 Targeting the Faith Community

 Programs of Religious Activities with Youth  Nonprofit organization  “Building Faith in Youth”  Mark Hazlewood, CEO  30+ years experience

Today’s webinar:  Articulate what GSUSA and faith communities have in common  Discover how the religious recognition programs can be the LINCHPIN for membership growth  Learn the rationale and benefits for collaborating with the faith community.

 The Faith Based Initiative is a comprehensive plan to BUILD AND STRENGTHEN PARTNERSHIPS between Girl Scout Councils and the faith community  It’s all about WHY councils should work with the faith community and HOW to approach them  The goal of the FBI is increased membership  The F.B.I. takes the My Promise, My Faith pin and the Religious Recognitions out of programming and leverages them as MEMBERSHIP tools

 Membership growth  Membership Retention  Program  Money  Trained Volunteers

 Membership growth  Membership Retention  Program  Money  Trained Volunteers  But they’re not only your needs, they are also the needs of every CONGREGATION  The faith community shares your same needs.  We need to work together!

 Respected in the community  50% of all adults are active workers in faith communities  Looking to reach out to the community  Will consider opening their facilities to outside groups

 A place to find girls!  A place to find more leaders  Open all year  Don’t graduate from faith communities  When residents move, faith communities do not

 Partnerships need to be mutually beneficial.  Show congregations WHY they need Girl Scouting  Stop selling Troops  Start selling SOLUTIONS to congregations and their needs

 Girl Scouts have high brand recognition  Proven youth program: leadership training, values, life skills  Enrich current program  Outdoor resources

 Religious organizations recommend the leadership from their congregation  Provides leadership training skills  Possibly open new leadership base (adults may volunteer to be leaders because they see it as service to their religious organization)

Religious Recognitions Programs:  Can supplement a congregation’s own religious growth programs  Are age specific  Are developed by the national religious organizations, not GSUSA  Different from My Promise, My Faith  Offer specific religious instruction

 To the faith community, religious recognitions can be a tool to grow their own membership

 If a Troop has girls  50 to 60% of girls in a Troop may not have a current faith home  Parents are pre-qualified as looking for values for their children  5-6 families already in your building without a faith home

 If the congregation offers a religious recognition class to the girls in their Troops  The congregation expands its membership potential in close geographic area

 Use the Religious Recognitions classes as an opportunity for the members of congregation to interact with Girl Scout families.  Use people from the congregation (i.e. religious school teachers, clergy, parents, etc.) to teach the classes so that Girl Scout families can get to know members of the congregation.  Continue to find ways to connect Girl Scout families with the congregation (i.e. service projects)  Plan the award ceremony during a regular worship service and invite the families.

 A Religious Recognitions class is a non-threatening way for families to connect with the faith community.  Religious awards become more than just a program; they have the potential to increase membership  Then the faith community will open its doors to Girl Scouting

 Need places to meet  Scouting program  Teach life skills

 Spiritual component

 Q: Does Girl Scouting support families of faith?  A: Yes. Girl Scouting supports girls from all backgrounds and beliefs. While we are a secular organization that refrains from teaching religious or spiritual beliefs or practices, we believe that the motivating force in Girl Scouting is a spiritual one, and we greatly value our longstanding partnerships with religious organizations across many faiths that share the values of the Girl Scout Promise and Law.  We encourage girls to develop connections to their own spiritual and religious beliefs by earning recognitions provided by their faith communities and by earning the My Promise, My Faith pin, which helps a girl deepen the connection between the Girl Scout Law and her faith. We support the right of faith leaders to verify that program delivered to girls in their places of worship is consistent with their faith's teachings. 

 Outreach potential  Adult training  Life skills and leadership training can transfer to faith communities

 Be strategic in selecting the religious institutions to approach  Do online research  Gather “cultural informants” - Council Staff, Board, Religious Relationships Committee  To open doors, teach/speak the language  Put together profiles on the congregation as well as on the denomination/religion

 Become familiar with the religious recognition for that particular faith  “Foot in the door” versus “foot in your mouth”  Become familiar with the religious recognitions program before visiting a congregation  Each religion creates its own program  Eligibility requirements will differ from religion to religion  Know the difference between Religious Recognitions and the My Promise, My Faith pin

 Why should Girl Scout Councils promote religious recognitions?  Are religious recognitions just an optional program (like swimming or horseback riding)?  How does the GS Council benefit?

 Membership growth  Membership Retention  Program  Money  Trained Volunteers  Are these needs likely to change I the next 3-5 years? Ever?

 First recruit the congregation (i.e. place to meet, adult leaders)  Then recruit the girls  Remember: o Bigger pool (in the congregation) to recruit adult leaders o Tenure – the organization will last longer than an individual o The tenure of the Troop will be longer and the girls will stay longer

 Youth membership o Parents are looking for values o Religious organizations share common goals  Adult leaders o Improve retention of leaders o Religiously based individuals are more likely to volunteer  Target underserved populations

 Religious organizations can teach the religious recognitions programs  Religious awards reinforce Girl Scout Values

 It’s strategic: o More girls and troops o More volunteers o Improve relations with sponsors o Balanced Growth  More girls, more troops, more families, more money

Win-win-win situation Collaboration results in: Stronger girls and families Stronger congregations Stronger councils

 A linchpin is used to keep the wheels from falling off an axle.  It enables the vehicle to move forward.  Similarly religious recognitions can be the linchpin that enables the faith-based organization to move forward with Girl Scouting. Religious Recognitions Faith Community Girl Scouting

 Articulate what GSUSA and faith communities have in common  Discover how the religious recognition programs can be the LINCHPIN for membership growth  Learn the rationale and benefits for collaborating with the faith community.

  Learning center  Future webinars o My Promise, My Faith: Best Practices o It Takes a Council to Increase Membership o Selecting the Faith Groups o Preparing for and Making the Call  Sign up to receive the P.R.A.Y. Bulletin

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