Badge Creation Requests
Overview
Badges are a great way to acknowledge and recognize volunteers, students, and members on their Mountaineers accomplishments. If you are a volunteer who would like to have a new badge created, you may submit a request by following the steps below.
Staff will assist volunteers in the creation of badges. It is important to note that some badge requests may require additional follow up and information for the request to be granted. Be sure to read through this page before submitting your request.
Before Submitting a Request
Selecting a Badge Type
The most common types of badges requests from volunteers are
Be sure to review our badge page to read more about each type of badge. In most cases, badge requests will fit neatly into one of our categories. If your request does not obviously fit into a category, staff will work with you to determine the best solution.
If you are unsure about what type of badge you need, select “I’m not sure” in the request form and staff will help!
Review existing badges
Once you know the type of badge you need, take a look at current badges to get an idea of how they are written and what the badge artwork looks like.
Coordinate with other branches
Working with other branches is critical when new badges are made. Badges are an organization-wide acknowledgement of a member’s skill or credentials, and because they are visible to all members and the public, we want to make sure we avoid duplicate work or confusing and inaccurate badge information.
Here are some common things to consider:
- Duplicate or Similar Badges: Is your badge for a brand new course or seminar? If so, we can create your badge for you. If your badge is for a course or seminar that is similar in nature to existing badges, you’ll need to work with your committee to connect with the activity council (all branches are represented in this group) to ensure you are not duplicating or closely mirroring an existing badge.
- Leader Badges: All leader badges should be discussed at the activity council level. New leaders are responsible for taking people into the outdoors. As such, best practice is to consult with other branches. Often, new leader types must be approved by the activity council and adopted into the activity standards. Leader badges will not be created without consultation of the activity council.
Timeline
Be sure to plan ahead! Badges can often be processed quickly (within 5 business days), but depending on the nature of the request, the amount of follow up investigation, and availability of our designer, requests may take longer.
To ensure you have your badge by the time you need it, try to submit a badge request 4 weeks in advance of the date needed.
Artwork
Most badges have artwork associated with them to give a unique and special look. Some badges such as skill badges may have a generic badge image. If you need artwork for your badge, staff will work with our designer to have the artwork created. If you have a vision for what the art might look like, be sure to submit that in your request. Otherwise, staff can create artwork for you!
It is important to note that even if you have a vision for your artwork, we will still work with our designer to ensure the art fits the look and feel of our other badges for a consistent experience.
Submit a badge request
Once your form is submitted, staff will review and follow up with you for any additional details needed. We will do our best to get your badge to you by the date requested. You will be notified when the badge is completed and ready for use.
Making updates to your badge
Once live, your badge will be available for anyone to see. If you need to make updates to the badge, you can contact staff with a copy of your updated badge text and outline what changes need to be made.
Remember, updates to certain badges such as leader badges may still be subject to review by your activity council before being approved.
Need Assistance?
Contact our member services team if you need help filling out the form for your badge request.