Girl Scouts River Valleys offers a variety of volunteer opportunities. As a volunteer, you can work directly with Girl Scouts, mentor and lead other volunteers, participate on volunteer committees, and more! No matter which volunteer opportunity you choose, you will be part of making an impact on the lives of Girl Scouts in your community.
Troop Volunteers
As a troop volunteer, you provide support to your troop’s leader and help supervise troop activities. Ultimately, your participation helps the Girl Scout in your life (and others) have a truly special and exciting year!
Troop Volunteer Roles
Troop Cookie Manager (TCM): As a troop cookie manager, you facilitate the Girl Scout Cookie Program within your troop, so Girl Scouts have a fun and successful selling season. Your efforts are integral to the Cookie Program’s big picture—helping Girl Scouts develop essential life skills such as goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics.
Troop Fall Product Manager (TFPM): As a troop fall product manager, you facilitate the Snacks & Magazines sale, our fall product program, within a troop. By helping your troop have a successful season, they’ll earn start-up funds for the Girl Scout year and develop life skills such as goal-setting, decision-making, teamwork, people skills, and business ethics.
Service Unit Volunteer
Volunteer with fellow Girl Scout leaders and support your local Service Unit. Service Unit Volunteers provide invaluable support to help create memories that Girl Scouts will never forget.
Service Unit Volunteer Roles
Service Unit Manager (SUM): Managers lead the Service Unit’s volunteer team members as they plan and execute Girl Scout activities in their local area.
Service Unit Recruiter: Recruiters scout and enlist adult volunteers and Girl Scouts in their local communities.
Service Unit Cookie Manager (SUCM): Cookie managers coordinate the Girl Scout Cookie Program at the Service Unit level.
Service Unit Fall Product Manager (SUFPM): Fall product managers coordinate the Snacks & Magazines sale at the Service Unit level.
Service Unit Troop Mentor: Troop mentors welcome new leaders to Girl Scouts and provide them with support and coaching in their role.
Service Unit Treasurer: Treasurers manage the Service Unit funds and guide leaders in proper financial management of troop funds.
Service Unit Registrar: Registrars encourage accurate registrations, maintain rosters, and ensure councils have up-to-date membership numbers.
Service Unit Communications Representative: Communications representatives support engagement within the Service Unit to enhance public awareness and support of Girl Scouting.
Service Unit Event Coordinator: Event coordinators supervise the coordination of Girl Scout events in their Service Unit.
Service Unit Outdoor Champion: Outdoor champions provide tools and resources to help Girl Scouts learn outdoor skills, participate in nature activities, and earn outdoor badges.
Committee and Advisory Groups
Girl Scouts River Valleys’ committees and advisory groups are made up of adult volunteers, alums, and community members from across our council who have expertise and interest in certain focus areas and a shared passion for the Girl Scout mission. These groups contribute significantly to the success of the organization.
Council Committee and Advisory Group Opportunities
Learn more about council committee and advisory group volunteer opportunities by connecting with the appropriate staff liaison or complete the Committee and Advisory Group Interest Form.
Council Scholarship Committee:
Sara Shaw Meyer
Day Camp Advisory Committee:
Pam Wurster
Highest Award Committee:
Sarah Leonard
Outdoor Champions Advisory Committee:
Pam Wurster
Product Program Advisory Committee:
Susan Andersson
Service Unit Manager Mentor Committee:
Katie Rowles Perich
Volunteer Recognition Award Committee:
Katie Rowles Perich
Additional Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteer-Led Committee Opportunities
Order of the Trefoils (OOTTs): A volunteer-led group for Service Unit managers to connect, share information, bounce ideas around, and more. Join the OOTTs Facebook group for information about upcoming meetings.
Heritage Committee: This committee collects, organizes, and preserves the historical records of our Girl Scout council including photos, memorabilia, uniforms, books, and oral histories. This committee displays and provides information to community historical centers and at the North Star Museum. They also work to maintain Girl Scouts River Valleys’ collection with Minnesota Reflections.
Spookamaga Crew: The volunteer-led Spookamaga Witches Crew helps to create the fun "spooktacular" extras to Halloween-themed sites built by Girl Scouts in the fall. Contact the crew.
Lakamaga Adult Education Conference: Members of this volunteer-led committee organize the Lakamaga Conference, which is an opportunity for Girl Scout volunteers to enrich their volunteering experience and connect with one another. Learn more and register for the conference.
Connections Retreat: Organizers of the Connections Retreat create space for volunteers and alums to come together to engage in various Girl Scout activities while connecting with each other. For more information on the next Connections Retreat, request an invite to access the secured retreat website or email connectionsretreat@gmail.com.
Second Winds: This committee promotes all things outdoors, providing assistance in outdoor skills and programs including planning, implementing, and volunteering at encampments and field days. They also award scholarships to Girl Scouts accepted into the Destinations travel program.
Tuesday Group and Troop 1976: These alum volunteers meet the second Tuesday of the month in Brooklyn Center Service Center to provide administrative volunteer support to the council. Troop 1976 alums began meeting after the 1976 National Convention in Seattle and continue to meet over four decades later.
Governance Volunteer Opportunities
Board of Directors: Composed of members from across our council and spanning the private and nonprofit sector, our board of directors guides the direction of Girl Scouts River Valleys. These five executive officers and twenty directors at-large are volunteers and members of Girl Scouts of the USA.
Board Development Committee: The Board Development Committee is responsible for the selection, training, and evaluation of the Board of Directors. This committee is always interested in maintaining a highly qualified, diverse pool of candidates for openings as they become available.
Chair: Lisa Lynch
Staff Partner: Marisa C. Williams, Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Audit Committee: The Audit Committee oversees the annual audit process and meets at least four times per year. The committee recommends to the board an independent public accounting firm, meets with the external auditors prior to the audit examination, and at its conclusion reviews all auditor reports and other tax and informational filings. The committee provides oversight of improving organizational structure and operations, including internal controls and procedures relating to computerized information systems and disaster recovery plans.
Chair: Christine Battist
Staff Partner: Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Finance Committee: The Finance Committee has the responsibility for making recommendations to the board regarding proposed operating, capital, and investment budgets, as well as reviewing quarterly financial statements. It provides guidance for all policy decisions pertaining to financial plans and business investment as it reviews the broad short-term and long-term financial plans, annual benchmarks, the annual operating, and capital budgets. The committee provides oversight of the Investment Sub-Committee (Susanna Gibbons, chair) as well as guidance on the acquisition, disposition, development, management, and maintenance of the council’s assets and properties.
Chair: Patty Toenies
Staff Partner: Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Investment Sub-Committee: The Investment Sub-Committee provides guidance to the Board and Finance Committee for all policy decisions pertaining to prudent management of the Council’s investments. They comply with all applicable fiduciary, prudence, and due diligence requirements experienced investment professionals would utilize, and with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations from various local, state, federal, and international political entities that may impact the Investment Portfolio, which may include, but not be limited to, investment managers, investment consultants, custodians, attorneys, and accountants.
Chair: Lauri Salverda
Staff Partner: Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Executive Talent and Compensation Committee: The Executive Talent and Compensation Committee ensures that the council’s executive compensation program is in compliance with governmental regulations and in harmony with the council’s mission and operating budget, as well as its overall philosophy on human resources and employee compensation. This working group is accountable to the board. The committee is primarily focused on establishing an executive compensation philosophy and ensuring that the executive compensation program and its respective elements are developed and administered in accordance with that philosophy and applicable governmental regulations. The scope of work may also include providing support and guidance to the CEO in matters regarding compensation design and benchmarking, talent acquisition and development, retention, and succession planning.
Chair: Open
Staff Partner: Chief People Officer (CPO)
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Access, Racial Justice (DEIARJ) and Anti-Racism Committee: The purpose of this committee is to inform the vision, strategy, and priorities around diversity, equity, inclusion, access, racial justice and anti-racism in partnership with the DEIARJ Staff Strategy Team.
The Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Access, Racial Justice (DEIARJ) and Anti-Racism Committee will ensure continuing progress toward the vision that Girl Scout River Valleys is an antiracist organization. The committee sets goals and provides guidance in the design and implementation of dynamic activities and resources to enable Girl Scouts River Valleys board members to set priorities related to DEI and gain the skills necessary to meet the needs of and reflect the diverse communities the council serves, recognizing that truly effective equity and diversity work is never finished. The committee will ensure that equity and diversity activities of the organization and the board are closely aligned with the council’s strategic priorities and responsive to the diverse needs and capabilities of board members.
National Delegates: National delegates serve for three years and attend the National Council Session, a meeting of Girl Scouts nationwide which happens every three years, where they vote on measures as representatives of our council. They also generally meet ahead of the National Council Session in order to better represent Girl Scouts River Valleys.
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