Service Unit Volunteer Resources

As a service unit volunteer, you play a key role in supporting the Girl Scout members in your community.

Explore the resources in our Service Unit Manual to help your job run as smooth as possible. Check out specific information using the links below, or review the entire manual to find what you’re looking for.

The Service Unit

What Is a Service Unit?

A Girl Scout service unit (SU) is a community of youth, volunteers, and families grouped together within a defined geographic area. The service unit team is an essential, local, volunteer-led support system that organizes training, meetings, and events. A SU also provides Girl Scout programs and membership support for volunteers, youth, and caregivers.

Service Unit Responsibilities

Host: Hold regular meetings with SU volunteers and members, and support troops in planning events (encamporees, World Thinking Day, cookie rally, etc.).
Guide: Welcome new leaders, promote council learning opportunities, and encourage new volunteer opportunities.
Communicate: Share council updates and news, opportunities for program and training, and manage social media/email.
Recruit: Invite new youth and adults to participate in service unit and council opportunities.
Celebrate: Recognize volunteer and member excellence, highest award earners, SU goals, and honor traditions and ceremonies.
Support: Help foster positive relationships between members and resolve conflict.
Partner: Collaborate with council staff to achieve deadlines, goals, training, and work with local community partners.

Service Unit Tools and Resources

The Service Unit Team

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Service Unit Manager

The service unit manager (SUM) is responsible for planning and leading monthly volunteer meetings, holding regular service unit team meetings, assisting with conflict management, and guiding goal setting for the service unit. The SUM is required to attend monthly roundtable meetings. In addition, they should have general awareness of troop activities such as travel and money earning and work with council staff as necessary. The SUM works in partnership with their council volunteer support manager to support the service unit.

Job Description: Service Unit Manager

Training Required

SUM Workshop (typically offered in late summer; see event calendar for dates)
Additional gsLearn modules as recommended
SUM roundtable (monthly; connect with your volunteer support manager for dates)

Resources and Links

Building a Team

Meetings

Virtual Meeting Resources
Meeting Planning Guide
Meeting Agenda Template
Short and Snappy/Hot Topics/SUMore
Provided by Girl Scouts of Green and White Mountains

Conflict Management

Safety and Risk

Succession

Succession Planning

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Service Unit Treasurer

The service unit treasurer is trained as the expert on Girl Scout finance issues for the service unit. The service unit treasurer is highly organized and comfortable with Microsoft Excel. The treasurer will maintain service unit financial records and complete the service unit end-of-year finance report. The treasurer supports troops with questions regarding troop finance reports.

Service Unit Treasurer Duties

Manage the service unit’s checking account(s)
Manage online service unit payment platforms (Square/Cheddar Up/Venmo)
Pay invoices for all service unit activities and events
Complete and submit service unit financial reports to council
Participate as an active member of the service unit team by attending regular meetings and reporting out on service unit financials
Support troop volunteers with money management best practices and finance report submission

Job Description: Service Unit Treasurer

Training Required

688 Volunteer-Led Banking: Managing Accounts (gsLearn)

Financial Calendar

Fall: Submit SU financial reports due early September. Promote best practices for troop record keeping at the start of the Girl Scout membership year. Manage event spending for SU events.
Winter: Ongoing management of event spending for SU events.
Spring: Ongoing management of event spending for SU events.
Summer: Monitor remaining allocation funds and ensure they are spent in collaboration with service unit manager. Prepare for SU financial reports due early September. Financial planning for next Girl Scout membership year.

Service Unit Accounts

Each service unit should have at least one checking account (referred to as the allocation account) to be used solely in support of Girl Scout business and activities for the service unit. A service unit may have an additional separate events account for supporting all programming and events run by the service unit. Any service unit bank account requires a minimum of two signers, one of which must be the service unit treasurer.

Allocation Account and Funds

Service units receive annual funding from Girl Scouts of Western Washington at the beginning of new Girl Scout year to offset administrative costs and promote volunteer recognition. The amount varies by service unit and is determined by youth registration numbers on September 30. The current calculation is (# of youth) x $1.10 + 100 – (any remaining allocation funds from the previous year) = allocation.

Allocation Money

MUST be spent within the same Girl Scout year it is received.
SHOULD be reduced to ZERO or close by August 31. Any remaining balance of allocation funds will be subtracted from the amount given in the next year.

ALLOCATION MONEY CAN ONLY BE USED FOR:

Administrative Costs: Postage, meeting supplies, copies, renting meeting space, childcare for service unit meetings
Food and/or Beverages: For volunteer meetings or other adult events
Adult Recognition: Adult volunteer recognition, including activities, gifts, events for leaders and service unit volunteers
Recruitment: Program supplies and expenses for recruitment events, approved by volunteer support manager or community development manager
Highest Award Recognition: Limited to recognition for Silver and Gold earners
SU Trainings/Workshops: Registration fees for council-sponsored SU team or manager workshop or other education programs that will benefit the service unit as a whole (eg. Quantity Cook, First Aid, Archery, Small Craft Safety). Must be approved by volunteer support manager

Event Funds and Account

Service unit event funds may be collected within the SU allocation account. However, they must be tracked on separate ledgers from the allotted allocation funds provided by Girl Scouts of Western Washington. If service units wish, they can open up a dedicated event account to hold all programming and event funds separate from allocation funds.

Additional Funds

SU Money Earning: Service units are not independently recognized non-profits; however they are permitted to engage in sperate fundraising activities, much like troops. Fundraising activities must be approved by the volunteer support manager and follow requirements within the Money Earning Guide.
SU Renewal Incentives: A service unit can earn additional money to be used for reaching renewal benchmarks during the early renewal window. These funds are deposited into the allocation account but are not considered allocation funds and can be used for either youth or adult volunteer activities.

Resources and Links

Service Unit Allocation Checklist
Service Unit Finance Report Jot Form (Preferred)
Service Unit Finance Report Spreadsheet (Paper Form)
Service Unit Allocation Ledger
Service Unit Event Ledger - Use one ledger per event
Key Bank Fee Schedule
Service Unit Finance Summary Report
Using Cookie Dough for SU Events: Registrar Request for Cookie Dough Use
Using Financial Assistance for SU Events (contact our customer care team)
Money Earning and Volunteer-Led Banking
Service Unit Other Income Ledger

Service Unit Product Manager (Cookies) toggle arrow

The service unit product manager for Girl Scout Cookies handles almost everything to do with cookie season. This person should have excellent communication, organizational, and mathematic skills—patience is helpful! This position works in partnership with the service unit manager and council staff to make cookie sales a success. A large portion of record keeping is done in Ebudde, making strong computer skills and easy access to technology a must. 

Job Description: Service Unit Product Manager (Cookies)

Training Required

Annual Product Program cookie training, typically in November. Connect with staff product program manager for details on upcoming trainings.

Resources and Links

For Cookie Sellers (girlscoutsww.org)

LBB Cookie Tech Portal (littlebrownie.com)

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Service Unit Product Manager (Fall Product)

The service unit product manager for the Fall Product Program manages this small-scale, friends and family fundraising program. This volunteer should have excellent communication and organizational skills—patience is helpful! This position works in partnership with the service unit manager and council staff to support local troops with their questions and receives a one-time delivery of product to distribute to troop volunteers. The Fall Product Program is largely managed online, making computer skills and easy access to technology a must.

Job Description: Service Unit Product Manager (Fall Product)

Training Required

Annual Product Program fall product training, typically in August. Connect with staff product program manager to get details for upcoming trainings.

Links and Resources

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Encamporee Director

The Encamporee Director plans and executes encamporees for the service unit. This individual must complete the encamporee director, Day Trip Planning, and Outdoor Overnight workshops. The person in this position knows how to develop and manage the event budget and will participate in and oversee the complete camp experience (meals, activities, staff/leader training, administrative reports, and safety plan). The encamporee director will also recruit and supervise a team of camp volunteers, including older Girl Scouts and/or adults.

Job Description: Service Unit Encamporee Director

Training Required

Weekend Camp Planning Team Learning Path (gsLearn)
- Volunteer Essentials, Volunteer Policies, Safety Activity Checkpoints, and more!
- Outdoor Overnight or Equivalency (in person)
- Large Group First Aider (optional)
Day Trip Planning (gsLearn)
Basic Overnights (gsLearn)
Planning Weekend Camps (in person)

Links and Resources

Camp and Outdoors

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Event Director

The event director develops an annual plan for service unit events in collaboration with troop leaders and the service unit team. The event director is a leadership position that requires the ability to recruit and guide others to support the development and delivery of programs, events, community service and activities. The service unit event director maintains accurate financial records for each event, and supports the promotion, organization, registration, and payment for events. The person in this role will have strong leadership and organizational skills.

Job Description: Service Unit Event Director

Training Required

688 Event Manager (gslearn) or in-person Event Planning workshop 

Typical Service Unit Events

Service Unit Event: A service unit event is an event that is put on by a troop or by the service unit team as a service to Girl Scouts in the community and is not a money earning opportunity. Running a service unit event is a valuable opportunity for Girl Scout youth to learn leadership, planning and organizational skills in accordance with the Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE) and is a natural progression for a Take Action project or Highest Awards project.

Troop Money Earning Event: A troop money earning event is an event that is hosted and planned by Girl Scout youth with the purpose of earning money toward a Girl Scout-determined goal. A troop money earning event should follow the money earning guidelines and have a pre-approved money earning application. Funds should be run through the troop account and be reported on the Annual Troop Finance Report (ATFR). It should be clearly stated on the event flyer or social media posting that this is a money earning event. Troop money events are not able to accept financial assistance as payment.

Service Unit Money Earning Event: A service unit money earning event is an event that intentionally earns money to fund service unit scholarships or activities that may benefit Girl Scout youth or volunteers. Service units should follow the same money earning guidelines that a troop is required to follow. In addition, Service units should not use traditional SU events such as World Thinking Day, Founders Day, Cookie Rallies, or bridging as money earning opportunities. These events should be kept at a reasonable cost so there is no financial barrier to attending.

Service Unit Event Best Practices

Having a set of service unit event guidelines creates expectations that will ensure continued successfully planned and executed service unit events. The event director training also provides valuable resources and best practices towards running your events.

Service unit teams can and should determine which events are deemed “service unit events” and which events will be open to troops for money-earning opportunities. Per the money-earning guidelines, encamporees cannot be money-earning events.
Additional money-earning opportunities can be added to a service unit event to provide additional incentive for a troop to host an event. Money-earning opportunities should be youth-led. Examples include bake sales, face-painting booths, photo booths, and badge-earning workshops. A money-earning application is required by the troop (see Money Earning Guide).
Ideally, an event should be advertised at least two months in advance in order to allow for maximum participation. Registration should indicate a cutoff for registration submission.
Service unit events should have a pre-determined budget so that the event breaks even with expenses and income. Budgets can be determined by prior event history and by doing research and price checking in advance of the event. The Event Planning Worksheet and Budget can be used to create an outline for your event and allow for a service unit oversite of troop-run events.
Service unit events can and should advertise financial assistance or Cookie Dough as one option for payment. If financial assistance is chosen as method of payment, the service unit event registrar should contact the customer care team for the current Service Unit Event Distribution Request form.
Service unit events must be run through the service unit account. Payment should be made to the service unit and this should be indicated on the event flyer. Troops that are running these events can have the service unit pay for deposits and patches, or the troops can pay in advance and save the receipts to be refunded by the service unit. There should be a service unit event ledger for each service unit event that gets turned in with the annual SU finance report that includes all original receipts.

Resources and Links

Event Planning Guide
Money Earning Guidelines
SU Event Ledger Financial Reporting (coming soon!)
Event Planning Worksheet and Budget
Using Cookie Dough for SU Events: Registrar Request for Cookie Dough Use
Using Financial Assistance for SU Events (contact our customer care team)

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Service Unit Community Outreach Volunteer

The service unit community outreach volunteer functions as a bridge between your Girl Scout community and council, working closely with the community development manager (CDM) for your region. As a team, we recruit new Girl Scouts in your area. Together, we identify areas of support pertaining to new troop creation and existing troop growth. The service unit community outreach volunteer participates in developing recruitment strategy and opportunities for community recognition, relevance, and presence.

Job Description: Service Unit Community Outreach Volunteer

Training Required

Reach out to Customer Care to be connected to the community development team.

Resources and Links

Let us know about recruitment events in your area and request flyers, materials, and/or support. Girl Scouts of Western Washington - Recruiting Event Submission (office.com)
Upcoming Council Recruitment Events

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Lead Delegate

The lead delegate will represent the service unit at the council’s annual meeting. They run the service unit delegate election and lead adult and youth delegates through the annual meeting process. This person should be prepared to stay informed about Girl Scout issues.

Job Description: Service Unit Lead Delegate

Resources and Links

Other Service Unit Roles

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Communications Coordinator

The service unit communications coordinator is in charge of record keeping at all service unit meetings. The person in this position will be highly organized and possess strong time management skills, frequently communicating with the service unit via email and other technology devices. This role requires thorough note taking, high attention to detail, and timely communication skills.

Job Description: Service Unit Communications Coordinator

Resources and Links

Social Media Best Practices

Girl Scouts of Western Washington Social Media

Regional Events and Opportunities

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Welcome Chat Advisor

The welcome chat advisor is a warm and friendly person who is knowledgeable about Girl Scouts and basic policies. As support for new volunteers, this individual will provide basic information and direct volunteers to the correct resources. This position works with your council's first-year troop support manager to bring new volunteers on board.

Job Description: Welcome Chat Advisor

Training Required

In-person (or virtual) training with first year troop support manager

Resources and Links

New Leader Guide to Success

Additional Service Unit Resources

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