Family and Community Partnership
About the Theme
Like a family's own roots, Girl Scouting is grounded in the traditions and moral values we instill in children. Our trunk is wide and strong and serves as a base for the Girl Scout promise and the law. Our branches are open and ever reaching towards the sky -- which represents the educational opportunities we provide our leaders as well as our ability to address the needs of all girls who want and need to be Girl Scouts. Finally, each leaf on the tree represents all of us working together to ensure Girl Scouting is truly a place where girls grow strong.
Supporting Each Other
The great redwoods of California are one of the beautiful natural wonders of North America. These giant evergreens can grow to a towering 300 feet tall and live for hundreds of years. For all their magnificence, one would think the redwoods would require a deep root system to keep them upright. Instead, they have roots that spread out along the surface of the forest floor to capture all the moisture possible, intertwining with the roots of other redwoods in the grove. The interlocking roots securely support and sustain these giant sequoias when storms strike and fierce winds blow.
The trees' survival depends on the combined support of one another. When we stand together…support one another….encourage one another…we become strong together, and like the giant redwoods, we keep growing taller.
About the Campaign
We know you consider carefully when you make a charitable gift; please know that you are contributing to an organization with a powerful voice for the development of young women in our community. Your personal gift of $25, $50, or the amount you can best afford provides valuable dollars which allow us to offer more programs, create better camping facilities, and reach more girls than ever before. You witness first hand the positive influence Girl Scouting has on the lives of girls. Not only is your family enriched, but you community is improved, as well. Girl Scouts provide hundreds of hours of community service throughout their scouting experience.
Where the Money Goes (based on 2005 audit)
Where the Money Comes From (based on 2005 audit)
Options for Giving
Your heartfelt gift can be made by sending a check or with your Visa or MasterCard credit card. The minimum amount for use of your credit card is $25 due to processing fees. Please call Suzy Gessner at 502-636-0900 ext. 233 or 1-888-771-5170 to request a brochure on which to enter your credit card payment information.
Another easy way to give is to make a pledge, and we will bill you in three-month increments from the date of your gift. This enables you to give a larger gift than might be otherwise possible if you had to write just one check.
Please make checks payable to:
Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana, Inc.
2115 Lexington Road
PO Box 32335
Louisville, KY 40232-2335
You can also become a member of the Juliette Gordon Low Society by making a planned gift to our endowment fund. Call or write to learn about these types of gift opportunities:
- Wills
- Charitable Trusts
- GSUSA Pooled Income Fund
- Property
- Life Insurance
- Annuities
Family Partnership Q & A
Q: I/we paid $10 for my/our daughter to join Girl Scouting. Where does this money go?
A: The $10 you paid when your daughter registered covers national membership dues. The entire $10 goes to Girl Scouts of the USA, which provides activity insurance, program, and management support to the council.
Q: I/we buy Girl Scout Cookies. Isn’t this enough?
A: Thank you for supporting the Girl Scout Cookie Program. As you may know, by participating in the cookie program, girls learn important skills for success in other areas of life. Part of the proceeds from the cookie program go to cover the cookies themselves, some go to the troop, some go to the girls for their incentives, and some go to the council to cover part, but not all, of the costs to provide Girl Scouting in our council. In fact, after cookie sales, we still have over 1.68 million dollars left to raise to keep our organization running.
Girls sell cookies, and some of the proceeds do come to the council to help cover the costs of programs and services. However, raising the additional funds that are needed to pay for Girl Scouting should not be the responsibility of girls. Rather, it’s ours as adults. Contributing to the Girl Scout council through annual giving shows the community that you support Girl Scouts without getting a product. Please consider giving a donation directly to the annual giving campaign.
Q: My/our daughter pays troop dues. Why should I/we give money to the Girl Scout council?
A: The troop decides what the dues will be, and the funds pay only for the girls’ troop activities, not the council services. Please consider giving a donation to the annual giving campaign to cover the costs of these services.
Q: My/our daughter paid $5 to participate in a council event. Doesn’t that help pay for these services?
A: No. The $5 your daughter paid covers some of the direct costs of that individual event – costs like food, activity supplies, and non-Girl Scout-owned site rental fees. It did not cover the other expenses of running the event. Please consider giving a donation to the annual giving campaign to cover these indirect expenses.
Q: I give to the United Way. Isn’t the Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana council affiliated with United Way?
A: Thank you for giving to the United Way. Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana receives funding from a total of 8 community-based United Way or community fund drives. While we appreciate this source of funding, in recent years our allocations have reached a plateau or even decreased. In fact, only 1% (or about $64,000) of our budget comes from the United Way. A contribution to the Girl Scout council is a direct contribution to the program and services that mean so much to you and your daughter. Please consider giving a donation to the annual giving campaign.
Q: Don’t corporations and foundations give money?
A: Yes, they do and we appreciate this support from the community. Our largest groups of donors are the family and friends of Girl Scouting – we need your support. When you support the Girl Scout council, corporations and foundations are more likely to support our council. They take notice of the percentage of our membership families and friends that also donate to the council.
Benefit Facts
Volunteer Training
Fact: Girl Scouting is volunteer-driven, with the majority of program activities delivered to the girls by volunteers.
Fact: Volunteer training (in topics such as child development, first aid, and conflict resolution) ensures that volunteers are qualified and prepared to deliver a safe, exciting program and serve as appropriate role models.
Fact: Most trainings are free and all are heavily subsidized. Volunteers pay only for the cost of supplies.
Background Checks
Fact: Every adult with a role in Girl Scouting undergoes a criminal background check. Parents can be assured that the council is diligent in ensuring that the Girl Scout adults working with their children are appropriate for the job.
Girl Program
Fact: When girls pay event and program fees, they pay only for direct costs such as program supplies and site fees.
Fact: Our council absorbs indirect costs of program delivery (postage, printing, and staff time).
Fact: Patch programs and other resources are often photocopied and mailed at no cost to volunteers.
The Resource Center
Fact: Our council maintains resource centers with books, videos, and activity kits in each of its five volunteer service centers.
Fact: Our council absorbs the entire cost of staffing these centers and for purchasing and maintaining all materials.
Council Publications
Fact: Our council publications (The Family Connection, Generation GS, Impact, Metro Media, The Transmitter, The Cardinal Chatter, The Cavelander, Ripples on Bear Creek, etc.) are essential for keeping girls and volunteers aware of events, trainings, and new program opportunities.
Fact: The Family & Community Partnership Campaign pays for, in part, these publications to be printed and mailed several times per year to more than 23,000 girls and their families and to 8,000 adult volunteers.
Financial Assistance (Scouterships)
Fact: Financial assistance is available to every girl whose parent or leader communicates to us that there is a need and whose request falls within certain guidelines.
Fact: Financial assistance is also available to adult volunteers.
Fact: Financial assistance isn’t just for outreach programs – it’s for every girl whose family experiences difficulty in affording a particular activity, so that every girl can participate fully in Girl Scouts.
Volunteer Recruitment
Fact: A shortage of qualified volunteers willing (or able) to commit their time to Girl Scouting is the single greatest barrier to bringing the Girl Scout Program to more girls.
Fact: Successful volunteer recruitment efforts are critical to making the program a success, and to keeping our current volunteers excited and motivated to continue with the program.
Council Website
Fact: The website provides current information about events, trainings, new opportunities, and the Girl Scout Program to girls, parents, and volunteers – and potential new members.
Fact: This website is updated frequently and maintained at no cost to current potential members.
Volunteer Service Centers
Fact: Our council operates five volunteer service centers, one each in Louisville, Elizabethtown, Owensboro, Bowling Green, and Paducah, to provide space for volunteers and staff and to establish a presence in the community.
Fact: Volunteers use these centers to browse the resource centers, obtain program resources, and meet with council staff to ensure smooth operation of the program.
Fact: Our council relies on funds from the F&CP Campaign to maintain buildings, keep lights turned on, keep the centers staffed, maintain equipment that volunteers use, and keep these buildings open to the community.
Camp Maintenance
Fact: Last year, our council’s outdoor program facilities served more than 14,000 girls and adults.
Fact: The cost of equipment and maintenance is not included in the camp fees. Our council subsidizes every girl’s camp experience by at least 50 percent!
Fact: A gift to the F&CP Campaign doesn’t supply funds just for girls from low-income families, but it also defrays the cost for subsidizing campers who pay the full camp fee.
Girl Awards
Fact: Honoring the hard work and dedication required to earn the Girl Scout Gold and Silver Awards, each service center provides annual recognition events.
Fact: Our council provides handouts, resource sheets, and pins for the girls.
Additional Mailings and Resources for Volunteers
Fact: Our council pays for printing and mailing of program resources for volunteers (resource packets to service unit chairs, Safety-Wise, Leader Information Book, and more).
Outreach Development and Hispanic/Latina Initiative
Fact: Our council is a pioneer in reaching out to girls who need Girl Scouting but face barriers to fully participating, including girls in housing authorities, after-school programs, and rural areas; girls with disabilities; girls from low-income families; girls whose mothers who are incarcerated; and daughters of immigrants.
Fact: These valuable programs also benefit volunteers throughout our council who request resources and guidance in welcoming girls from different backgrounds into their troops – especially when activities need to be sensitive to troop members with disabilities or when leaders need to communicate with parents who don’t speak English.
Please call Suzy Gessner at 502-636-0900 ext. 233 or 1-888-771-5170 for more
information on the Family & Community Partnership Campaign.
NOTE: The Family & Community Partnership campaign is truly the lifeblood of our organization. The support we receive from each of you helps us continue our non-profit status and provide more opportunities for volunteers and girls. This year, when you receive your donor request letter in the mail—please think twice before tossing it aside. A financial gift to Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana helps girls realize their dreams.
Browse our other current fundraising activities!
Search for Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana at www.guidestar.org to see a current IRS 990 tax return.