Using our messaging
What's this about?
This guidance will be helpful whenever you need to describe who we are, what we do, and why we matter.
We need to position ourselves to a range of audiences for various reasons. While there’s no one-size-fits-all messaging for this, we’ve created various sizes that you can pick and choose from depending on the context, the space available and the needs of your audience.
The words we use make a difference. They help create the right impressions and reactions. We want our positioning to engage people, inspire action and attract new members. So we need to describe ourselves in a way that reflects the essence of our brand. In a way that sounds like Girlguiding and brings out the best of who we are and what we do.
Where to start...
Whatever you’re writing, start by thinking carefully about these 4 things:
1. Your audience
Who are you communicating with?
What’s their mindset likely to be?
2. Your desired outcome
What do you want people to think, feel or do once they’ve experienced the communication?
3. What you need to say
What are the main things people will want or need to know for this outcome to happen?
4. How you say it
Put our tone of voice principles into practice.
Read over what you’ve written and polish it as needed.
Remember: good writing is very much about good editing.
Girlguiding boilerplate messaging
This is the go-to, standard way we talk about Girlguiding as a whole – we use this for a variety of audiences and in a variety of places. When you need to be snappy and factual you can use the purely descriptive sentences. But where you can use our full boilerplate messaging.
Purely descriptive
We’re the UK’s largest youth organisation dedicated completely to girls.
Girlguiding boilerplate
We’re over 300,000 girls from 4 to 18 who come together to laugh, learn, explore and have adventures. We’re 80,000 volunteers who make guiding happen by giving our time, talents, enthusiasm and care for girls.
We’re 23,000 local groups having fun and exploring activities week in, week out - from Aberdeen to Arundel and in between.
We’re her first night away, weekend camping adventures, summer music festivals, emails to her MP about the things she cares about.
We’re the badges she collects to capture the journey she’s chosen – anything from mindfulness to rock-climbing to crafting to coding.
We’re a powerful collective voice – by girls, for girls – changing the world for the better.
We help all girls know they can do anything. We’re Girlguiding.
Talking to potential members about Girlguiding
Here you’ll find messaging for potential members of Girlguiding. This is for when you’re describing Girlguiding to encourage someone to join us, such as girls, parents or potential volunteers.
You can use the short, medium or long messaging depending on how much space you have!
Small description
We open up a world of possibilities to girls from 4 to 18 – one where they can do anything.
Medium description
We show girls from 4 to 18 a world of possibilities big and small. One where every girl can laugh and learn and have adventures. Girlguiding is what each girl wants it to be. It might be the thrill of doing something for the first time. Songs around a campfire. The buzz of getting a new badge. Coming home exhausted and full of stories. It’s a space where she can get creative, explore, become more confident, and most of all have fun.
Large description
Girls can do anything. We help every girl discover this for herself, whether she’s 4 or 18 or in between. All girls have a home at Girlguiding - whoever they are, and wherever they are. This is a place where she can , get creative, explore, become more confident and most of all have fun. Where she’ll make special friends and do things she never thought she could.
Girlguiding is what each girl wants it to be. She can choose her own path through our activities and events. It might be giggles in sleeping bags. First go on a zipwire. The buzz of getting a new badge. The sound of thousands of excited girls at their very own music festival. The thrill of doing something for the first time. Coming home exhausted and full of stories.
We help girls think big and be bold. We catch them if they stumble and encourage them to try again. We show them a world of possibilities big and small. One where every girl can laugh, learn and have adventures. We’re for girls, with girls, led by girls.
We help all girls know they can do anything. We’re Girlguiding.
Why join us?
We're just for girls
In our relaxed and encouraging all-girl spaces, every girl can be herself and feel at home. No pressure, no judgement – just fun and learning with other girls, guided by our inspiring volunteers.
We help girls grow
We fire girls’ imaginations through challenges and adventures for all personalities and abilities, from 4 to 18 years old. She’ll try new things with friends she trusts and volunteers she looks up to. And this will give her courage, connections, confidence, and memories she’ll never forget.
We're flexible
No 2 guiding experiences are the same. She can choose her own way through our programmes, badges and awards. To her regular meetings, she might add weekend adventures or trips to other places. She can join at any age between 4 and 18 - and if she needs to leave for whatever reason, we’ll always welcome her back.
We’re a close-knit community
Her best friends will be in her local unit, but with Girlguiding groups all over the country, she’ll have ready-made friends in just about every town. And she’ll instantly be part of our global family – connected to guiding communities in 150 countries around the world.
We’re not standing still
We’ve been by girls’ sides for over 100 years. Today, we’re squarely focused on what drives, challenges and excites girls here and now. We listen to what girls tell us, and this guides what we offer and what we fight for.
Talking about our sections
Here you’ll find messaging for potential members of our sections. This is for when you’re describing a specific section to girls and parents/carers to encourage someone to join!
Rainbows messaging
You can use this to paint an inspiring picture of the Rainbows experience:
Purely descriptive
Play, learning and tons of fun for girls from 4 to 7.
Short
Rainbows welcomes all girls from 4 to 7 years old for play, learning and tons of fun in a colourful, safe space.
Medium
Rainbows welcomes all girls from 4 to 7 years old for play, learning and tons of fun in a colourful, safe space. She’ll laugh, sing and make a happy mess (and help clear it up!) as she chooses her way through our programme of activities. She’ll have plenty of magic moments: she might become a time traveller, an animal tracker, a pop singer, a stargazer. It’s a wonderful world of adventure, week after week, just for her.
Long
Rainbows welcomes all girls from 4 to 7 years old for play, learning and tons of fun in a colourful, safe space. This is a place where your little one can stretch her wings – trying new things and putting her energy to good use under the watchful eyes of our caring volunteers. She’ll laugh, sing and make a happy mess (and help clear it up!) with special friends in regular meetings.
She can choose her way through our programme of activities: getting creative with crafts, learning through games and stories, exploring indoors and out, even going on her first sleepover. She’ll have plenty of magic moments to tell you all about: she might become a time traveller, an animal tracker, a pop singer, a stargazer. Rainbows is a wonderful world of adventure, week after week, just for her.
Brownies messaging
You can use this to paint an inspiring picture of the Brownies experience:
Purely descriptive
Nonstop fun, learning and adventure for girls from 7 to 10.
Short
Brownies welcomes all girls from 7 to 10 years old for nonstop fun, learning and adventure.
Medium
Brownies welcomes all girls from 7 to 10 years old having nonstop fun, learning and adventure. It’s full of firsts: she might grow her first plant, cook her first cake, put up (and take down) her first tent, light her first fire, go on her first fun-packed weekend away with guiding friends. With a helpful hand from our encouraging volunteers, she’ll explore her creative side, get out into the great outdoors, and start learning to look after herself, others and the world we live in. There’s something for every girl at Brownies, and plenty of moments she’ll never forget.
Long
Brownies welcomes all girls from 7 to 10 years old for nonstop fun, learning and adventure. It’s full of firsts: she might grow her first plant, cook her first cake, put up (and take down) her first tent, light her first fire, go on her first fun-packed weekend away with guiding friends. With a helpful hand from our encouraging volunteers, she’ll explore her creative side, get out into the great outdoors, and start learning to look after herself, others and the world we live in.
She can build her own Brownie adventure – she might just want to have fun with her friends; she might like to work towards the many badges and awards we offer. She can have a go at all sorts of things: from making a robot to exploring mindfulness to putting on a magic show. There’s something for every girl at Brownies, and plenty of moments she’ll never forget.
Guides messaging
You can use this to paint an inspiring picture of the Guides experience:
Purely descriptive
A welcoming, fun-filled space where you’ll laugh, learn and expand your horizons. For girls from 10 to 14 – whoever you are, wherever you’re from.
You can use this to paint an inspiring picture of the Guides experience:
Short
Guides is a relaxed, welcoming space where you can have fun, learn and be yourself with good friends from 10 to 14 years old.
Medium
Guides is a relaxed, welcoming space where you can have fun, learn and be yourself with good friends from 10 to 14 years old. A place where you can explore the things you love and do stuff you’ve never done before. Where else can you think up a new sport, make a new perfume, cook over a campfire, design an advertising campaign, have a mocktail party, raise money for a charity you believe in? At Guides, you can do all of this and loads more.
Long
Guides is a relaxed, welcoming space where you can learn, have fun and be yourself with good friends from 10 to 14 years old. A place where you can explore the things you love and do stuff you’ve never done before. Where else can you think up a new sport, make a new perfume, cook over a campfire, design an advertising campaign, have a mocktail party, raise money for a charity you believe in? At Guides, you can do all of this and loads more.
And you’re in charge: you choose what you do, and you can earn badges and awards as you go, if that’s your thing. From regular meetings with your guiding friends and volunteers to going away to festivals, camps, and trips with girls from other places, Guides is one big adventure. Your big adventure.
Rangers messaging
You can use this to paint an inspiring picture of the Rangers experience:
Purely descriptive
Have fun, learn more, give back, hang out – and just be you. All girls from 14 to 18 welcome.
Short
Rangers is your space – where you get together with other girls from 14 to 18 to have fun, learn more, give back, hang out, and just be you.
Medium
Rangers is your space – where you get together with other girls from 14 to 18 to have fun, learn more, give back, hang out, and just be you. It’s regular meetings with your local group, trips at home and abroad, making a difference to the things you care about. It’s an open and relaxed space to talk with good friends – it’s qualifications and badges and awards. It’s the freedom to be more independent, and to do what makes you happy. Rangers is what you make of it.
Long
Rangers is your space, where you get together with other girls from 14 to 18 to have fun, learn more, give back, hang out, just be you. It’s regular meetings with your local group, trips around the UK and abroad, making a difference to the things you care about. It’s an open and relaxed space to talk with good friends – it’s qualifications and badges and awards. It’s the freedom to do what makes you happy. Rangers is what you make of it.
Whether you’re just joining or have been in Girlguiding for years, Rangers gives you the chance to focus on the things you love and care about, to be more independent, and to challenge yourself. You might want to design an app, or make an animation or vlog, or learn a new sport, or start a petition, or trace your family tree, or connect with nature. You might want to become a volunteer camping leader or first-aider or young leader. You might want to work towards a Duke of Edinburgh’s Award or join our advocate panel. You might just want to relax with your Ranger friends, sharing thoughts and stories and dreams. The possibilities are many, and the choices are all yours.
Talking to supporters about Girlguiding
Here you’ll find messaging of different lengths for our supporters. This is for when you’re describing Girlguiding to encourage someone to take action and support us.
You can use the short, medium or long messaging depending on how much space you have!
Short
We’re the UK’s largest youth organisation dedicated completely to girls.
Medium
We’re the UK’s largest youth organisation dedicated completely to girls. Powered by our inspiring volunteers, we help girls know they can do anything. We encourage them to laugh, learn and have adventures. Through exploring a world of possibilities, big and small, girls thrive in Girlguiding.
Long
As the UK's largest youth organisation dedicated completely to girls, we’re working to shape an equal world where all girls can be happy, safe and fulfil their potential.
We’re 300,000 girls between 4 and 18 who come together to laugh, learn and have adventures. We’re 23.000 groups in communities across the UK. And we're 80,000 volunteers who make guiding happen by giving their time, talents and enthusiasm.
Girls thrive in Girlguiding. They can be themselves and feel at home in our relaxed and welcoming all-girl spaces. They have fun and try new things, without so many of the pressures girls face in today’s world: everyday sexism, online pressures and social anxieties. They’re up to 23% more confident than girls in the UK on average, and 36% more likely to have done something good for their local community or environment.
Powered by our inspiring volunteers, we help all girls know they can do anything. We’re Girlguiding.Whether you’re just joining or have been in Girlguiding for years, Rangers gives you the chance to focus on the things you love and care about, to be more independent, and to challenge yourself. You might want to design an app, or make an animation or vlog, or learn a new sport, or start a petition, or trace your family tree, or connect with nature. You might want to become a volunteer camping leader or first-aider or young leader. You might want to work towards a Duke of Edinburgh’s Award or join our advocate panel. You might just want to relax with your Ranger friends, sharing thoughts and stories and dreams. The possibilities are many, and the choices are all yours.
Messaging building blocks
How to use the descriptive building blocks
Most of the time, the messaging framework above will cover what you need when talking to different audiences. But you can use the building blocks below to describe different aspects of Girlguiding.
Pick and choose from the paragraphs depending on what you need to focus on to achieve your desired outcomes. If you combine some of these paragraphs together, be sure to check that everything flows well and isn’t repetitive.
Example of how to use the building blocks
Let's first think about the desired outcome:
- Audience: Members of the public at an event
- Desired response: ‘I didn't realise how Girlguiding is trying to support girls in our current social climate. I'd love to support them.'
- Desired outcome: People are reminded of who we are, what we do and why we’re important. They want to support us through a donation or volunteering
- Possible channels: Leaflet
Possible messaging combination
Now that we've thought about our audience, desired outcome and where this messaging will sit, we can build our message. Here's a possible combination you could use:
We’re a powerful collective voice – by girls, for girls – changing the world for the better. Through Girlguiding, girls can make a real difference in the areas they care about. They can speak out through our targeted campaigns. They can do things that matter for their local community. They can push for change to improve the lives of young people. We listen to what girls tell us, and this guides both what we offer and what we fight for. [Girl voice/ campaigning]
In our relaxed and welcoming all-girl spaces, every girl can be herself and feel at home. She can have fun, try new things – enjoying time with friends, encouraged by our inspiring volunteers. She can be free from the many pressures girls face in today’s world: everyday sexism, online pressures and social anxieties. [The guiding experience – need-focused]
Girls thrive in Girlguiding. They’re up to 23% more confident than girls in the UK on average, and 36% more likely to have done something good for their local community or environment. [Our impact]
We want to see an equal world where all girls feel happy, safe and can enjoy fulfilling lives. So, we encourage them to think big and be bold – each in her own way. We help her know she can do anything. [Our purpose and vision]