Volunteers are truly the heart of the Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council. Our volunteers work tirelessly day in and day out to mentor and inspire girls to change their lives and the world around them. Every single one of our volunteers deserve a sincere thank you for everything they do.
Here is your opportunity to formally recognize those special volunteers that go above and beyond. Below you will find several different awards along with links to the nomination forms.
Don’t forget to request your Girl Scout Membership Pin. This pin indicates total years as a registered member, including girl and adult years. The link to the form is below.
Deadline for all Award Nominations and Pin Requests is Sept. 1.
Any questions please email recognitions@girlscoutsaz.org.
While we are talking about appreciation and gratitude... don’t forget to recognize the other adults in your troop for the help they’ve given this year. Here are a few ideas for showing your love through awards, but make it your own and get creative!
For outstanding service providing the Girl Scout Leadership Experience to girls or supporting building girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place. Potential Candidates: leader, assistant leader, day camp volunteer, service team member and many more. This award is given at the Service Unit level, please contact your MSE for more information.
Award Packet Requires: 1 – Nominator Form
Volunteer of Excellence Nomination Form
Recognizes a volunteer for outstanding service to one service unit or geographic area. Potential Candidates: service unit facilitator, service unit volunteer support coach, service unit product sale consultant, service team member, service unit event coordinator.
Award Packet Requires: 1 – Nominator Form, 2 – Endorsement Forms
Appreciation Pin Nomination Form
Appreciation Pin Endorsement Form
Recognizes a volunteer for outstanding service to two or more service units or geographic areas. Potential Candidates: outdoor education coach, multiple service unit event volunteer, volunteer serving on council or regional task group, board member.
Award Packet Requires: 1 –
Nominator Form, 3 – Endorsement Forms
Honor Pin Nomination Form
Honor Pin Endorsement Form
Recognizes a volunteer for outstanding service that has benefited the entire council or Girl Scout Movement. Potential Candidates: Council task group chair, board member, a volunteer who increased program opportunities for girls, council learning facilitator who developed new resources.
Award Packet Requires:
1 – Nominator Form, 4 –
Endorsement Forms
Thanks Badge Nomination Form
Thanks Badge Endorsement Form
Recognizes a volunteer for outstanding service that has benefited the entire council or Girl Scout Movement who has already received the Thanks Badge. Potential Candidates: Council task group chair, board member, a volunteer who increased program opportunities for girls, council trainer who developed new resources.
Award Packet Requires: 1 –
Nominator Form, 4 – Endorsement Forms
Thanks Badge II Nomination Form
Thanks Badge II Endorsement Form
Recognizes volunteers who actively practice Girl Scout values
and
demonstrate a high level of volunteer commitment in various
fields for
at least 3 years after receiving the Appreciation
Pin.
Online Nomination Form
Online Endorsement Form
Recognizes a volunteer for performing a specific task that is of
significant benefit to the council. Although this award is given at
the discretion of GSACPC staff, please reach out to the recognitions
team at recognitions@
girlscoutsaz.org if you know of someone deserving of this
recognition.
Recognizes a volunteer trainer for service beyond the expectations for the position held which benefits the council and warrants recognition. Although this award is given at the discretion of GSACPC staff, please reach out to the recognitions team at recognitions@girlscoutsaz.org if you know of someone deserving of this recognition.
Recognizes a volunteer for their commitment to diversity and
inclusion through significantly increasing the number of diverse Girl
Scouts in a troop, service unit, outreach program or camp over a
period of time.
Online Nomination Form
Online Endorsement Form
Recognizes a volunteer whose leadership and enthusiasm for Girl Scouts has ignited a flame of excellence that passed to all members of the council, as well as the community outside of Girl Scouts. Has given significant, long-serving, and outstanding services to Girl Scouts and the community through other groups or organizations. This person should serve as a role model for compassion and service and be striving to make the world a better place, while living by the Girl Scout Promise and Law. This flame sustains the passion for Girl Scouts among girls, volunteers and staff, community members, and preserves Girl Scouting for years to come.
The Outstanding Service Unit Award is given annually, in October, to Service Teams who have met the goals outlined below in the previous membership year. Service Teams must complete the application and submit documentation to their MSE and recognitions@girlscoutsaz.org by Sept. 1.
The Pearl Award is presented to Girl Scout volunteers whose actions directly support the Council’s wide range of response team efforts to deliver service to girls and adults across our jurisdiction.
Award Requirement: Given at the discretion of GSACPC staff
during
the annual Volunteer Appreciation and Recognition Ceremony.
The President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) recognizes incredible individuals who are committed to a high level of volunteer and service. These individuals work tirelessly to help solve some of the toughest challenges facing their communities, and our nation.
President's
Volunteer Service Award Description
Hours
Record Template
Submit Hours
Requests for the following awards can be submitted using this form. GSACPC will
provide these pins at no expense to the Service Team.
Recognizes volunteers who make outdoor experiences in Girl Scouts possible and provided creative, recreational, and educational outdoor opportunities for girls. Service can go beyond a troop experience to make the outdoor experience available to a wide number of girls.
Recognizes a volunteer who brought the Girl Scout program to her/his service unit in the most creative or innovative way.
For an outstanding NEW troop leader – Recognizes a volunteer during their first three years, for service beyond the expectations for the position, or recognizes volunteers who have volunteered a minimum of 6 months to maximum of 36 months who have contributed outstanding service while partnering directly with girls in any pathway.
Recognizes a product program volunteer (Fall or Cookie) who has gone above and beyond the expected product sales duties and given service of exceptional benefit which warrants recognition.
For continued outstanding service for 3 years after receiving the Volunteer of Excellence Award.
Recognizes a volunteer who has put significant effort and creativity into finding and recruiting more girls into Girl Scouts.
Volunteer pins are available for each grade level and for general
volunteers. These volunteer pins are not earned, but are often given
in recognition of service supporting girls in a particular program
level in a variety of ways. Examples might be to present the pin to
recognize completing the first year as a troop leader or for bridging
to a new program level. See your Service Unit Recognition
Coordinator or MSE for more information.
This pin is awarded once to volunteers who have completed their
first three years of consecutive troop leadership. Troop Leaders and
Co-leaders are eligible to receive this award. See your Service
Unit Recognition Coordinator or MSE for more details.
The Service Team Pin and charms are awarded to Service Team members for their service in leadership roles on the Service Team. This award is usually presented at Service Unit recognition ceremonies. See your MSE for more details. Council will provide these pins at no cost to the Service Unit.
This pin indicates the total number of years as a registered member of Girl Scouts, including girl and adult years. The pin come in 5-year increments. The Council will recognize individuals with 40 years or more at the annual volunteer appreciation luncheon.
Membership
Year Pin Request Form
Recognized a registered adult member for the numbers of years as an active volunteer. Individuals with 20 years and above will be recognized at the annual meeting. The pin comes in 5-year increments from 5-35 years, and ten year increments from 40-60 years: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 60.
Years of Service Pin Request Form
Anyone can! That’s right, parents/caregivers, girls, volunteers and
even a community member may nominate a volunteer for an award. The
nominator needs to know how the volunteer has impacted Girl Scouts or
the community, the award criteria, and be willing to coordinate the
nomination packet (ensuring all pieces of the packet are completed and
submitted to the Girl Scout Council by Sept. 1).
Nominator: A nominator needs to know of the volunteer’s service and is the coordinator of the nomination packet pieces. Each award nomination requires endorsements. The nominator is the coordinator of the people who complete the endorsement forms and is the main contact for the nomination if there are questions or missing pieces. Included in the nomination form is also information for endorsement. They also ensure all pieces of the nomination packet are submitted online before Sept. 1. Only one nominator is needed for each award.
Endorser: An endorser knows the volunteer’s service and
can speak to the impact of the work. An endorser completes the
endorsement form related to the award for which the volunteer is being
nominated. They provide specific information about the volunteer’s
service ensuring that it meets the award criteria and shows how the
volunteer’s service impacted girls, volunteers, and/or the community.
Different awards have different required numbers of endorsers. This is
a separate person from the nominator. A nominator cannot be counted as
one of the required endorsers.
Volunteers are recognized with both GSUSA and Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council awards in front of their peers at the annual Volunteer Appreciation and Recognition event. This event is planned and implemented by Council staff working together and usually takes place in October. Locations can vary.
Girl Scouts is a membership organization, and this means that, to be considered, being a registered volunteer in any role is required. In the GSUSA Blue Book of Basic Documents, it states “to participate in Girl Scouts you must be a member.” Volunteers are participants; therefore, they must be a registered member to qualify for any nominated award or earned recognition.
Any volunteer receiving an award must be following the council’s policies and guidelines. As an award recipient, they are being held up as a role model. Good standing status: the volunteer has met all eligibility for being an appointed volunteer, including being a registered member and a current background check on file (if their role requires one). The volunteer has no outstanding cases or concerns related to their service.
A volunteer selection committee with representation from all regions across the council reviews nomination packets, and makes a decision based on how the nomination information presented fits the criteria for the award. The committee remains anonymous, and keeps all information surrounding the review process confidential. If you would like to serve on this short-term volunteer committee, please email recognitions@girlscoutsaz.org.
These two appreciations are earned recognitions by volunteers. They do not require a nomination or endorsement. The volunteer wishing to receive any of these two pins needs to complete the online request form.
Membership Year Pin—this is a numeral guard that is worn with the Girl Scout pin and recognizes both girl and adult membership years. Pins are given in 5-year intervals. Volunteers may submit this form themselves, or a Service Unit may submit the form if they are presenting the pin to the volunteer at a ceremony. Volunteers receiving 40+ year pins will be recognized at the annual Volunteer Appreciation and Recognition event held by Council. To be recognized at the event, pin requests must be received by Sept 1.
Years of Service Pin—this is a pin that recognizes years of
service as a volunteer, and are given in 5-year intervals. Council
will distribute this pin to volunteers who have served 20+ years, and
recognize them at the annual Volunteer Appreciation and Recognition
event. To be recognized at the event, pin requests must be received by
Sept. 1.
The philosophy of Girl Scouts–Arizona
Cactus-Pine Council award process is that the volunteer appreciation
awards should be driven by volunteers, and all decisions related to
the selections of awards is made by volunteers. This means that
volunteers are nominated and endorsed by volunteers, the review of
awards packets and the decision for awarding recognitions is done by
volunteers. The only time a staff member should be nominating or
endorsing a volunteer is when there are not enough other volunteers
who know the volunteer’s service, or the service was done in such a
way that it would be difficult to complete the nomination packet
without their endorsement. Candidates that fall into this category
include (however, not limited to): program facilitators, learning
facilitators, board members, and council-wide volunteers.
