How to Hold Effective Service Unit Meetings

Providing effective service unit (leader/volunteer) meetings gives you, as the Service Unit Advisor, the opportunity to build the leadership skills of adults within the service unit. When facilitating a service unit meeting it is important to keep in mind three key objectives that help produce an effective meeting: 

• Create a welcoming atmosphere
• Engage your audience
• Make the time together productive

By focusing on these three goals, your leaders will have a positive experience and feel that their time was well spent. Below are some examples of how to incorporate them into your meetings. 

Create a Welcoming Atmosphere

• Have an icebreaker/opener.
• Pair a new leader with a mentor leader.
• Designate a greeter to say hello to everyone as they arrive.
• Use name tags.
• Provide beverages and snacks, if possible (consider rotating this responsibility amongst the service unit team members or troops). 
• Start the meeting by thanking everyone for coming and welcoming any new leaders or volunteers. Remind volunteers that what they are doing is important and how much they are appreciated. 
• Provide child care on location, if possible (consider inviting CSA troops to help).

Engage Your Audience

• Offer more than an “information dump”.
• Make meetings interactive with discussions, activities, and hands-on learning.
• Include time for sharing success stories; let leaders highlight what’s working.
• Incorporate a round-table topic at every meeting to encourage peer learning.
• Provide a “take-home” item; a song, craft, ceremony, or activity leaders can use with their troops.
• Rotate seating arrangements (by troop level, school, or experience) to encourage new connections.
• Invite speakers to the meeting, e.g. troops or individual Girl Scouts to talk about an event they are planning, Highest Award they are working on, or an experience they want to share.

Make the Time Productive

• Send out the meeting agenda ahead of time with the meeting reminder. Make the agenda visually clear, and leave some blank spaces for notes. 
• Delegate topic reports to different people (be sure to let them know ahead of time!)
• Have a Q & A time.
• Ensure the information is timely.

Schedule and Organize Meetings Efficiently

• Distribute a calendar of upcoming meeting dates and activities.
• Include the date of the next meeting at the bottom of the agenda.
• Maintain a consistent schedule; same place, time, day.
• Set event registration deadlines that coincide with service unit meetings.
• Publish upcoming meetings through the service unit’s communication platforms such as social media, newsletter, website, email, etc.
• If leaders miss a meeting, contact them directly to encourage them to send someone to represent their troop if they can’t attend themselves.

Icebreaker Examples

Icebreakers help participants feel more comfortable, connected, and energized. They’re a great way
to start your meeting with a fun, low-pressure activity that breaks down social barriers and
encourages engagement.

Introduction Mixer

Purpose: Help leaders connect, get moving, and learn names in an engaging way.

How it works:

1. Gather everyone into one group (or small groups if the total number is large).
2. Explain: “Your job is to introduce others—but not yourself. Someone else will do that for you.”
3. Walk across the room, greet someone and ask their name (e.g., “Lee”).
4. Walk with “Lee” to another person (e.g., “Kerry”), and ask the new persons’ name.
5. Introduce them to each other: “Lee, I’d like you to meet Kerry. Kerry, this is Lee.”
6. Once introduced, all three people walk away and continue the process with others.
7. Keep going! Don’t worry about remembering everyone’s names the goal is connection.

Famous Pairs

Throughout time there have been many famous pairs. Some are more meaningful to certain generations
while others are universal, regardless of cultural boundaries or historical time periods. Write one name of
the famous pairs on each piece of paper and have them pinned or taped onto each of your members. Have them walk
around the group to find their famous pair.

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Last updated on November 14, 2025