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This year, Girl Scouts of the USA developed a new set of corporate goals to capitalize on the history and spirit of the Girl Scout Movement, and to provide us with a set of strong, measurable directives for the future. After numerous meetings with councils through the National Delegate Forums, National Board liaisons and Governance Communication Volunteers, we developed the strategic framework that defines our purpose, and identifies what we see for the future of Girl Scouting and how to make it a reality.
Since we already had a purpose-which remains wholly intact-we turned our attention to crafting a new statement that we call our "Envisioned Future." We designed it to reflect our hopes for every girl who comes to know Girl Scouting.
When, thinking about our movement from an outsider's perspective, we also developed an "Organizational Vision." This statement speaks to the image we want to project to all volunteers and staff within the Movement. It defines the kind of organization we want to be: a forward-thinking, well-managed organization.
Composing these statements helped us fine-tune our thinking for the task of creating new long-range corporate goals. It was an iterative process that took many months, but the result was precisely what we'd hoped for-a set of goals that illustrate our continuing commitment to all girls, and will successfully drive the Girl Scout Movement in the years ahead.
| Our New Corporate Goals 2003 to 2008 are as follows: |
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| Provide a cutting edge, and diversified Girl Scout Program that assures girls develop values and skills that will last a lifetime. |
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| Be recognized as the leading expert on, and advocate for, girls. |
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| Create and deliver a Girl Scout experience that results in a 13% membership share of the 5- to 17 - year - old girl population (more than 500,000 or 18% girl member increase) while achieving a member population more reflective of the demographics of the US. |
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| Create and deliver an adult Girl Scout experience that results in an increase of adult Girl Scouts to achieve and maintain a three-to-one ratio of girls to adult members, and develop ways in which adults can have a life-long affiliation with Girl Scouts. |
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| Implement innovative systems and strategies to attract, retain and effectively utilize high caliber and diverse volunteers and staff leaders at all levels that work synergistically to advance the Girl Scout Movement. |
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| As we move forward with implementing processes to support our new goals, it's natural for you to have questions about how councils and constituents may be affected. We want to answer some of the questions other councils have already asked. Be assured that the sole purpose of this effort is to make us a more cohesive and effective organization. In the end, all girls across the nation will be better served because of it. |
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| How will these affect my council? |
| Primarily the changes you'll see will result in improved support from GSUSA. They will come in many forms-new programs, enhanced communications between you and GSUSA, better training, support for recruiting new staff, updated technology, and increased funding. These are just some examples of changes our new goals will bring. You are always welcome to talk with your area director if you have specific concerns. |
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| How soon should I expect to see new materials that reflect the new goals? |
| That's a difficult question to answer because for each of our five goals there are several corresponding project/initiatives, each with different timelines. You can expect a phased rollout of new resources and supports over the next few years. GSUSA's hope is that councils will integrate new resources or initiatives with their own ongoing efforts in order to achieve heightened results in each goal-related area. For instance, councils can work toward supporting the national membership goal by incorporating some of the best-practice recruitment techniques turned up in a collaborative study (by 16 councils) on how to effectively reach Hispanic girls. The findings of the study will be shared with councils in coming months. |
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How should we regard these new goals in relation to our own council goals? |
| As you know, every council establishes its own goals. It's our hope, however, that councils will see the value of incorporating key elements of the Movement's new goals as part of the framework for developing or revising their own, thus unifying us in the pursuit of common national goals, and optimizing the quality of our outcomes. |
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| Does our "Envisioned Future" replace the Girl Scout Purpose? |
| Absolutely not. Our purpose remains wholly unchanged and intact. The Envisioned Future simply augments our existing purpose, which reads: The purpose of Girl Scouting is inspiring girls with the highest ideals of character, conduct, patriotism and service that they may become happy and resourceful citizens. We remain committed to this statement, as its sentiments are more important now than ever! |
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| What should we tell our partners and donors about The Movement's new goals? |
| We want our constituents to know that the continuity of excellence Girl Scouting has long been known for remains unchanged. We want them to know that these goals are a result of our commitment to continually employ current best practices. We agree upgrading and retooling our resources as all successful organizations do. |
| If we'd like to make use of these new Goals, where can we find them? |
| In this mailing, we're providing you with laminated bookmarks for easy reference. These goals will also be included in various materials being published by GSUSA. You can also find them on the Online Council Network: http://ocn.girlscouts.org |
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