We want to ensure that we communicate our brand promise. Girl Scouts gives every girl access to life-changing experiences that inspire her to do something big. Thank you for partnering with us to represent the amazing things that our girls are doing to change the world.
If you have questions or need assistance on a communications-related topic, please send an e-mail to Candace Nelson, Director of Marketing.
Stay up-to-date with us by joining our Facebook groups:
Materials
Hosting a Girl Scout recruitment event is a great way to help new girls and families join the fun, and we have the tools you need to make your event a success. Whether you’re opening a service unit event up to new girls, increasing visibility at a school or community event, or hosting a Girl Scout Information Meeting we’ve got the materials you need for a successful event.
Volunteers Recruiters can order printed materials through Membership Delivery Managers for their upcoming recruitment events. You can find all of these materials and more here. We request orders be placed at least two weeks in advance of your event.
Branding
Any publicly visible materials that use the Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council logo, fonts or any other branding must follow Girl Scouts of the USA brand guidelines AND be approved by Marketing and Communications. In general, you can’t use copyrighted designs, text, graphics or trademarked symbols without specific permission from the copyright or trademark holder. The basic principle is: If it is not yours, don’t use it. Using the phrase "no copyright infringement is intended" (or similar wording) on your website does not mean that you can upload copyrighted or trademarked material without permission. All necessary permission must be obtained, or the material cannot be used. Check out our branding guidelines for a quick reference sheet.
Referencing Our Name
The words "Scout", "Scouts" and "scouting" should never appear without the modifier "Girl," and each word should be capitalized. When mentioning our name in copy, use either "Girl Scouts" or "Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council."
Colors
Our colors are Black, White and Green (#00AE58 or R0 G174 B88 or PMS 355). Girl Scouts and green go together. To ensure that we continue to claim the color and to solidify our identity, embrace green. Be sure to include at least a bit of green in every piece you produce.
Font
Girls, troops, volunteers, etc. are encouraged to use the Girl Scout font primarily and Palatino font secondarily and its variations for any design materials created.
Logos and Service Marks
If the Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council's logo or service mark or trefoil is placed on distributed materials, it must have prior approval. Make sure to leave white space around the logo and not crowd it. Girl Scouts of the USA recommends to leave at least the same amount of white space around it as the "g." Do not stretch or modify logos or service marks in any way.
Photos
Use of photos or videos requires a Photo/Artwork Release form signed by parents/guardians and any adults pictured. This release only provides permission for use directly related to Girl Scouts and should never be used to promote a business or political campaign. The troop leader should keep this document on file at all times.
Social Media
When representing Girl Scouts on social media channels make safety a priority.
- Make sure the privacy standards settings ensure the safety of girls.
- Practice diligence to ensure that groups you are joining or linking to have standards consistent with Girl Scouts.
- Make sure the messages you post do not conflict with Girl Scouts' positions. Please contact the council if you need clarity.
- Use good judgment and common sense - do not write or post anything that would embarrass or upset Girl Scout members and volunteers, or reflect badly on our organization.
- Treat others as you want to be treated; do not use the internet to attack or abuse any group, race, gender, religion, or political group. Careful monitoring of social media is important in maintaining a positive image of Girl Scouting. When possible, please share articles/events from the GSBDC website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other communication resources.
Advertising
Do not sell advertising on your site, either in text or graphic format. This includes banner ads and sponsored links. The sale of advertising creates an implied relationship between Girl Scouts and the goods or services advertised, and are NOT permitted.
Facebook
The first step is to create your own Facebook account, if you have not done so already. If you do not have a Facebook account, you can create one at www.facebook.com. It’s very simple and takes only a few minutes. To create a group, take the following steps:
- At the “home” page on your Facebook account, on the left side column, there is a menu item called “Create a Group.” Click on that option. A box will appear on your screen for creating a group.
- Choose your group name. This should be the name of your service unit (or your troop if you are creating a group page for your troop). For example: Girl Scout Troop XXXXX or GSBDC Service Unit XXXXX, so that viewers can easily identify the troop, service unit and council.
- You can now add other local members to the group who also have Facebook accounts. Please make sure to add only service unit members, troop parents/members and Girl Scouts of Black Diamond staff.
- Pull down the menu labeled “privacy.” Your options will be Open, Closed or Secret. Select the “Closed” option. This ensures that only members of the group will see the information posted in the group page.
- Click “create” and you’re finished.
- If you choose to add a profile picture, the Girl Scout Trefoil is a graphic you can use.
Things you can do with a closed Facebook group
- Post messages - remember a Facebook post has a limit of 420 characters before implementing the “see more” button. Statistically, people do not click the “see more” button.
- Use the Notes section for longer posts
- Post photos
- Share files
- Create an event on the calendar and get RSVP via a “yes,” “no” or “maybe” response
- Post links to other sites
- Post videos
- Create documents on Facebook
- Chat with group members
Managing your closed Facebook group
Before you begin developing a Girl Scout social media account, designate two adults who will be responsible for managing the account—one who is the primary manager, and one who can be a backup. That way, there’s always more than one person who can manage the account!
In a closed group, any member can invite other members to join, as long as they are Facebook friends. Remember to protect everyone’s privacy by only inviting adult members of Girl Scouts.
The creator of the closed group is the administrator by default. For that reason, we encourage the communications liaison to create the closed group. It is a good practice to have more than one administrator so that the responsibility of the account can be shared. If the service unit already has a page and you are taking over the administration, the administrator can add an additional site administrator with ease.
