Adult Recognition

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Adult Recognition

Service Unit Level Awards

Deadline for forms is March 31st

The Outstanding Volunteer:
is a national award, and it is awarded by service units at local service unit meetings. These awards are approved by the service unit working with the Community Development Director. Contact your service unit recognitions committee to submit a nominator statement. Deadline is March 31.
Click here for Outstanding Volunteer Nomination Form
Reserve pins using Service Unit Adult Recognitions. Pins will be available for purchase by the service unit at any Girl Scouts Nor Cal council store, once the service unit has received notification from the council office and will be available while supplies last.
This is the last year this award will be offered as GSUSA has new awards planned for 2013 including a volunteer of Excellence Award.
Click here for Service Unit Adult Recognitions.

Click here for the nomination tool for service unit awards

The Outstanding Leader award
is also a national award, and it is either awarded at service unit meetings or in some areas may be awarded at local or regional recognition events. Contact your service unit recognitions committee to submit the nomination form along with two letters of endorsement. Deadline is March 31.
This is the last year this award will be offered as GSUSA has new awards planned for 2013 including a volunteer of Excellence Award.

Click here for Outstanding Leader Nomination Form
Click here for Letter of Endorsement Form
Click here for Letter of Endorsement Tips
Reserve pins using Service Unit Adult Recognitions. Pins will be available for purchase by the service unit at any Girl Scouts Nor Cal council store, once the service unit has received notification from the council office and will be available while supplies last.
Click here for Service Unit Adult Recognitions.

The Leadership Development program was developed by GSUSA to promote continuing enhanced education to volunteer adults working with girls in the troop setting. For more information and the application for the pin click here for Leadership Development Pin Form.
This is the last year this pin will be offered by GSUSA.

Years of Service Pin Recognition for number of years of active service as an adult member. Pins are available in 5-year increments: 5, 10, 15… For 20 years and above, volunteers are recognized at one of the Adult Recognition Ceremonies. Click here for Service Unit Adult Recognitions. Service Units may purchase pins at any council store once the service unit has received notification from the council office.

Numeral Guards (Years of Membership) Recognition for number of combined years as a girl and adult member. Pins are available in 5-year increments; 5, 10, 15, 20, 25… For 30 years and above, recipients are recognized at one of the Adult Recognition Ceremonies. Click here for Service Unit Adult Recognitions. Service Units may purchase pins at any council store once the service unit has received notification from the council office.

Green Angel Award The service unit's volunteer-approved adult volunteer who brought Girl Scout program to her/his service unit in the most creative or innovative way for the year. (Examples would be special service project, unique sponsorship, etc.) Use Service Unit Adult Recognitions to reserve patches. Service Units may purchase patches at any council store once the service unit has received notification from the council office.

Family of the Year Award Minimum of three years of outstanding service, such as, supporting their troop, camps, special events, product sales, or have fulfilled other significant roles. All types of families are eligible (single parent, guardians, etc.) click here for Service Unit Adult Recognitions. Certificate will be supplied by the council upon request.

Father of the Year Award This year’s volunteer-approved, most outstanding father, who seemed to always be there when the troop or the service unit needed him. Click here for Service Unit Adult Recognitions. Certificate will be supplied by the council upon request.

Service Unit level awards include:

Outstanding Leader Award
Outstanding Volunteer Award
Leadership Development Award
Years of Service Pin
Numeral Guards (Years of Membership)
Green Angel Award
Family of the Year Award
Father of the Year Award

How to Nominate Someone for an Award

Complete the nomination form (download, fill in and save PDF forms below): Clearly state the personal achievements of the candidate, and specifically state the reasons that the candidate’s achievements meet the criteria for this particular award.
Recruit additional people to write the required letters of endorsement: Be sure to communicate the deadline for submission, to whom they should return the completed letter, and share the Letter of Endorsement Tips. Letters of Endorsement (available below) should be neatly typed or printed. Turn in the completed nomination form and letters of endorsement if applicable on or before June 30:
By e-mail to recognitions@GirlScoutsNorCal.org (preferred) OR to your local council office (by mail, fax or hand delivery).
Click here for a complete booklet spelling out the Adult Recognitions for Girl Scouts of Northern California.

The Nomination Forms

These forms are in PDF format that can be filled in, saved to your computer and attached to an email to submit. (the fastest and most efficient method)

National Awards (awarded at recognition events in the fall)
Appreciation Pin
Honor Pin
Thanks Badge
Thanks Badge II

Council Awards (awarded at recognition events in the fall)
Alliance Award
Chris Arkley Significant Impact Award
Dennis Chew Outstanding Fundraiser Award
Phyllis Jones Amistad Award
Ruth Robertson Commitment to Excellence Award
Eleanor Thomas Exemplary Leadership Award
Maud Whalen Continued Exceptional Service Award

Letter of Endorsement Form (used for any award)
Letter of Endorsement Tips

To check to see what National awards your nominee has already received, click here.

To check to see what Council awards your nominee has already received, click here.

Adult Recognition Awards

Everyone likes to feel appreciated for her or his volunteer service. Whether in the form of a simple thank-you for a small job well done or a formal commendation for years of faithful service in a key position of an organization, such acknowledgment is a signal to the recipient that she or he is noticed and appreciated--that she or he is recognized.

An attitude of appreciation can be created by:

Being aware of the extra effort put forth by an individual.
Taking the time to mention a person's service or thanks for a job well done.
Helping people to attain a higher level of achievement.
Developing a climate wherein work is sincerely noticed and noted at all levels.

When and how the recipient is recognized will make the expression of gratitude memorable. Recognitions might be made on special Girl Scout holidays, at Service Unit meetings, at a special recognition event, immediately following service rendered, at community recognition events, etc.

Who to Consider for Recognition

Adult volunteers or staff in any position in Girl Scouting
People and organizations outside Girl Scouting who provide invaluable support to Girl Scouting

Formal Recognitions

For truly significant service, there is a formal adult recognition program in Girl Scouting. These council and national awards recognize outstanding accomplishments that go well beyond what would be expected for the position held.

Click here to download The Adult Recognitions At A Glance to help you determine:

Which awards would be appropriate for your candidate(s)
Whether letters of endorsement are required, and how many, for each type of award
Who approves the award nomination
The deadline date for submission of nominations

Informal Recognitions

Some ways to say "thank you" informally at local service units or by committees or task groups could include:

A framed photograph of the Girl Scouts who participated in a particular project or event (can be a blown-up snapshot)
A thank-you statement published in a Girl Scout publication, web site or Yahoo group newsletter or community paper
Flowers presented at a meeting
Birthday or holiday greetings made by the girls
A special citation read at a meeting
Specific awards such as “Rookie of the Year”, Most Valuable Team Member, Green Angel, Green Knight, etc. as developed by your service unit team, committee, or group
Fun awards such as breath mints (‘you take my breath away’), note cards (‘for a noteworthy achievement’), or batteries (‘you’ve added energy to our group’)
Click here for more ideas

Appeals Process

If the Adult Recognition Task Group determines that a nomination does not meet the criteria for the award, they may decide to:

Approve the nomination for a different award category. For example, if a candidate’s service is deemed to exceed the criteria for the nominated award, a more appropriate award might be approved. For example, if a candidate is nominated for the Appreciation Pin but their service has benefited the entire council, then the Honor Pin might be approved instead. On the other hand, if the candidate is nominated for the Honor Pin but no evidence is given that the candidate served two or more geographic areas, then they might instead be approved for the Appreciation Pin.

Deny the nomination. In a case where there is no evidence given that the candidate’s service met the award criteria (e.g. no evidence was given to show that the service was truly exemplary and exceeded the expectations for the position held), the nomination could be denied.

If the nominator genuinely feels that the award was denied or changed in error, the appeals process should be followed. Click here for appeals process.

Adult Recognition Task Group

If you would you like to know more about the work done by the Adult Recognition Task Group please click here for Adult Recognitions Task Group Position Description.