Nationwide, Girl Scout council boundaries are being redrawn to go from 312 councils to 109 as part of Girl Scouts of the USA 's strategic plan to modernize the organization and put it in an even better position to meet the needs of today's girls. The new structure will make the most effective use of resources to better serve local communities across the nation and deliver a superior and consistent Girl Scout leadership program to even more girls.
In addition to streamlining its infrastructure, Girl Scouts is transforming every aspect of the organization, creating new volunteer systems that will make it even easier for adults to get involved, developing new fund-raising models and revitalizing the Girl Scout brand to inspire girls of every age and background to join - all with the goal of becoming the world's best leadership development program for girls. The core outcomes of this leadership development program -Discover, Connect, and Take Action- will form the basis of all Girl Scout activities. Through the program, girls will discover their personal best and prepare for a positive future, connect with others in an increasingly diverse world and take action to solve problems and improve their communities.
All of these innovative changes are integrated with the mainstays of Girl Scouting - troop experiences, camping, earning awards to display on uniforms - were the result of input gathered from thousands of Girl Scouts and adults nationwide during the past three years who voiced their opinions and shared ideas to decide the future direction of Girl Scouting.
Frequently Asked Questions : Realignment
How is Girl Scouts redefining itself for the current generation?
Girl Scouts has 95 years of experience listening to and serving girls whose interests are as diverse as the times they live in. One reason Girl Scouts has remained so strong throughout the years is that it has always welcomed and embraced change. Right now, we are going through a momentous change that is redefining the Girl Scout movement as the world's best leadership development program for girls.
This plan for change and revitalization is known as the Core Business Strategy. There are many pieces to this strategy, but the first visible change for Girl Scout members and communities is the merger of Girl Scout councils across Kansas, going from 11 councils to two councils. This new structure will allow Girl Scouts to make the most effective use of resources and create more opportunities in Girl Scouting for a greater number of girls.
As we move forward, girls and volunteers will also see more enhancements to our program.
In the fall of 2008, the new Leadership Development Program was unveiled, providing an updated, consistent and more flexible experience that engages all girls, encouraging them to discover their best selves and use leadership skills to take action and make a difference in their world. Girl Scouts also has plans to make volunteering more convenient for adults. The goal for volunteerism is to make joining easy, provide continuous learning opportunities, show appreciation, serve in flexible ways and reach desired outcomes with girls.
To learn more about the Core Business Strategy, click here.
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Why are we changing now?
Girls have never lived in such a dynamic time, all options are open to them and their attention is focused in many different directions. No one organization knows that better than Girl Scouts. Girl Scouts is responding to the times and giving girls what they want - activities that match their varied interests, personal-growth opportunities and increased ways to participate - by redefining itself as the world's best leadership development program for girls and reorganizing its operations nationwide. All this will ensure that Girl Scouts will continue to be relevant to girls today and be in the best position to serve the largest number of girls and volunteers for decades to come.
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Why is council realignment necessary to the future of Girl Scouts?
For the most part, council boundaries were drawn 40 years ago and times have changed. Populations have shifted, economic centers have moved and transportation patterns have altered the make-up of many communities. We know that the capacity to maintain a strong and effective infrastructure is essential to ensuring our ability to adapt to changing and varied needs of girls and volunteers.
There is already a high level of cooperation between our councils because we draw upon many of the same resources. This realignment will help us develop our resources more effectively and decrease duplicating efforts. The main goal of realignment is for councils to have the capacity to provide a broader range of programs, experiment with new program ideas and delivery options and share the strong existing programs more broadly across the region.
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What is a high-performance, community-based council?
A high-performance, community-based council is one where there are sufficient girls, resources and volunteers to continue to deliver a consistent, quality Girl Scout program, even as changing patterns of population and shifts in the availability of volunteers create new challenges. Even though we will have fewer councils in Kansas , there will still be Girl Scout satellite or regional offices in individual communities to serve girls and volunteers. The Girl Scout presence throughout Kansas will be as strong as ever.
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How do we know that realignment will be effective?
All recent research in the nonprofit sector shows that building larger organizations - with a local grassroots presence - leads to improved programs, more service, and more effective use of resources. Girl Scouts of the USA worked with Willie Pietersen, author of Reinventing Strategy (2002), on an intense examination of the trends in the Girl Scouting and concluded that this change is critical for us to remain the vital movement we have been for the past 95 years. Key to improving capacity through realignment will be leadership and infrastructure.
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What does realignment mean for Girl Scouts and their troops?
Realignment is a positive thing for Girl Scouts and their troops, and it won't affect their Girl Scout experience, other than expand their options. Among other things, troops will still have the freedom to select their own activities and set their own troops dues.
With a council area that covers the majority of Kansas , troops will have a much larger council to "play in," have wider opportunities and access to the best programs and camps we have to offer. Girl Scouts from across Kansas, whether they are in Garden City or Arkansas City, will have a common bond and will benefit from all they can learn from each other. We are fortunate to have vibrant rural and metropolitan areas in our new service area that have a lot to offer our girls.
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What will happen to current camp properties and equipment?
The realigning councils manage properties that are available for troop camping and many other activities throughout the year. Each camp has a number of unique features, and we anticipate that troops will now have the opportunity to enjoy a greater variety of camping experiences.
When our councils realign, we will be in a better position to modernize properties and to offer even stronger outdoor education experiences to meet the needs of today's girls.
Because our first priority will be the smooth transition of members and operations, all properties will be reviewed at a later time to determine the most appropriate use of resources. Factors such as the conditions of the facilities, finances, location and program options are used to make property decisions.
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Will any of the council's current programs continue?
The specific program opportunities that will be available for girls will be discussed once the council is officially formed. Likely, a process or mechanism, involving girl input, will be created to assess existing programs based on girls' needs and wants.
Nationwide, the Girls Scouts of the USA's new Leadership Development Program that will be implemented in 2008 calls for councils to create a program model that creates and defines activities based on girls' identified needs (assessment) and outcomes (measurable results). Reaching all girls and providing consistent Girl Scout experiences and outcomes will help define the unique Girl Scout experience and specific program opportunities.
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Will I still be able to purchase Girl Scout merchandise in my hometown?
Yes. Council Shops are located at most of the Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland offices where parents, volunteers, girls and the public can purchase a variety of Girl Scout merchandise, including uniforms, insignia, handbooks and Girl Scout gifts.
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How will this affect the Girl Scout Cookie Sale?
Girl Scouts across the Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland council sell and deliver cookies at the same time. There is a wide array of recognitions that girls can earn, and they will continue to earn money for themselves and their troops as they sell cookies. Our cookie baker this year is ABC Bakers in Richmond , Va. Each box of cookie sells for $3.50. To learn more about ABC Bakers, click here.
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Where will meetings and trainings be held for volunteers?
The practice of conducting trainings at various locations throughout the council jurisdiction will continue. Our goal is make training even more convenient and accessible for our volunteers. We plan to offer new opportunities in different locations, online workshops and services and more. Such things as teleconferencing and video conferencing will open a world of possibilities for our volunteers. Even if they don't have computer access in their homes, council offices will be fully equipped to meet their needs.
In addition, all previous Girl Scout training courses volunteers have completed will carry over to our new council. One advantage of realignment is that it will give us the chance to implement uniform training requirements across most of the state. In the cases where leaders have not been required to attend leader training for their current age group, they won't be asked to do so now. They will, however, be required to complete training if they want to continue as a leader in a new age group.
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How will these changes attract new volunteers?
People who are looking for new places to volunteer should look to the new volunteer systems and the enhanced Girl Scout program. As new support materials are created, the Girl Scout organization will improve the volunteer experience by making it easier to join, offering more flexible volunteer timetables and roles suited to their abilities and interests. Girl Scouts will also provide user-friendly resources so that adults and girls have a fun and impact-driven Girl Scout experience.
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How will realignment affect local fundraising?
Girl Scouts encourages citizens to support local Girl Scouts, and that won't change with realignment. After all, Girl Scouts would not exist without a strong local base. Donations made in the past or in the future that are restricted to a specific purpose or geographic area will be honored. We do expect our new organizational structure to be even more attractive to donors whose gifts will impact that lives of girls on a larger scale across the state who already have so much in common.
Our goal is to strengthen Girl Scouting in all 80 counties we will serve, and that can best be done by utilizing our newly combined resources in the best way possible, and that includes donations that benefit our entire council. We want to erase any perceived boundaries and bring together a statewide family of Girl Scouts that sees value of our organization and of each member, regardless of where they live.
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Will United Way allocations still be honored?
United Way funding is already made on a geographic basis, and most of our councils already receive funding from numerous United Way agencies. Those allocations and services will continue to be handled and accounted for as per United Way restrictions, as always.
Any donor, including United Way, has the right to restrict his/her donation, and if the non-profit chooses to accept that gift, we will continue to honor that restriction.
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Is this restructuring due to a lack of funding?
While the Girl Scouts organization is like all nonprofits and needs to increase funding, our realignment is about joining local resources to create a premium, revitalized council from which to serve Girl Scouts in our area. Our realignment and restructuring, and our updated program model, will make it easier for potential donors to see just how relevant and critical Girl Scouting is to today's girls.
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Are the Girl Scouts restructuring due to a lack of girls joining and/or a lack of volunteers?
Similar to other youth-serving organizations, we too want to serve as many girls as possible and continue to have the best volunteers around. Girl Scouts are confident our revitalized structure and program will allow us to welcome more girls and volunteers.
