Why is Commit To A Girl important?
Today’s young girls face a far more complex, more challenging world. Girl Scouts has evolved to help them meet the challenge. On issues ranging from teen suicide to drugs, eating disorders to physical abuse, Girl Scouts guides girls at a turning point in their lives with programs that promote physical activity, health and fitness, civic responsibility and community involvement.
Girl Scouts’ cutting-edge program initiatives give girls the skills they need to avoid unhealthy behaviors and make responsible decisions that will help them overcome challenges throughout their lives. In fact, 64% of today's women leaders in the United States (civic, corporate, political, etc.) were Girl Scouts and 82% of high-achieving alumnae believe Girl Scouts influenced their success. In study after study, it’s clear that girls involved in Girl Scouts are more likely to lead healthy successful lives as they develop:
- Self competence
- Social skills
- Respect for others
- Feelings of belonging
- Strong values
- Concern for community
- Teamwork
- Leadership
When caring adults contribute to Commit To A Girl, they help fulfill the dream of making Girl Scouting available to every girl who wants to join. A gift of $280 will scholarship one girl for one year with a complete Girl Scout experience in Girl Scouts—Dakota Horizons, from her registration and sash to badges, program fees, and camp.
Commit To A Girl. And make a difference in the lives of girls today.
Are you aware of all the challenges facing girls today? Did you know that the Girl Scouts offers programs and activities to help girls overcome these challenges and become tomorrow’s leaders?
How Does Your Gift Help?
When you give a gift to Girl Scouts—Dakota Horizons your gift fulfills the dream of making Girl Scouting available to every girl who wants to join. In order to provide these high-quality programs, a strong base of financial strength is needed. In the new Girl Scouts—Dakota Horizons Council your money
will still stay in your local area. Your money will be used in your communities, supporting your local troops and their leaders, just as it has in the past.
How to Give a Gift
Giving a gift is easy with the giving options we provide. All monies raised, earned and assets received by Girl Scouts—Dakota Horizons will be used to support programs and services for Girl Scouts within the Dakota Horizons Council.
All charitable contributions, regardless of value, form, or designated use, shall be made only to the Girl Scouts—Dakota Horizons. Incorporated in the state and designated as a 501 C3 organization, the Council is the only tax exempt entity. Gifts may be received on behalf of projects, programs, geographic units, troops or groups as designated donations or restricted donations.
Besides monetary gifts in the form of cash, checks, money orders, and charges to approved credit cards, non-monetary gifts may be accepted, such as: bonds and securities, real property, tangible personal property, gifts in kind to be used in the form in which they are given, royalties, copyrights, and trademark rights, and insurance policies naming this Council as a beneficiary in whole or in part.
Individual and Family Gifts
Individuals and families are encouraged to support the Dakota Horizons Council in any way they feel comfortable. Individuals can donate cash or in-kind gifts. Cash donations can be donated. In kind donation should be made by contacting the Chief Development Officer.
Family Giving Program
Dakota Horizons Council has implemented a Family Giving Program encouraged by GSUSA to be used council-wide. Family Giving program flyers are to be attached to all girl and adult registration forms. Participation by the girls and families is voluntary, and only requires completing the giving box at the bottom of the Girl Scout registration form. Donations may be included and paid with the registration fee.
Each Dakota Horizons Girl Scout participant is able to earn badge recognition through the Family Giving Program through their donation. A Family Giving patch is earned the first year monies are donated, and a dated chevron is earned for each of subsequent yearly donations. Families have the opportunity to earn the WOW chevron through a donation of $50 or more.
Twenty-percent of each donation will be gifted back to the troop of registration. Family Giving earnings will be given to the troops quarterly. Dakota Horizons Family Giving program encourages Girl Scouts and their families to build a future for Girl Scouting.
Leave a Legacy
What are the Girl Scout Endowment Funds?
Girl Scouts—Dakota Horizons holds endowment funds gifted by generous supporters with a vision of securing the future of scouting in our Council. The creation of these endowments seeks to establish a more permanent base from which to receive income. The endowments hold invested funds permanently for the purposes of producing a source of support for Girl Scouts. The Girl Scout Endowment Funds are commitment to providing long-term financial stability for our program.
With the growth of Girl Scout Endowment Funds comes the opportunity to stabilize and diversify our financial resources. Endowment income can be harvested for innovation and growth in good times and help buffer us against inflation and dramatic changes in revenue when times are tough.
Annual earnings from the Girl Scout Endowment Funds will furnish a steady income source forever. That source will translate into more opportunities for girls in the Girl Scouts—Dakota Horizons Council. With your contribution, girls throughout the council will have increased opportunities and experiences for years to come. With the income provided each year from endowment fund earnings, the Girl Scouts—Dakota Horizons Council can serve “every girl, every where.”
Consider your contribution to building futures…
- Individuals can support the Girl Scout—Dakota Horizons endowment as a way to prepare for the future of Girl Scouts. Gifts in any amount are appreciated and can be made directly to the Girl Scouts—Dakota Horizons Council.
- Current gifts can be cash, marketable securities, real estate, life insurance policies and other assets.
- Planned gifts may also be donated. A donor may designate Girl Scouts—Dakota Horizons as a beneficiary in a will or living trust to receive a direct gift from an estate. Unless otherwise specified by the donor, legacy and bequest income are received in the board-designated fund or the Girl Scouts—Dakota Horizons Endowment Fund.
All money raised, or earned and other assets received by Girl Scouts—Dakota Horizons will be used to support programs and services for Girl Scouts within the Dakota Horizons Council.
Besides monetary gifts in the form of cash, checks, money orders, and charges to approved credit cards, non-monetary gifts may be accepted, such as: bonds and securities, real property, tangible personal property , gifts in kind to be used in the form in which they are given, royalties, copyrights, and trademark rights, and insurance policies naming this Council as a beneficiary in whole or in part.
To learn more about how a gift can have greater impact for Girl Scouts, please contact the Chief Development Officer at 605-336-2978.
Corporate Collaboration and Support
Gifts from corporations or businesses throughout our Council are an important form of community support for our girls and programming. There are four types of Corporate Giving that often occur within our Council:
- Corporate Donations: Corporations and businesses throughout the communities in our Council provide generous gifts of monetary donations. The Corporation may choose to give their gift to Girl Scouts—Dakota Horizons, or may chose to specify that their gift be used to support Girl Scouting in their local district or community.
- Corporate Employer Volunteerism Match Contributions: Corporate programs that provide contributions to 501C3 organizations based on the volunteerism of its employees can be used to support the Dakota Horizons Council. Girl Scouts—Dakota Horizons will allow the employee to select an area to designate those funds to within the Council, (e.g.: camp or program scholarships, destinations, camp development).
- Corporate Troop/Service Unit Contributions: Corporate donations are typically designed to support the agency and the services it provides. There are instances when a troop, Service Unit, or Gold/Silver/Bronze Award project may apply to corporations for specific funding. In such cases, the applicant must request pre-approval by the fund development department in addition to the usual process for “Troop Money Earning Projects” submitted to Field Directors/Finance Committee. If a corporation has a limited amount of funds they will give annually to Girl Scouting, single troops or single girls will not be allowed or approved to become the sole beneficiaries of those funds. Rather, they will be spread through additional troops or used to fund Council program benefiting many girls.
- Gifts In Kind: Corporations may chose to use a gifts-in-kind form of contribution when supporting the Dakota Horizons Council. Gifts of material or products may be accepted when the form of the gift can be used immediately by Girl Scouts—Dakota Horizons. Gifts-in-kind for which donors are eligible for a charitable gift deduction in accordance with current IRS regulations should be reported at the fair value. Girl Scouts—Dakota Horizons reserves the right to reject any gifts-in-kind.
Scholarships
Many Girl Scouts each year participate in programs because of the support of people like you. A certain portion of each gift given to Girl Scouts—Dakota Horizons is used to support scholarships for girls on a variety of levels. It costs $280 to fully sponsor one Girl Scout for one year.
This is a real commitment
Give the gift of Girl Scouting to someone in your community this year.
It will change her life forever.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does my gift go now that the Council is so large?
Gifts given to Girl Scouts—Dakota Horizons are used to support girls and programming in the Council in a number of ways. Gifts given by individuals, businesses and corporations within a local community or district will remain allocated to funding the programs of that district. Your gift may travel to our Headquarters in Sioux Falls for acknowledgement, but your gift benefits the girls and Girl Scout programs in your local community. Gifts may also be designated to the Girl Scouts—Dakota Horizons Endowment Fund or scholarship funds to support the girls in the Council into the future.
Don’t the cookies that I buy fund the Girl Scout programs?
Everyone loves Girl Scout cookies. The annual cookie sale showcases the Girl Scouts’ strength and capacity to implement a highly successful program in thousands of communities nationwide.
Girls also gain tremendous benefits through the Girl Scout cookie program. It’s truly the world’s largest financial literacy program, teaching young girls important life and leadership skills. Girls learn valuable business and entrepreneurial skills, such as how to set goals and achieve them and how to manage money. It builds self confidence; because most people respond favorably when asked by a girl to buy cookies. It also gives girls an opportunity to be successful and it provides positive reinforcement.
Nut and cookie sales are an important part of funding some of our programming, but they are only a portion of the funding needed to support a Council of 16,000 members. The Girl Scouts—Dakota Horizons Council relies on the donations and gifts of United Ways, grantors and foundations, as well as individual and corporate donors working together in the name of Girl Scouts. Without the gifts and donations of supporters, the Council would not survive.
I use to give to Girl Scouts in the past and now it has changed through this Realignment. Maybe I should wait and see how this will all turn out…
On July 1, 2007 Girl Scouts—Dakota Horizons was born out of six legacy Girl Scout councils in North and South Dakota, 13 counties in western Minnesota, and one county in Iowa. This merger is part of a nationwide council realignment strategy developed by Girl Scouts of the USA. The national organization is committed to developing a very girl-driven model, elevating Girl Scouts to a whole new arena with leadership as its foundation. The realignment of Girl Scout councils into larger, stronger entities will provide more consistent high quality services, leverage more regional fundraising, and allow for more unified leadership opportunities for girls. What an exciting time to be a supporter of Girl Scouts!
The impact on girls is wonderful! Girls in the Dakota Horizons Council have six-times the opportunities to attend programs, participate in camps, and meet and work with other girls and leaders in other areas. The benefits of realignment also offers expanded opportunities for volunteers and staff as well as the potential of recruiting and retaining more members, securing more resources, and delivering a consistently excellent leadership experience to more girls. Girl Scouts of the USA has created a bold, new vision of Girl Scouts based on 96 years of tradition.
Purses and Girl Scouts and Fun - Oh My!
Follow the yellow brick road...to Aberdeen for the First Annual Purses With A Purpose® live and silent auction event.
Saturday, September 13, 2008 (9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.)
Bethlehem Lutheran Church
1620 Milwaukee Ave. NE, Aberdeen, SD
This first-time special event will include a light breakfast, program, silent auction tables and a live auction featuring gift packages from Aberdeen area businesses. Door prizes will be given away throughout the event. Gather your friends and join us for this fun event!
Advance tickets now available at:
Girl Scouts—Dakota Horizons
1603 8th Avenue NE.
Aberdeen, SD 57401
605-226-1641
Groups of 10 or more are encouraged to contact the Aberdeen Office to reserve a table.
Tickets also available at the door.
