Linking Leaders E-Newsletter December 2016

December 2016

Service Spotlight ................1

Adult & Leader Highlights

During this season of giving we are so thankful for the amount of time the troops in our council have given back to their community! Girl Scouts contributed 80,632 hours of service and Take Action projects to help educate, improve and inspire their local communities.

Membership Update.............6 Cookie Sale Participation....8 Digital Cookie is Back............8 Digital Cookie Platform........9 Cyber Monday Specials.....10 Cookie Starter Kit.................10

Adult & Leader Highlights

Membership

Service Spotlight

Programs at a Glance

Green GrapevineTroop Travel.............................2 Customer Care.......................3 Placement................................3 Troop Support.........................3 Volunteer Experience...........4 Volunteer Essentials.............5 Troop Essentials.....................5 Certificates of Insurance.....5 Accident Reports....................5

We’d love to hear what you’re doing with your girls! Send us an email or post on Facebook! Feel free to contact Rachel Goossens with comments, pictures or ideas at rgoossens@gssef.org. All of the Linking Leaders issues are archived on the Training page for easy reference.

Spotlights

Spotlight

Calendar............................11 Membership Calendar

Submit Troop or Volunteer News here!

Thank You!

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Green Grapevine - TROOP TRAVEL Dear Green Grapevine: My Troop is taking a field trip to the science museum. It’s our first trip. Some of the parents in my Troop can’t go and their girls will need to ride with other adults.

Is that ok?

Thanks- Patty Wagon Transporting girls during Girl Scout activities is a bit different than when a few friends get together. There are few guidelines you and your parents should know.

This is a situation where the difference between being a registered adult member and being a registered adult volunteer comes into play. All volunteers are members, but not all members are volunteers. Registered adult members pay the $15 membership fee, while volunteers pay the membership fee and take the added step of completing a volunteer application and background check. Members may not transport girls other than or in addition to their own daughter. Only registered volunteers may transport girls, other than or in addition to their own daughter. How parents decide to transport girls between their homes and Girl Scout meeting places is each parent’s decision and responsibility.

Also, when taking any trip, you should be sure to follow the guidelines and timetable in the Volunteer Policies and Procedures to ensure you get the proper approvals. Your troop treasury can only be used to pay for approved Girl Scout activities. In addition, the supplemental Girl Scout liability insurance may only be utilized if an accident occurs during an approved Girl Scout activity. Failure to get the required approvals prior to an activity risks girls’ safety and is a violation of our Policies and Procedures which may result in a volunteer’s dismissal from the organization.

Membership

In order to make travel planning easier, and get your travel application approved more quickly, you can check the status of adults in your troop by logging in to you MY GS community, via www.gssef.org. When you click on the Troop tab you’ll be able to see your adult members, and if they have a current background check, the expiration date will be listed. If an adult is a registered member, but does not have a background check listed, we can help. Just email troopsupport@gssef.org.

Adult & Leader Highlights

For planned Girl Scout field trips and other activities—outside the normal time and place—in which a group will be transported in private vehicles: • Every driver must be an approved adult volunteer and have a good driving record, a valid license, and a registered/insured vehicle. Each driver must complete the volunteer application and background check.

• Parents may not drive children, other than their own, as part of a Girl Scout activity unless they are an approved adult volunteer, even if they have the other parent’s permission.

• Girls never drive other girls.

For more information on Troop Travel, check out the Volunteer Policies and Procedures and Volunteer Essentials Manual.

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If you would like more information on the benefits of more registered volunteers in your troop, or need assistance with current adult members who want to step up to volunteer, we are here to help. Email troopsupport@gssef.org and we can work to get your adult members registered as volunteers.

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Who ya gonna call? You have questions, we have answers!

Customer Care

Customer Care Specialists serve as the first point of contact for inquiries via phone, email or in person. They are responsible for providing the highest level of customer service to all members/customers, both external and internal.

• General inquiries • Record updates • New membership • Duplicate records – merging/correction • Program or adult learning registration assistance Contact: • Erica Hall – Customer Care Specialist 561-427-0177 or customercare@gssef.org *Emails sent to this address are automatically logged in the system and will not go away until they are resolved

Placement

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Troop Support Specialists focus on EXISTING members and troops and the support they need. Once they are in a troop or a volunteer role (even if they’ve been there for mere moments) the Troop Support Specialist is their point of contact.

• VTK Support • Login reset for MY GS and VTK (same login for both) • Troop leader welcome/questions • Troop to Troop transfers • Property reservations • Money earning applications • Record updates – including re-triggering expired/non-existent background checks • Renewal • Online forms status updates:

o COIs – NOTE: *Initial submission must be made through the online form at www.gssef.org

Membership

Troop Support

Adult & Leader Highlights

Placement Specialists focus on NEW member engagement issues. They work to turn qualified leads in to members by securing initial troop placement and ensure NEW volunteers are background checked. They manage the troop listing in the opportunity catalog and approve changes to troop meeting locations.

• New member troop placement • New member background check/volunteer application • Opportunity Catalog • Troop meeting location updates *This is the only reason an existing troop leader should contact placement; all other inquiries should be directed to troop support Contact: • Kim Brunelle – Placement Specialist – Treasure Coast and Okeechobee 561-427-0259 or kbrunelle@gssef.org • LaSwan Dinson – Placement Specialist – Palm Beach County 954-513-3761 or ldinson@gssef.org • Diana Mills – Placement Specialist – Broward County 954-513-3786 or dmills@gssef.org

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Contact: • Sarah Knight – Troop Support Specialist – Palm Beach County, Treasure Coast and Okeechobee 954-739-7660 or sknight@gssef.org • Asha Robinson – Troop Support Specialist – Broward County 954-513-3762 arobinson@gssef.org * Registered members can log in and update their record and family member records in MY GS at www.gssef.org. Troop leaders can make updates in the Troop Tab. Troop leaders can see if an adult background check is current, expired, or not completed. In order for the background check to be processed, the record must include a correct email and date of birth.

Volunteer Experience

Adult & Leader Highlights Membership

Volunteer Experience Specialists are responsible for providing leadership and management oversight of the Service Unit team as they work to support and retain adult volunteers and girl members. They are responsible for providing leadership in the development of innovative strategies and effective service for supporting girl and adult membership through the service unit structure. They assist with volunteer training and support, conflict resolution and policy and procedure interpretations. They attend all SU meetings and usually have “office hours/help desks” set up to work with leaders in person.

• Service Unit team support • Volunteer support – general questions and problem solving • Volunteer Tool Kit usage and features • Record updates – including re-triggering expired/non-existent background checks • Policies and Procedures • Training • Conflict resolution • Troop disband paperwork • Renewal Contact: • Megan Nole – Volunteer Experience Specialist – Treasure Coast and Okeechobee 561-701-2881 or mnole@gssef.org • Candace Osias – Volunteer Experience Specialist – Palm Beach County 561-632-7965 or cosias@gssef.org • Joanna Menard – Volunteer Experience Specialist – North Broward County 561-632-7809 or jmenard@gssef.org • Gabriella Gaita – Volunteer Experience Specialist – South Broward County 561-701-0323 or ggaita@gssef.org

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Volunteer Essentials Classes Take the first step in your leadership experience by getting informed of the policies and procedures of Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida. Know the do’s and don’ts of GSSEF! Volunteer Essentials - Orientation training is required for all new leaders and must be taken within 60 days. Classes are FREE, but pre-registration is required. Click on the links below to register: Wednesday, December 7th Tuesday, December 20th 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m.

Register here! Register here!

Troop Essentials Classes Troop Essentials Grade Level Training offers grade-level specific information on how to set-up your troop; from deciding when, where and how often to meet and how to’s on managing troop finances, to working with parents and planning engaging troop activities. Cost: $3.00 Wednesday, December 21st 6:30-9:00 p.m. – Cooper City Register here!

Certificates of Insurance If you’re having a troop meeting, Service Unit event or cookie booth, chances are the host facility will need a Certificate of Insurance (COI). We have a new Wufoo form for COI requests to ensure we receive all of the necessary information to process the request quickly and efficiently.

Volunteers just need to complete the Troop Certificate of Insurance Request Form and click submit. Please allow 10 business days for processing. A copy of the COI will be sent to you via email.

Accident Reports Girl and Adult accident report forms are now electronic! Converting the forms into Wufoo means we will have an electronic record of each accident reported, and we will be able to review the form more quickly.

The new accident reports can be found in the FORMS section of www.gssef.org.

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We understand that many troops have files filled with paper forms. However, all troops are encouraged to begin using the electronic forms as soon as possible.

Paper forms are no longer available for download on the website. Although it is our intention to phase out any use of paper forms, for now, paper forms will be accepted and should completed per the instructions on the form.

Membership

This form can be found in the FORMS section of our website or accessed directly with this link.

Adult & Leader Highlights

Wednesday, December 7th 7:00-9:00 p.m. – West Palm Beach Register here!

6,000

14,000

Dear Leaders,

12,000 5,000

The Numbers Keep Growing!

With just one month of the Girl Scout year under our belts, we have some BIG news to share! We are currently at 80% of GSSEF’s 2017 Membership Goal!

In addition to this great news, at the end of last year, we rolled out the 2016-2017 Service Unit Goal Rewards with dates by which to achieve certain membership benchmarks. October 31, 2016 marked the end of the first tier of awards and we are thrilled to share the results!

10,000 4,000

8,000 6,000 80% of 4,000

Goal

3,000

76% of Goal 2,000

2,000

Goal 5,200

Girl Membership

Adult Membership

As a reminder, the 2016-2017 Service Unit Goal Rewards were as follows: • All SUs achieving 75% of annual Girl Membership Goal by OCTOBER 31, 2016 will receive a custom SU Parade Banner OR $100.00 • All SUs achieving 85% of its annual Girl Membership Goal by DECEMBER 15, 2016 will receive a custom SU Parade Banner AND $100.00 • All SUs achieving 100% of its annual Girl Membership Goal by MARCH 31, 2017 will receive lunch with the CEO, for up to 6 members of the SU Leadership Team

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But wait, there’s more!

As you know, the second benchmark for Service Units was to achieve 85% of their membership goal by December 15, 2016. We’re thrilled to announce that the following Service Units have achieved a membership goal of 85%-99% - 45 days ahead of schedule: • Magnolia 89% • Luna 90% • Hibiscus 91% • Sea Star 95% continued on next page

Membership

So where is everyone as of today?

The following Service Units reached a benchmark of 75%-84% by October 31, 2016: • Pegasus 75% • Indian Treasure 76% • Sunchariot 76% • Sandy Beaches 78% • Wildflower 79% • Phoenix 81% • Royal Palm 82% • Jupiter 84%

Adult & Leader Highlights

Goal 11,000

And finally, I’d like to recognize the GEMINI SERVICE UNIT for achieving 108% OF THEIR MEMBERSHIP GOAL FOR 2017! By reaching 100% of their membership goal, six Gemini Service Unit Leadership members will have the opportunity to enjoy a lunch with our CEO, Lisa Johnson. Don’t worry, this reward is not limited to just one Service Unit…as mentioned ALL Service Units meeting the established benchmarks will be rewarded with the allocated incentives.

The show must go on!

Everyone is doing great work and we congratulate you all on your efforts, however our work is not over yet. We still have 11 more months of this Girl Scouts year left to invite girls into this wonderful organization. And for those Service Units that may not have yet met the first benchmark, do not fret!

Everyone is well on their way to having a great year.

Adult & Leader Highlights

For reference, here are our Service Units that are on their way to achieving both the 85% and 100% benchmarks: • Leo 54% • Orange Blossom 62% • Atikah 64% • Kowechobe 66% • Everglades 66% • Tri Star 67% • Blazing Star 70% • Sunny River 70% There is still plenty of time to meet the next two reward benchmarks, so make sure you’re communicating regularly with your GSSEF staff counterparts on the progress of your Service Units.

Membership

The success of GSSEF relies on the volunteer structure and every piece that you have to offer. With your guidance and assistance, we can and will continue to build girls of courage, confidence and character. We ask that you stand with us as we enter a new membership year and a new way of work as we grow the Girl Scout movement. Your efforts go beyond reaching our membership goal of 11,000 girls—your dedication to our girls and our Council leave a lasting impact on our future female leaders.

Especially as we approach the season of giving thanks, we thank all of you for your commitment to Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida and look forward to working with each of you to provide quality customer service and everlasting experiences to our membership.

Director of New Member Engagement laskar@gssef.org

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Thank you for all that you do.

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Why Participate in the Cookie Sale What are your hopes for your Girl Scout? Certainly, you want her to make good decisions. Know how to manage money. And how to set and reach goals, like attending college. The Girl Scout Cookie Program helps her succeed today and prepares her for future success. There’s a good reason it’s a beloved family tradition.

Goal Setting: Your Girl Scout sets cookie sales goals individually and with her team, creates a plan to reach them, and develops cooperation and team building skills all along the way!

Decision Making: Your Girl Scout helps decide how her team will spend their cookie money, furthering her critical thinking and problem solving skills that will help her in many aspects of her life.

Money Management: Your Girl Scout takes cookie orders, handles customers’ money and gains valuable and practical life skills around financial literacy.

People Skills: Your Girl Scout learns how to talk to, listen to and work with all kinds of people while selling cookies. These experiences help her develop healthy relationship and conflict resolution skills she can use throughout her life.

Business Ethics: Your Girl Scout is honest and responsible at every step of the cookie sale. Her business ethics here reinforce the positive values she is developing as a Girl Scout.

Digital Cookie is Back

Membership Calendar

This year, in addition to the always popular and successful door-to-door and booth sales, we are excited to announce girls will once again be able to sell Girl Scouts Cookies through the Digital Cookie Program.

• Parents will receive a “Kick-Off” email that will include a link to the Digital Order Card after the initial order has been submitted. We are using the parent email address that is listed in Volunteer Systems.

• If a parent did not list their email when registering their daughter, they will not receive the information and the instructions to set their Girl Scout up to participate in the 2017 Digital Cookie Sale. If a parent wishes to add an email address to their daughter’s registration, please email our Customer Care team at customercare@gssef.org and ask that the email address be added to their membership record.

• Parents will click on that link provided in the email and set up their user name and password in the Digital Order Card.

• After setting up their own parent account….

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o If their daughter is 13 and over, parents will enter their daughter’s name

and email address and the system will send the girl an automatic email to

set up her account in the Digital Order Card. After she clicks on the link and

sets up her own account, she can create and customize her own site. This

site is not published until the parent approves it.

o If their daughter is 12 and under, parents will work with their daughter to set

up their account and customize their site.

o Parents and girls decide on potential customers to reach out to and send

emails through this site.

• These transactions will require no delivery or money collecting by the girl.

• These transactions will be entered automatically (by GSUSA and Little Brownie Baker) into eBudde along with the payment from these sales.

• These sales will count towards all girl rewards and troop proceeds.

• Minimum order is 4 boxes. Cookies are shipped within 1 to 5 days after order is placed.

Customers are charged a shipping fee for any online order placed.

Tier A 4-6 boxes $9.90 Tier B 7-8 boxes $11.95 Tier C 9-10 boxes $13.50 Tier D 11 -12 boxes $14.90 More than 12 boxes: $14.95 plus additional tier (A,B,C or D)

Four Easy Steps to Get Movin’ with the Digital Cookie Platform!

This cookie season, superpower your sale by expanding your efforts from the booth to the web. Why? Because adding online and mobile channels to your sale can help you reach more cookie fans than you ever imagined. That’s right! With the Digital Cookie platform you can market everyone’s favorite cookies-with-apurpose to customers down the block or across the country from the comfort of your couch. AWESOME! Membership Calendar

Here are four easy steps to jump into the fun, and slay those cookie sale goals like a true cookie boss!

1. Register: Sign up to use the Digital Cookie platform, look for your Digital Cookie registration email. If you can’t find it, contact us for details.

2. Set Up Your Site: In just a few minutes, you can set up your sale goal, share your cookie story, and upload a fun picture or video. Then you’re ready to save, review, publish, and...done!

3. Invite Customers: Manage your cookie customer list and easily send ready- to-use emails inviting people to support your sale. You can also promote your personalized cookie site link on Facebook with friends and family.

4. Track Your Goal: See how close you are to reaching your goal by tracking the number of boxes sold and orders placed, as well as sales by delivery type and cookie variety. You can even include offline sales to see your total progress— yum!

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Cyber Monday Specials If Black Friday makes you blue – we’ve got your covered. Shop from the comfort of your computer on Cyber Monday instead. There will be some great online specials on lots of fun Girl Scout merchandise. No computer? No problem! Stop by one of our retail stores on November 28th only and we’ll have a limited quantity of the Cyber Monday specials for you to buy in person (while supplies last).

Missed Us? No worries, you can shop online 24/7! Visit www.gssef.org/shop

Cookie Starter Kit Get a jump start on your 2017 Cookie Sale with this awesome Cookie Starter Kit. It includes the super cute, colorful and highly coveted Cookie Cart, 2 pink cookie buttons, 1 cookie magnet, a set of five 11” balloons (1 red, yellow, blue, green and orange), 1 36” Balloon, 2 cookie pencils (1 black, 1 purple), 1 click pen (assorted colors), 1 cookie-themed bowl with matching spoon and 1 owl mascot spatula. The Cookie Starter Kit is $75, but quantities are limited so get yours now.

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*NOTE: The $10 coupons given out at stores can only be used at the store that issues the coupon. $10 coupon codes that are sent to customers who shop online can only be redeemed online at www.girlscoutshop.com.

Customers cannot use in-store coupons online and online coupon codes cannot be used at the GSSEF council stores. See store for complete details.

Membership

And the Cookie Starter Kit is the perfect thing to buy during the Winter Bounce Back promotion. Starting December 17, 2016 in-store (or December 26th online) through January 23, 2017, spend $75 or more in store or online and received a $10 off $25 coupon to be used in February.* (use with snow globe sign)

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Welaka Winter Wonderland

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Cookie 21 Eating Contest at the South Florida Fair

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Cookie Sale Begins

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GSSEF Reopens