Higher Awards and Direct Solicitation Debate
National Governance 1 Comment 
2026 NCS, bronze award, gold award, money, national board, national council, silver award
Every three years, the National Council convenes to discuss and vote on business that comes before it at a meeting called the National Council Session (NCS). This year, three proposals are on the agenda. One has to do with licensing cookie products, and I recently wrote about that proposal a few weeks ago. I also covered the one dealing with membership dues. Last, but not least, is a proposal called Girl Scout Highest Awards Solicitation of Contributions sponsored by the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania council. You can read the text of the proposal here on GSG.
To summarize, this proposal would allow girls working on their Bronze, Silver, or Gold Awards to directly solicit donations (monetary or in-kind) with permission from council leadership. Currently, only girls working on their Gold Award are allowed to directly solicit donations. This is a relatively recent development based upon a decision by the National Board in 2018. This particular proposal extends it to Bronze and Silver Awards. Continue reading
Every three years, the National Council of Girl Scouts gathers together and deliberates upon proposals aimed at the betterment of Girl Scouting. This year, the National Council Session will be held July 20 – 22, 2026 in Washington D.C., and there are three proposals on the agenda. One is about everyone’s favorite topic: membership dues.
Hear ye, hear ye! The (Early) Alert is out! For us governance nerds, it’s Christmas morning, and it’s time to unwrap all of the presents. For those of you who want to cut to the chase and not wade through my thoughts to get to the file, here you go:
The survey I received had to do with legacy planning and financially supporting the Redcoat Band. For the majority of the band’s 120 years of existence, the athletic department has financed most of the band’s budget. However, the landscape of college football has changed dramatically recently due to the implementation of NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness). In case you’re not aware of the impact of NIL, colleges can now pay their student athletes. It’s a free for all right now, and it’ll take a while to get things under control – if it ever happens. Athletic departments are cutting where they can to subsidize various revenue streams in an attempt to fund NIL. For the past two years, the size of the Redcoat Band has shrunk due to budget cuts, and so the 
As a credentialed Registered Parliamentarian, I would like to offer free services to councils when it comes to parliamentary procedure training and what to expect during a National Council Session (NCS). For the past few National Council Sessions, I’ve been running local in-person and virtual trainings for various councils with success. Not only do I cover the basics of parliamentary procedure, but I also place a focus on motions that you’re most likely to encounter at a NCS. Additionally, I cover what to expect at a microphone along with speaking and debate tips. My trainings run about an hour and a half to two hours depending on the level of engagement and questions. I realize parliamentary procedure isn’t the most exciting topic to study, so I interject humor into my trainings to keep things lively. I can provide references if requested.