Running a troop can be an incredible ministry, but let’s be honest, it often feels like juggling a thousand moving pieces. From coordinating events to answering parents’ questions to ensuring leaders are informed, communication can either make or break your troop’s year. Over the years, I’ve learned this the hard way. A lack of clear communication has been the root cause of delays and missed opportunities in my troop, and I’ve seen firsthand how confusion can derail even the best plans.
Today, I’m sharing the “secret sauce” that has helped transform communication in my troop. These practical tips and best practices can save you from endless emails, scattered text messages, and last-minute confusion.
Start with an Annual Calendar
Plan ahead for success
One of the best things you can do as a troop coordinator is to create your calendar early. For me, summer is the perfect time to map out the next program year. I draft a detailed calendar and then share it with my troop’s leadership team. This ensures we’re all on the same page and gives everyone a chance to point out any potential scheduling conflicts.
Pro Tip: Once complete, share your troop calendar with your church or charter organization, especially if you need their facilities for special events like end-of-year ceremonies or a Daddy-Daughter Dance. Getting these dates approved and reserved early saves a lot of stress later. Also share it with Trail Life, this way we can avoid conflicts during our court of awards and daddy daughter dance. It also shows them where they can join in on service projects like Operation Christmas Child and Wreaths Across America.
💡 Need help planning your troop year? Check out my detailed summer prep checklist for troop coordinators: Summer Prep Blog Post.
Use Slack to Centralize Communication
Why Slack works
Slack is a free platform that keeps all troop communication organized in one place. It’s been a game-changer for my troop! Here’s how I set it up:
- One General Troop Channel: Create channels for the entire troop, like “Prayer Requests” and general announcements.
- Leadership Channel: For discussions specific to leaders or assistant leaders.
- Pi/Pa-Specific Channel: Pioneer and Patriot parents, for example, have their own space to collaborate and share ideas. We invite the girls to be a part of this one too. Always make sure you are including parents with any girl communication. Even in DM’s, if a girl reaches out to me I will include the parent in the reply. This way we have 2-deep leadership even in slack.
When events like a Christmas party or camping trip come up, I create temporary channels dedicated to planning these activities. By doing this, everything related to one event stays in one, easily accessible spot.
Slack also shines for its ability to deliver quick prayer updates or messages in real-time. Unlike email (which gets buried in inboxes) or texting (which can be easily forgotten), Slack keeps everything centralized and trackable. We have share so many urgent prayer requests over the past year and it was wonderful to all rally around our friends to show up and offer prayer and follow ups together. It helped us feel like we were bonded and grew our friendship.
Set clear communication preferences
Encourage all troop leaders to list Slack as their preferred communication method. On our Troop Welcome Page (more on that below), I include a contact list of leaders with their preferred way to reach them. This reduces confusion and creates healthy boundaries.
I personally used to feel overwhelmed by text messages, especially while driving or dealing with unrelated tasks. Slack has brought me far greater peace and organization!
Create a Troop Welcome Page
The Troop Welcome Page is one of the biggest time-saving tools I’ve implemented. It’s a single hub for FAQs, forms, links, and anything parents might need throughout the year. It drastically reduces redundant questions like, “Where do I pay for dues?” or “Which uniforms are required?”
Here’s what I include on the Troop Welcome Page:
- Leader contact info
- Annual calendar
- Troop dues and payment links
- Event sign-up forms
- Uniform guides
- Links to commonly used forms (like health forms or at-home badge submissions)
- Orientation materials for new families
Having all this organized in one place allows parents to find answers anytime, without relying on you. This page has been a sanity-saver for me, and it can do the same for you.
💡 Want to skip the setup struggle? I offer a customizable Notion template designed specifically for AHG troop leaders. Check it out here: Troop Welcome Page Template.
Simplify Email Templates
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: never reinvent the wheel when you don’t have to. I love using ready-made email templates for common questions, whether they’re about uniforms, dues, or upcoming events.
For example, AHG Family offers templates that I can send out quickly, reducing the time I spend typing the same information over and over again. I’ve expanded this by creating my own templates for frequently asked questions.
My favorite is include our Troop Quick Fact Sheet, which provides a one-page overview of everything a new family needs to know. This way, parents feel confident and equipped from the start. https://flourishtroopco.com/shop/
Stay Organized with a Planner
I use Notion as a digital planner to organize all troop events. Each year, I simply duplicate templates from previous events, update the details for the new year, and share the planner with leaders. This way, everyone is clear on tasks, deadlines, and responsibilities.
For example, our “New Family Welcome Night” template includes everything from volunteer assignments to a checklist of what needs to be prepared. Having these templates ready to go means I’m not scrambling every time an event comes up.
💡 Curious about how I organize my planner? Stay tuned for my upcoming Notion template blog post!
Hold Structured Leader Meetings
Leader meetings are essential for troop success, but without structure, they can spiral into long, unproductive conversations. Here’s how I run my meetings efficiently:
- Create an Agenda: Share it four days before the meeting, so attendees know the topics and can suggest additional items if necessary.
- Focus on Priorities: Stick to the agenda to prevent the meeting from going off track.
- Mix Methods: Alternate between in-person and Zoom meetings depending on the season.
By having clear goals and a mix of meeting formats, we get more done in less time. And for particularly busy seasons, we add a summer training brunch as an additional way to bring leaders together.
Your Troop Communication Toolkit
Clear and effective communication is critical for any troop to flourish. With tools like early planning, Slack, welcome pages, templates, planners, and structured meetings, you can cut down on chaos and create a seamless flow of information.
All these resources allow you to lead with greater peace and joy, knowing you’ve built a system that supports both leaders and families. And remember, you don’t have to do it alone. I’m here to help make troop leadership easier through faith-filled encouragement and practical resources.
Start this year strong and watch your troop thrive with intentional communication!
