Linking Leaders E-Newsletter - May 2017

May 2017

Volunteer Spotlight ...............1

Programs at a Glance

We’d love to hear what you’re doing with your girls!

Send us an email or post on Facebook! Feel free to contact marcomm@gssef.org with comments, pictures or ideas.

All of the Linking Leaders issues are archived on the Training page for easy reference.

Bridging Award........................2 GSUSA’s Make Your Own Badge Site Shutting Down in June............................................2

Adult & Leader Highlights

Save the Date for the 2017 Great Give ................................5

Membership

Online Store is Always Open ........................ ..9

She is also a Gold Award Advisor helping and guiding girls along the path of earning Girl Scouts highest award. For Karyl in her many adult volunteer roles, she continues to find Girl Scouts an exciting adventure and even more rewarding now than when she first became a Brownie.

Kudos to Karyl Bertram for sharing her love of Girl Scouts with so many girls and adult volunteers

Membership

Early Bird 2018 is OPEN!. .....6 Service Unit Recognition.....7 Membership Update.............8 Mother’s Day is Coming.......8 Great American Eclipse.......8 Bridging Kits..............................9 Awards Season is Here.........9

Once a Girl always a Girl Scout. This month’s Volunteer Spotlight is on Karyl Bertram. Karyl’s Girl Scout adventure began in her youth as a Brownie. She is a recipient of both the Silver and Gold Award. Karyl continues today as a dedicated volunteer. She is Gemini’s Service Unit Volunteer Manager and loves seeing how Girl Scouts brings adult volunteers and troops of all ages together at Service Unit events like an In-gathering.

Adult & Leader Highlights

Green Grapevine...................3 Troop End-of-Year (EOY) Report Workshop...................4

Volunteer Spotlight

Programs at a Glance

Girl Scout Day at Legoland....2

Spotlights

Spotlight

Girl Scouts “Made in the USA” Commitment...................... ....9

Submit Troop or Volunteer News here!

Calendar

Calendar............................10

2 Page

Girl Scout Day at Legoland Date: Saturday May 13, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Location: Legoland, One LEGOLAND Way, Winter Haven, FL 33884 Explore Legoland Florida with all of your Girl Scout friends and families! $30 per person for admission (or $50 for park admission and waterpark).

That’s a HUGE savings! Parking and concessions are not included.

Register today!

Bridging is an important transition in a Girl Scout’s life. It’s a defining moment when a girl becomes aware of her achievements and is ready for new adventures and responsibilities. Celebrating this change should be fun, personalized, and memorable for everyone involved. And most of all, it should be designed by the girls in true partnership with adults.

To see the requirements for each age level to earn their official Bridging awards, check here

Please note that the Girl Scouts of the USA Make Your Own Badge tool at https://www.gsmakeyourown.com/ will no longer be available after June 1st.

The last day to place an order for a Make Your Own badge will be June 1, 2017.

The Make Your Own badge site will close on June 30, 2017.

Adult & Leader Highlights

GSUSA’s Make Your Own Badge Site Shutting Down in June

Programs at a Glance

Bridging Award

Membership Calendar

3 Page

Green Grapevine Dear Green GrapevineMy 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?

ThanksPatty 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.

How parents decide to transport girls between their homes and Girl Scout meeting places is each parent’s decision and responsibility.

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:

• P arents 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.

• T he complete list of travel policies can be found in our GSSEF Volunteer Policies and Procedures here.

Keep in mind, whenever you’re traveling with girls you need to get Council approval. You can do this by submitting a travel application. Travel applications can be found here.

You must get Council approval for your trip in order to use Troop treasury funds and to ensure all members participating in the trip will be covered by the Girl Scout insurance in the event of an accident. Failure to get trip approval jeopardizes the safety of the girls. More information on travel and trip approval can be found in our GSSEF Volunteer Policies and Procedures here.

Calendar

If you have questions about travelling with girls or completing a travel application, please email troopsupport@gssef.org.

Membership

Remember, even if every parent is driving their own child to the activity, you must still ensure the required number of registered adult volunteers are present at the activity in order to fulfill the adult-to-girl ratio. The adult-to-girl ratio, or chaperone ratio, can be found on Page 61 of the Volunteer Essentials manual here.

Adult & Leader Highlights

• E very 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.

4 Page

Troop End-of-Year (EOY) Report Workshop Online end-of-year Troop reporting is here! All Troops are required to submit an end-of-year finance and Troop activity report each year by July 31st.

The link for online end-of-year reporting will open May 1st.

In order to be prepared to complete your report, there are a few things you’ll need.

Below is a list of things you should have handy: • A saved bank statement; this can either be downloaded and saved from your bank’s website, or scanned and saved to your computer. You will be asked to upload your Troop’s most recent bank statement to complete the report.

• A photo of your Troop doing something fun; we want to see you in action!

• A calculator; no worries, the math is simple!

• About 30 minutes to dedicate to completing the report, maybe less. The WuFoo system does require the report be completed in one sitting, and unfortunately does not allow you to save work and finish later.

When you click submit your report will be sent via a secure server to GSSEF. The bank account and routing number data is encrypted for your protection. You will receive a confirmation email indicating successful completion of the form, along with a copy of the information you’ve submitted.

Need Help? Join us for a workshop designed to familiarize you with the online form, review the items you’ll need to complete it, and answer any questions you may have about the process. This is a one hour online class.

Adult & Leader Highlights

If there’s anything missing, the system will highlight these fields and prompt you to enter the information before allowing you to submit the form. The form is user friendly and you can’t break it!

Cost is FREE, but registration is required.

Monday, June 12, 2017 7:00 - 8:00 p.m Click here to register

Membership

Thursday, May 18, 2017 7:00 -8:00 p.m.

Click here to register

Wednesday, July 12, 2017 7:00 - 8:00 p.m Click here to register Calendar

5 Page

Save the Date for the 2017 Great Give Great Give Palm Beach & Martin Counties is a 24-hour online giving event led by United Way of Palm Beach County, Achieve, Nonprofits First and United Way of Martin County designed to raise as much money as possible for local nonprofits in a single day. Held on May 17th, this community-wide event celebrates the spirit of giving and the collective effort it takes to strengthen our community by raising critical funds for local nonprofits.

Please consider making a donation during this 24-hour period. Your contribution will help us reach more girls in the community, support programs, and build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place!

Adult & Leader Highlights

Every local gift will be multiplied with additional dollars from a bonus pool raised

by United Way of Palm Beach County. Great Give Palm Beach & Martin Counties will make every hour of May 17 even more meaningful by providing this unique opportunity for our community to raise significant funds that will make a direct, positive impact on the lives of our neediest residents. Cash and other valuable prizes will be awarded to participating nonprofit organizations throughout the day to keep things fast-paced and exciting!

Membership Calendar

6 Page

Early Bird 2018 is OPEN! There’s still time to get a WORM! Who can participate in Early Bird Re-Registration?

• Everyone registered by MARCH 31st is eligible to participate in Early Bird re-registration. The annual registration fee for the 2017 – 2018 membership year, October 1 – September 30, is $40 for girls and $25 for adults.

What are the Early Bird Guidelines?

• All individually registered girls and troops must submit their online re-registration with payment by 11:59 p.m. on May 15 to be considered an Early Bird.

All girls who are re-registered during Early Bird will receive the exclusive • Early Bird patch!

Troops must re-register 80% of their currently registered girls AND two • Leaders to be eligible for the 2017-2018 Early Bird incentives.

• Can’t remember your MY GS login? That’s ok…just email troopsupport@gssef.org and our Troop Support Specialists will follow up with you.

And don’t forget those WORMderful Incentives!

All girls who are re-registered during Early Bird will receive the exclusive Early Bird patch!

All participating Troops who re-register 80% of eligible girls and two Leaders, within the Early Bird period (April 1 to May 15 at 11:59 p.m.), will earn: • An additional 3-cents per box of cookies sold in the 2018 Cookie Sale Program • Eligibility for the WORMtacular grand prize drawings in May and November Membership

And since the Early Bird gets the WORM (Weekly Opportunity for Rad Merchandise), we will be offering a “Worm of the Week” drawing! Register at least one member of your troop to be eligible for that week’s WORM. Mark your calendars and play along!

And be sure to tune in to Facebook LIVE on WORM Wednesdays to find out which troop wins the WORM of the Week! #wormwednesday Mark your calendars for these upcoming Weekly WORM drawings!

Week 6: May 2-8 – Drawing on Wednesday, May 10th “Star Struck Adventure” Package: Entire troop to receive FREE 2 night trip to GSSEF camp property of choice (Nocatee or Welaka), priority date selection,

Calendar

Week 5: April 25-May 1 – Drawing on Wednesday, May 3rd “Water WORM Adventure” Package: 12 Tickets to Rapids Water Park – and some sweet Girl Scout swag!

7 Page

Early Bird Continued program provided for star gazing (or similar) and a $250 gift card to Bass Pro Shop for camp gear.

Week 7: May 9-15 – Drawing on Wednesday, May 17th “Cowgirl Up!” Package: Accommodations for 8 during a Girl Scout weekend in Spring 2018 at Circle F Dude Ranch in Lake Wales, FL for 2 nights. For more info visit: www.circlefduderanchcamp.com A complete list of Weekly WORM prizes, drawing dates, the WORMtacular grand prize drawings in May and November, and the fine print, can be found here.

Questions?

Contact Heather Hileman, vice president of member engagement and experience, at 561-427-0189 or hhileman@gssef.org.

Need your MyGS community information? Contact our Troop Support specialists at troopsupport@gssef.org.

Service Unit Recognition While the current Girl Scout membership year is still going strong until September 30th, we’d like to congratulate all the Service Units that have met 100% of their membership goals. For reaching their membership goals, these Service Unit Team’s earned the opportunity to enjoy a luncheon with our CEO, Lisa Johnson! As you know, GSSEF established three membership goal incentives throughout the year that Service Units have the opportunity to earn different rewards based on specific benchmarks that they meet.

Way to go!

Remember, just because the incentive program has ended, it doesn’t mean that recruitment and placement have ended as well. We are so close to achieving 100% of our Council membership goal.

Membership

Congratulations are in order for the following Service Units that achieved 100%: Gemini, Sea Star, Jupiter, Luna, Hibiscus, Wildflower

Let’s continue making GSSEF HERstory!

Calendar

8 Page

Membership Update Girl Membership: 10,145 girls or 92% of the membership goal Adult Membership: 4,849 adults or 93% of the membership goal

Mother’s Day Is Coming Mother’s Day is May 14th and we would love to celebrate you. When you purchase an adult scarf beginning May 6th through May 11th in-store, you’ll receive a free scarf slide.

But there’s more... For the entire month of May, you’ll receive 25% off all bags or totes for your next journey.

Great American Eclipse Get outdoors with Girl Scouts to celebrate the Great American Eclipse on August 21, 2017. Plan ahead and get prepared with all the tools you’ll need to share this rare occurrence with your girls: eclipse glasses ($2.50), a complete guide to the eclipse including start and end times ($12), a map that shows you where to watch ($10), and a specially-designed patch ($1.50) to commemorate this special event.

To pre-order call Jodi Potter at 561-427-0197 or email us at councilshop@gssef.org.

Membership

Not sure what to get your dad for Father’s Day? You can pre-order the glasses, book, and map for only $19.99. That’s a $4.50 savings.

Calendar

9 Page

Bridging Kits Are you planning a bridging ceremony? We can help. Our retail store has a convenient, all-in-one Bridging Kit that has everything you need. Each kit includes the items that are presented to girls bridging to the next age level. Just add the girls’ name to the sheet provided and you’re ready for your bridging ceremony!

We invite you to stop by the retail store and get your Bridging Kit before they are gone.

Award Season is Here Give that special girl who has earned one of the highest awards that a Girl Scout can earn - a Silver or Gold Award, a reminder of her accomplishments with these lovely dangling earrings for $9.99, necklace for $19.99 or bracelet $11.99 (not pictured).

You can find them in our retail store.

Shop Online Store is Always Open You can also shop anytime by visiting our Online Store that is open 24/7. Click here.

Girl Scouts’ “Made in the USA” Commitment

Membership

Girl Scout Merchandise continues to honor its commitment to U.S.-made products and to strive to their keep carbon footprint as small as possible. Girl Scout vests, sashes, tunics, and insignia are all currently produced in this country, and they are reaching out to more vendors that have capabilities to produce stateside. In addition, beginning in July, Daisy, Brownie, Junior, and Cadette badge production will take place in the United States.

Calendar

10 Page

May S

M

W

T

T

S

F

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

Early Bird 15 Re-registration End

16

17

18

19

Gold Award 20 Ceremony

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

GSSEF 29 Offices Closed for Memorial Day

30

31

Great Give

Calendar