide community service opportunities, VIP and me dances and more, ensuring safety and participation.
• Work with the Experience Department in receiving program boxes for service unit themed events.
• Build committees of troop volunteers to plan, implement and review events for the service unit, ensuring that events are driven by the wants and needs of the troops.
• Serve as an expert to help troops understand the programs offered by program partners and council staff, including distribution of camp brochures and program guides as applicable, and highlighting at service unit meetings. 11
• Provide feedback on the needs for experience programs to Experience and Outdoor Experience departments.
Service Unit Adult Learning Specialists take training to:
• Provide training opportunities at the service unit level with enrichment modules as approved and written through the council’s Adult Learning Facilitators and the Volunteer Experience Manager.
• Serve as an expert on Volunteer Essentials, travel policies and training requirements to ensure all are knowledgeable about gsLearn, presenting at service unit meetings at least twice a year.
• Receive from Volunteer Experience Manager the training completion for volunteers in the service unit and follow up to help those complete their required training.
A Service Unit Delegate takes training to:
• Be elected or selected to represent the needs and interests of the members of the service unit by:
o Gaining feedback on the board-solicited questions on governance matters.
o Attending annual forums to deliver feedback and receive information.
o Take information back to volunteers and present it at service unit meetings.
o Encourage service unit members to attend Annual Meeting as visitors.
o Attend Annual Meeting in person, representing the needs and interests of the service unit, electing board members and voting on matters as presented by the volunteer Board of Directors.
o Report back to the service unit the items covered at Annual Meeting.
Service Unit Support Team Specialists take training to provide service unit specific functions that can include:
• Service Unit Secretary duties
• Rallyhood and communication duties
• Assisting and shadowing other Service Unit Team roles
• Welcome and mentor new leaders
• Assist with understanding of the Volunteer Toolkit and the resources it provides to make planning and running troop meetings easy.
Customizable Flyer Templates
Other Resources
Resources
Successful Service Unit Meetings
As the Service Unit Specialist, you will be responsible to plan meetings throughout the year. These meetings include Service Unit meetings focused on troop leader support. Each of these meetings are important to the functioning of the service unit and attendees should leave with a sense of accomplishment.
Service unit meeting frequency and timing are dependent on the needs of the volunteers in your area. These meeting can happen monthly, bi-monthly or once per quarter and should focus on specific needs within your service unit. Ideally, 20% of the meeting should be spent on announcements and business; the other 80% should be spent on collaborating with each other, mentoring each other, planning events and learning new skills.
It is suggested that these meetings be at least one hour in length. Meetings should start and end on time, unless the participants have been warned that the meeting could run longer than usual. Remember, your time – and the time of all the other participants – is valuable and should be honored. Make sure that you do not spend too much time presenting information that could have been learned via notes or a post-meeting e-mail; instead spend the majority of your time on learning opportunities or activities.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
Tips and Suggestions:
After each service unit meeting, complete this quick online log letting us know attendance, enrichment topics, trainings completed and any challenges you faced. You will have the option of uploading training rosters to be documented.
New Leader Support
Resources coming soon!
Adult Learning
Resources coming soon!
Volunteer Recognition and Adult Awards
Adult Awards are a wonderful way to recognize the work of Girl Scout adults! Full information and digital nomination forms can be found on the Forms & Documents page of our website, but you can also promote awards with our Adult Awards at a Glance flyer. While we encourage digital entries, we also have paper nomination forms that you can distribute to volunteers.
The following forms are available for the Service Unit Specialist to request awards for volunteers who are being recognized at the Service Unit level.
Click here for a map of the council by service unit and Engagement Manager.
August SALT Meeting Resources:
September SALT Meeting Resources:
October SALT Meeting Resources
November SALT Meeting Resources
January SALT Meeting Resources
February SALT Meeting Resources
March SALT Meeting Resources
April SALT Meeting Resources
June SALT Meeting Resources
Share Your Story!
Do you have girls in your service unit who are working on an exciting community service project? Has your service unit hosted a big event recently? Want to send a shoutout to an outstanding leader? Share your story and photos with us by submitting this form.
Branding Guidelines
Have questions about branding? Want our council's marketing team to review your items? Looking for a logo? Send us an e-mail here.