Adult Awards Booklet

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Adult Awards & Recognitions Every day, Girl Scout volunteers like you make it possible for girls to benefit from adventures that are skill-building, lead-taking and life-changing.

Without your commitment to unleashing the potential in every girl, we would not be the largest girl leadership organization in the world. But we are. Thanks to you. These awards and recognitions are a great way to pay tribute to our volunteers.

Service Unit Approved Awards These awards recognize the work of a volunteer over one troop year (October 1 – September 30). Applications are accepted throughout the troop year, but are typically submitted in the spring. Please allow up to four weeks for processing.

To receive an award, you must be a registered, adult member of Girl Scouts and meet the specific award criteria. Anyone - girls, parents, volunteer, staff member or community member - can nominate a volunteer for one of these awards. You can even nominate yourself!

The nominator should know the award criteria and be familiar with how the volunteer has impacted Girl Scouts and their community.

Numeral Guards YEARS OF MEMBERSHIP & YEARS OF SERVICE

Years of Membership Numeral Guards are worn with the membership pin and indicates, in five-year intervals, the total number of years as a registered member with Girl Scouts of the USA. Both girl and adult years of membership are counted in determining the total years of membership.

Years of Service Pin recognizes the years of active service as an adult volunteer with Girl Scouts of the USA. Years of Service milestones are celebrated and presented in five-year increments and 10-year increments after 40 years.

15-year and higher awards are presented at the GSCP2P Annual Meeting. GSCP2P provides these pins at no cost. Please submit your request before March 1 to be recognized at Annual Meeting in April.

Request your Years of Membership and Years of Service awards at bit.ly/46dFpyf.

Growing Green Award The Growing Green Award recognizes first year troop leaders who have done an exceptional job of delivering Girl Scout experiences to their troops. Volunteers should have completed a minimum of six months of service, but no more than 24 months of service at the time of the nomination. The volunteer receives a printed certificate signed by the CEO of Girl Scouts Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont.

The Growing Green Award requires one nomination and one endorsement. The nominator and endorser should work together to submit the application at one time.

You will be asked to provide the following information at bit.ly/3F1uv2G: • Your name and contact details • Nominee’s name • Troop number and service unit • Program grade levels served • Date of New Leader Orientation • A brief description of the nominee’s service • Name and e-mail for the person providing the endorsement • A brief endorsement, describing the volunteer’s service

Shining Volunteer Award The Shining Volunteer Award recognizes Girl Scout adults who offer outstanding support to a troop or individual girl. The purposes of the Shining Volunteer Award is to increase adult participation in Girl Scouting, to increase support of troop and group leadership, to expand program activities and to retain girls and adults.

Each year, the qualifying adult will receive a printed certificate. The girl receives a first year patch or numeral star for each year their P.A.L. (parent, adult or legal guardian) is awarded.

Awards must be requested at least four weeks prior to the presentation using the online nomination form at bit.ly/3rEdiJi. You may submit up to four volunteers per form. Please complete additional forms to recognize all of your Shining Volunteers!

Each adult must complete four of the requirements listed below, while working with a girl/troop to receive this award. Requirements must be completed during one membership year (October 1 – September 30). Participating adults must be registered Girl Scouts.

Serve on troop leadership team.

Serve as a troop/group cookie manager.

Serve as a troop/group Fall Product manager.

Share a skill, talent or hobby with the troop or with a group of troop leaders in the service unit.

Take part in an inter-troop/group, service unit or council meeting, activity or event.

Help with at least one troop meeting.

Provide transportation for one or more troop outings.

Help with troop/group communication.

Assist with a troop project or special activity.

Care for a leader’s children during a training or troop function.

Assist with paperwork or record-keeping.

Take a council-sponsored learning session to assist the troop/group with a program.

Be a member of the service unit’s Service Team.

Serve on the council’s Board of Directors, a board committee or a board task group.

Coordinate something special to show appreciation for the troop leader’s efforts on Leaders’ Day, April 22 (a thank you party or a gift from the troop).

Locate resource people for the troop/group program.

Help with troop money-earning activities.

Accompany the troop/group on an outdoor activity (cook-out, hike, camping, etc.)

Contribute to the council’s annual giving campaign.

Serve as the troop’s Licensed Camper.

Complete your own troop/group idea.

(For example: provide services such as refreshments, photography, translation, etc.).

Serve as the troop’s First Aider.

Leadership Development Pin The Leadership Development Pin recognizes trained volunteers who have completed at least one full year as a troop leader and is active in their service unit. Additional leaves can be earned for every 10 hours of leadership development training.

Awards must be requested at least four weeks prior to the presentation using the online nomination form at bit.ly/3qEdJTD.

Each adult must complete all of the requirements listed below. Participating adults must be registered Girl Scouts.

Recipients of the Leadership Development Pin earn leaves to represent every 10 hours of enrichment training taken.

Complete New Leader Training • New Leader Orientation • Successful Leader Learning Series (gsLearn online series)

“Enrichment” trainings include Girl Scout learning opportunities, as well as other courses that will help you with your troop – even if they’re offered by other schools and agencies.

Attend two service unit meetings other than Fall Product Training & Cookie Training

Several courses may be totaled to reach 10 hours.

Hold Current First Aid & CPR Certification (or recruited a trained First Aider) Complete Overnight & Activity License (gsLearn online series)

The maximum hour credit for a single course is 10 hours.

• 10 hours of training = additional rocker • 50 hours of training = additional rocker • 250 hours of training = additional rocker

Want to earn this award? Use our worksheet to help you keep track of your progress!

This worksheet is for your records only and can be downloaded at bit.ly/3NjMEgJ.

Pearl of Leadership Pin The Pearl of Leadership Pin recognizes troop leaders with 13 years of service.

Juliette Low had a strand of rare matched pearls that she sold in 1914 to help pay the rent for the Girl Scout National Office in Washington, DC (the current headquarters are in New York).

She was quoted as saying “Jewels are not important but my Girl Scouts are, they need the money more than I need pearls”. Juliette gave so much of herself to others that Girl Scouts has continued to grow from the first 18 Girl Scouts in Savannah in 1912 to our current membership of 2.6 million girls and adults.

Just like Juliette, you have prioritized Girl Scouts and given the time and energy to help your girls grow and excel. We want to celebrate you and your commitment to Girl Scouts with Juliette’s Pearl Pin. Given in the 13th year of service, this pin is a symbol of your commitment to building girls of courage, confidence and character.

Awards must be requested at least four weeks prior to the presentation using the online nomination form at bit.ly/3E27Um6.

Volunteer of Faith Award The Volunteer of Faith Award recognizes adult volunteers who support activities for girls to celebrate their faith. The mission of Girl Scouts and faith is to encourage and support Girl Scouts in learning about their faith and to create an appreciation of religious diversity in their relationships with other Girl Scouts.

The purposes of the Volunteer of Faith Award are to increase adult participation in Girl Scouting, to support activities for girls to celebrate their faith, assist troop and group leadership, to expand program activities and to retain girls and adults.

First year of participation will be recognized with a patch and a certificate. Additional years of participation will be recognized with a numeral below the patch and recognition in the GSCP2P Annual Meeting program. Submission after March 1 will go in the following year’s Annual Meeting program.

Awards must be requested at least four weeks prior to the presentation using the online nomination form at bit.ly/3tcKwzX. Forms may be submitted by participating adult volunteer, troop leader or Service Unit Specialist. On the online form, you will be asked to provide a brief description of what you did to earn this award in your troop, service unit or council. What was the event/project? Did it involve an outside agency? Did it incorporate girls and adults?

Each adult must complete one of the requirements listed below. Requirements must be completed during one membership year (October 1 – September 30). Participating adults must be registered Girl Scouts.

Identify faith-based sponsors for service unit and/or troops and provide those sponsors with information about Girl Scouting and its faith connection.

Serve as the service unit faithbased volunteer.

Assist with a troop project or special activity on Girl Scouts Cultivate Faith weekend.

Serve on the GSCP2P Interfaith Committee.

Serve as the publicist and contact local media about girls/troops who have earned religious recognitions.

Work with a troop or group of girls to earn their appropriate faith-based awards.

Coordinate service unit efforts to recognize and thank faithbased sponsors.

Serve as a liaison between a troop and a faith-based sponsor.

Provide information and guidance for badge and Journey activities that support Girl Scout faith.

Coordinate a service unit multi-troop event on Girl Scouts Cultivate Faith weekend.

Serve on the Girls of Faith event committee.

Lead a workshop at the Girls of Faith event.

Complete your own troop/ group faith-based idea.

Outstanding Troop Award Thank you for helping our council build strong troops by giving girls a dynamic Girl Scout Leadership Experience. Troop leaders receive a printed Outstanding Troop Certificate and troops may request an Outstanding Troop Patch for each girl. Troops will be listed in the council’s Annual Meeting Program.

Applications are accepted June 1 - September 30 for the current troop year at bit.ly/3u7QgvA. Please note: Your end-of-year reports must be received prior to your application. Please allow up to four weeks for processing.

All of the requirements listed below must be completed during one membership year (October 1 – September 30).

Registered at least six girls.

Registered at least one new girl who was not in Girl Scouts last year (optional for Senior and Ambassador troops).

New leaders – completed New Leader Onboarding.

Experienced leaders – Completed at least one additional Girl Scout adult learning opportunity.

Troop knows, recites and actively lives by the Girl Scout Promise and Law.

Leader or designee attended at least three service unit meetings to ensure troop and leaders received key council and service unit information.

Girls participated in at least one of the following Girl Scout traditions.

• Flag Ceremony • Investiture Ceremony • Bridging Ceremony • Scouts Own Ceremony

Troop attended at least one service unit or councilsponsored event in order to Increased and challenged girls’ connect with Girl Scout sisters financial literacy skills by outside of their troop. participating in the Girl Scout Fall Product Program and Troop participated in at least Girl Scout Cookie Program. two service projects selected Participation is defined as by the girls. each girl must: • Sell at least 10 Fall Troop incorporated badges Product Program items and/or Journeys into their and at least four cases activities.

(48 packages) of cookies • OR sell at least five Girls wore a Girl Scout uniform cases (60 packages) of or Girl Scout shirt to a parade cookies. or community event to increase Girl Scout visibility.

Participated in Spring Renewal with at least 50% of the troop registered by June 1 for the upcoming Girl Scout year.

Participated in Good Turn for Goodwill in October or Do a Good Turn Weekend in April.

Attended (or planned) an event for Juliette Gordon Low’s birthday (October), World Thinking Day (February) or Girl Scout Week (March).

Visited a council-owned camp property.

Submitted End-of-Year Troop Reports on time (by July 1).

National Awards The GSCP2P Board of Directors is pleased to recognize outstanding volunteers each year at Annual Meeting. These awards are progressive and can only be earned one time.

Each of these awards requires a nomination and at least one endorsement.

The endorsements allow the review committee to have a better understanding of the candidate.

Volunteers may not nominate themselves for a Board-presented Award. Any registered adult volunteer in good standing can be nominated for an award. Any volunteer who receives an award is being held up as a role model. Good standing means that volunteers have met all eligibility for being an appointed volunteer and follow the council’s policies and guidelines. A volunteer committee with representation from across the council reviews the nominations and makes decisions based on how the information presented fits the criteria for the award.

The deadline for these award nominations is February 1 to provide time for the board to review and approve applicants prior to the April meeting.

Nominations should be submitted to bit.ly/3ZGJqc8.

Endorsements should be submitted to bit.ly/3ZDQKVK.

Volunteer of Excellence This award recognizes volunteers who have contributed outstanding service while partnering directly with girls to implement the Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE) though the use of the National Program Portfolio or who have contributed outstanding service in support of the council’s mission delivery to girl and adult members. Please note: This award is presented at the service unit level and the service unit is responsible for purchasing pins.

Requirements • The nominee is an active, registered adult Girl Scout in good standing.

• The nominee has successfully completed a term of service and all requirements for the position.

• The nominee has performed beyond expectations for the position to deliver the GSLE to girls using the National Program Portfolio OR • The nominee’s performance has been beyond the expectations of the position and has supported the council’s mission delivery goals in one or more of the following functional areas: Membership Development/Community Cultivation, Volunteer Relations and Support, Program, Leadership and Governance, Fund Development or Council Support Service.

• One online nomination form.

• One online endorsement form.

Appreciation Pin This pin recognizes a volunteer’s exemplary service in support of delivering the Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE). This service, which has had measurable impact on at least one service unit, contributes to expanding the council’s reach and surpassing the mission-delivery goals for that area.

Requirements: • The nominee is an active, registered adult Girl Scout.

• The service performed by the nominee is above and beyond the expectations for the position held and has made an impact on at least one service unit within the council’s jurisdiction.

• One online nomination form.

• Two online endorsement forms.

Honor Pin This pin recognizes a volunteer’s exemplary service in support of delivering the Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE). This service, which has had measurable impact on at least two service units, contributes to expanding the council’s reach and surpassing the mission-delivery goals for that area.

Requirements: • The nominee is an active, registered adult Girl Scout.

• The service performed by the nominee is above and beyond the expectations for the position held and has made an impact on at least two service units within the council’s jurisdiction.

• One online nomination form.

• Three online endorsement forms.

Thanks Badge I & II This badge honors a volunteer whose ongoing commitment, leadership and service has had an exceptional, measurable impact on meeting the mission delivery goals and prioritites of the entire council or entire Girl Scout Movement.

The Thanks Badge II is awarded to a previous Thanks Badge award recipient who has continued to provide exemplary service in a leadership role.

Requirements: • The nominee is an active, registered adult Girl Scout.

• The outstanding service performed by the nominee resulted in outcomes that benefited the total council or the entire Girl Scout Movement and is so significantly above and beyond the call of duty that no other award would be appropriate.

• One online nomination form.

• Four online endorsement forms.

President’s Award This award recognizes the efforts of a Service Team whose exemplary service in support of delivering the Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE) and surpassed team goals and resulted in significant, measurable impact toward reaching the council’s overall goals. Nominations are submitted by staff and board members only.

Please contact your Engagement Manager for more information.

Requirements: • All Service Team members are registered Girl Scouts and meet expectations of the positions held.

• The Service Team is organized and creative in delivering the Girl Scout mission.

• The Service Team reaches the growth goals set.

• The Service Team reflects the diversity of the target audience of the area it serves.

• Communication with volunteers and girls is effective and reports are submitted on time.

• The Service Unit supports the council’s fund development efforts.

• Nomination form is available by request.

Lifetime Achievement Award

This award honors individuals who have given GSCP2P above and beyond in service for 25+ adult years. Their continuous and outstanding service to GSCP2P goes beyond expectations of the position(s) held, exemplifies the Girl Scout Promise and Law in his/her daily life, demonstrates respect for the spirit of the Movement, shares the love of Girl Scouting through interaction with girls, adults, the council and community and is dedicated to the principles of Juliette Gordon Low’s Girl Scout Movement. Nominations are submitted by staff and board members only. Please contact your Engagement Manager for more information.

Requirements: • The nominee is a registered Girl Scout adult member in good standing with the council and has been an adult member for 25 or more years (does not include girl years).

• Notable work performance that went above and beyond the responsibilities of a GSCP2P volunteer.

• Provided outstanding service related to the success of the Girl Scouts as a whole (girls, adults, peers, council) touching on every area.

• Nomination form is available by request and requires three letters of endorsement.

President’s Volunteer Service Award In 2003, the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation founded the President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) to recognize the important role of volunteers in America’s strength and national identity. This award honors individuals whose service positively impacts communities in every corner of the nation and inspires those around them to take action too.

The PVSA has continued under each administration, honoring the volunteers who are using their time and talents to solve some of the toughest challenges facing our nation.

Led by the AmeriCorps and managed in partnership with Points of Light, this program allows certifying organizations to recognize their most exceptional volunteers.

In spring 2023, Girl Scout Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont became a certifying organization. We are happy to sponsor registered Girl Scouts within our council who have earned this award.

Complete the PVSA Volunteer Hours Tracking Sheet at bit.ly/485AtMg. You will be asked to upload a copy of this form with your application at bit.ly/3E5CnzC.

Writing a strong award nomination and endorsement and why it matters.

Volunteers are truly the heart of Girl Scouts and are the reason girls are changing the world.

Vounteers in Girl Scouts Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont work hard every day to provide a quality program to the girls. The GSUSA and Girl Scouts Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont award programs are designed to focus on what matters in Girl Scouting: THE GIRLS! It is an honor for a volunteer to be recognized amoung their peers and to receive one of the GSUSA and Girl Scouts Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont awards through the endorsement process.

Nomination decisions are based solely upon the information provided in the online nomination form and accompanying endorsement forms. These items can be found on the Forms and Documents page of www.girlscoutsp2p.org.

All award packets (with the exception of the Volunteer of Excellence award) are reviewed by the adult recognitions task group and Board of Directors. They review each award packet and compare the information presented about the volunteer with the critera established for each award. The information presented on the endorsement form is vital to the decision-making process. They only know what is presented in the award packet.

To help present strong, measurable and impactful information in the award endorsement packet, use these helpful tips and the chart below to turn frequently used general statements into strong endorsement statements.

TIPS TO WRITING A STRONG NOMINATION: • • • • • •

Your statements must clearly describe how this volunteer has gone above and beyond the responsibilities of the position(s). This is the most important factor fo the nomination!

Use action verbs to describe the outsanding service (“to be” is not an action verb).

Highlight results and achievements.

Write about what the volunteer has done and not about the volunteer’s personal characteristics.

Use short sentences.

Give very specific, concrete data.

EXAMPLES OF ACTION VERBS: Carried out Implemented Chaired Coordinated Collaborated Contributed Committed Delivered

Directed Led Spearheaded Effected Enabled Facilitated Guided Mentored

Supported Handled Resolved Helped Assisted Hosted Initiated Started

Instructed Trained Involved Engaged Launches Maintained Manged Orchestrated

Overhauled Oversaw Participated Recruited Reduces Ran Undertook Secured

Ensured Conducted Engineered Advocated Coated Institued Constructed Organized

TURN A GENERAL STATEMENT INTO A STRONG STATEMENT

The examples below demonstrate what the adult recognitions task group will be looking for.

Providing specific details regarding impact and results about the great work the deserving volunteer has exhibitied will increase the likelihood of the award being approved.

General Statement:

Think about this:

Stronger Endorsement Statement:

“She has been a leader for a long How many years? What grade time and is committed to girls.” levels has she worked with?

What has she done that shows her commitment to the girls?

“For eight years, she led a multilevel troop of both Girl Scout Brownies and Juniors. In those eight years, she has welcomed girls from three different schools. Her philosophy is the girls need Girl Scouts, all the girls from grades 2-5 are welcomed in Troop 5555.”

“He is a great leader.”

What kind of leadership qualities has he exhibited with the girls? What makes him stand out?

“He believes in girl-led and continually brings leadership opportunities to girls. Each of the girls in his troop have an opportunity to be a leader throughout the year. They each take a month where they are responsible for leading the troop meeting, including organizing all aspects. The girls learn how to plan, speak in front of others, create an agenda and lead a meeting.”

“She always goes above and beyond.”

How? Be specific. Tell a story that shows how she has gone above and beyond.

“Her troop was working on their Silver Award. She recongnized that she did not have all the skills and knowledge to guide the girls successfully through all of the details. She recruited parents, service unit volunteers, leaders and several local business persons from our community that all helped the girls work through the details of their Silver Award Take Action Project. The girls project resulted in the local park having a nature train with 10 new houses, four miles of safe trails and new maps for visitors to follow. The mayor attended the grand opening of the new park along with 500 community members.”