Volunteers are the heart and soul of Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey!
They let their generosity, courage, and heart shine through in everything they do—and our Girl Scouts take notice. It takes an army to deliver the Girl Scout Leadership Experience to over 12,000 Girl Scouts, and each and every volunteer at GSHNJ—from troop leaders to service unit organizers, to committee members, to outdoor trainers—plays a vital role in fulfilling our promise to give Girl Scouts access to life-changing experiences that inspire them to do something big.
Do you know someone who deserves an Adult Achievement Award? Read through the available awards below, consult the Decision Tree, and then nominate them today!
The deadline for submission is February 12, 2023.
Not finding what you’re looking for? Need guidance on a nomination? Reach out to us at volunteerrecognition@gshnj.org
Available Awards
GSHNJ recognizes the superlative service of our adult volunteers and community partners through the following Adult Achievement Awards:
GSUSA Adult Position Pins
Adult Position pins indicate positions presently held by adult members. They are worn between the World Trefoil pin and Membership pin. These pins may be purchased in any Girl Scout retail shop or online, although they are generally gifted to volunteers who hold council-wide positions.
Criteria
| General | Candidate is an active, registered adult member of Girl Scouts presently holding any specific position. |
| Focus of Service | Varies by position; see above. |
| Impact of Service | n/a |
| Length of Service | Presently holding the position. Wear a maximum of two positions pins. |
Nominated by: n/a | Endorsements Required: n/a
GSUSA Appreciation Pin
The Appreciation Pin was instituted in 1976 by GSUSA. It honors an individual’s outstanding service to a service unit, which furthers the goals and objectives of the service unit and GSHNJ by contributing to membership retention and growth, community development, volunteer relations, fund development, or increased visibility within the community.
Criteria
| General | Candidate is an active, registered adult member of GSHNJ in good standing who has not already earned the Appreciation Pin. |
| Focus of Service | Benefits one service unit. |
| Impact of Service | Significant service above and beyond the expectations of the position(s) held, with measurable impact. |
| Length of Service | Service will usually have extended over a period of at least three years. |
Nominated by: anyone | Endorsements Required: one
Example of Possible Candidate: A troop leader who also served on the service unit team. Three years ago, she started and chaired a committee that organized service unit-wide events for special Girl Scout days and year-end bridging. She has continued to coordinate the celebrations, but has recruited other volunteers to chair individual activities, which has led to bigger and better events and more community exposure. These events have helped in recruitment, leading to a 10% increase in membership in the service unit over the past three years.
GSUSA President’s Award
The criteria for the President’s Award are established by GSUSA. It recognizes the efforts of a Service Unit Team whose exemplary service surpassed team goals and resulted in significant, measurable impact toward reaching GSHNJ’s overall goals in program delivery, membership retention and growth, fund development, or increased visibility within the community.
Criteria
| General | All members of the service unit team are active, registered members of GSHNJ; reflect the diversity of its community; and have met all requirements and expectations of the positions within the team. |
| Focus of Service | Benefits a service unit. |
| Impact of Service | All members of the service unit team exhibited exemplary service above and beyond the expectations of their positions, resulting in significant, measurable impact on reaching council goals. |
| Length of Service | President’s Award does not carry any suggested length of service. |
Nominated by: anyone | Endorsements Required: quality and specificity of endorsements is valued over quantity.
Example of Possible Candidate: a service unit that has been losing membership for the past several years restructured its service unit team to create new volunteer positions, then actively recruited new adults to fill those positions. As a result, their troops hosted more cookie booths and increased their PGA by 1%; six new troops were created and filled; and they hosted two service unit-wide events during the year. Retention rates for the service unit rose by 20% and all of the new service team volunteers have reregistered their positions for the next year.
GSHNJ Rookie of the Year
Unique to GSHNJ, the Rookie of the Year award recognizes a troop or group leader or Service Unit Team member for outstanding performance contributing to GSHNJ’s goals during their first year of service. A Rookie of the Year’s volunteerism will have measurable impact on youth or adult membership rates, experiences for Girl Scouts in one or more program pillar, or success in holding additional volunteer roles within the service unit.
Criteria
| General | Candidate is an active, registered adult member of GSHNJ in good standing. |
| Focus of Service | Benefits one troop, group, or service unit. |
| Impact of Service | Significant service above and beyond the expectations of the position(s) held, with measurable impact. |
| Length of Service | Candidate has completed one year of service. |
Nominated by: anyone | Endorsements Required: one
Example of Possible Candidate: A new troop leader who also served as the service unit’s cookie manager. A new troop leader whose mixed-level troop accepted everyone on the service unit’s waitlist, earned two badges per age level, and attended the annual service unit-wide camporee.
GSUSA Thanks Badge II
The Thanks Badge II was instituted in 1987 by GSUSA. It recognizes continued outstanding service given by a Thanks Badge recipient. The quality of service performed is the same as that for the Thanks Badge: “It is truly outstanding, benefits the total council or the entire Girl Scout organization, and is so significantly above and beyond the call of duty that no other award would be appropriate.” Additionally, this award might acknowledge outstanding performance that surpasses the earlier achievement.
Criteria
| General | Candidate is an active, registered adult member of GSHNJ in good standing who has previously earned the Thanks Badge, but not the Thanks Badge II. |
| Focus of Service | Benefits all of GSHNJ or the entire Girl Scout movement. |
| Impact of Service | Ongoing commitment, leadership, and service have an exceptional, measurable impact on the entire council or movement. |
| Length of Service | Service will usually have extended over a period of ten years or more in one or more volunteer position. |
Nominated by: anyone | Endorsements Required: three
Example of Possible Candidate: Building on years of service since receiving the Thanks Badge, an individual who is a volunteer Master Trainer, sits on a Gold Award Committee, and has expanded her volunteerism to include chairing the annual Young Women of Vision fundraiser. Under her guidance, Young Women of Vision has seen increased attendance year over year, resulting in increased fund development and corporate partnership opportunities creating greater fiscal stability for GSHNJ.
GSUSA Volunteer of Excellence
GSUSA’s Volunteer of Excellence award replaced the Outstanding Volunteer Award in 2013. It is awarded to an adult in a position other than leader, or in addition to leader, whose outstanding service benefits a troop or service unit. The service is beyond the expectations of the position(s) held and contributes to GSHNJ’s overall goals in delivering the Girl Scout Leadership Experience directly to Girl Scouts in one or more program pillar, promoting membership retention and growth, community cultivation, volunteer relations, leadership and governance, or fund development initiatives.
Criteria
| General | Candidate is an active, registered adult member of GSHNJ in good standing who holds a position other than troop leader and has not previously earned the Volunteer of Excellence or Outstanding Volunteer awards. |
| Focus of Service | Benefits a troop, group, or service unit in a capacity other than troop leader. |
| Impact of Service | Significant service above and beyond the expectations of the position(s) held, with measurable impact. |
| Length of Service | Service will usually have extended over a period of two or more years. |
Nominated by: anyone | Endorsements Required: one
Example of Possible Candidate: A service unit event coordinator who has managed a successful town-wide World Thinking Day celebration, roller skating recruitment event, and father/daughter dance three years in a row. A Service Unit Nut and Cookie Manager who has efficiently promoted, managed, and reported on at least two fall product sales and two cookie sales.
GSUSA Volunteer Pins
Volunteer pins indicate the Girl Scout level presently served by adult members volunteering with a troop. They are worn on the right side of the adult uniform. These pins may be purchased in any Girl Scout retail shop or online.
Criteria
| General | Candidate is an active, registered adult member of Girl Scouts presently holding a volunteer position serving a troop. |
| Focus of Servcie | Benefits a troop. |
| Impact of Service | n/a |
| Length of Service | Presently holding the position. |
Nominated by: n/a | Endorsements Required: n/a
Save the Date!
This year’s Adult Achievement Award nominees will be recognized at our new Volunteer Symposium on April 22, 2023 at the Olde Mill Inn in Basking Ridge.
