If I Were CEO of GSUSA!

Originally I saw this question posed in a GS Facebook group and wasn’t planning on writing up anything, but then Sylvia Acevedo, the GSUSA Interim CEO, asked for input via the GSUSA blog.  So here we go!  I wrote this very quickly because I am still trying to catch up from being gone all last week due to our City Slickers camp plus we are finally going on vacation so I’m trying to get a lot done in a small amount of time.  But procrastination calls!

Before getting underway with my list, I would first rename my title from GSUSA CEO to GSUSA Overlord and make a cape with this spelled out on the back.  In sparkly lettering.

Now that I’ve gotten that silliness out of my system, I’ll be serious. 

Let me preface by stating that this is obviously coming from the perspective of a volunteer, so there may be some things that I am not privy to or that I have misinterpreted.  All of this is based on my observations and research from my past six years as a volunteer.  Some of these things may already be in the works.  They are also in no significant order.  I just quickly scribbled some thoughts down on paper.

1.  Change the current programming so that the pathway is more badge oriented and skills based and therefore girl led.  I covered some of this in my last serious blog post.   Expand the badge program back to where it was prior to the overhaul in 2010/2011.

2.  Create girl friendly (and volunteer too!) materials by combining all of badges and awards into one handbook.  Ditch the three ring binders because they are too bulky and too cumbersome.  I covered my thoughts about this in a blog post as well.  Currently, many girls are not buying the Girls Guides and therefore not browsing through the badges to get an idea of what they would like to work on whether it be as a troop or on her own.  This is a missed opportunity for girls to be more invested in the program.

3.  Find out why on earth the Volunteer Toolkit application rolled out when a large part of the user base can’t use it because they have multi-level troops.  Then fix it ASAP.  I formerly worked in IT and was involved in rolling out worldwide apps.  There’s no way this would have been allowed to happen, and people would have lost their jobs.

4.  Review the CEO class and what attitudes are being promoted and passed on to future council CEOs.  Obviously I have not attended the GSUSA CEO class.  I’m assuming there is one from what I’ve picked up on.  I have also read some comments made by volunteers in various discussion groups complaining about staff attitudes in multiple councils.  I have observed the same phrases repeated in multiple councils and even in my own at one time.  Thankfully this is now not the case, and I feel very positive about where we are going with my council.  But I see it pop up from time to time in these groups.  An example would be where staff are not supposed to become friendly with volunteers.  Whether this attitude was ever promoted or not in a CEO class or just in general to current CEOs, I don’t know – but I’ve seen it reported in more than one council.

5.  This ties in with #4, but promote an attitude of partnership with volunteers.  We’re in this together.

6.  Review fundraising efforts.  If money is an issue like it supposedly is, then get some kind of task force together to do something about it.  Granted, I don’t know enough this topic which is why I’d hand it over to a task force.  I’d put pressure on the National Board to make this way a priority rather than product placement like ice cream and cake mixes.  Boards are supposed to head up fundraising, so I’d make them get off their lazy butts and actually do something instead of just listing Girl Scouts on their resumes with nothing to show for it.  Then they’d probably fire me for being so rude to them, but whatever. 😉

7.  Create studies and focus groups to find out more about the composition of troops (multi-level vs single, demographics of these types of troops, etc.).  Figure out the multiple ways they work and THEN implement systems to help those volunteers.  Not the other way around.  Know your audience – I’m skeptical that GSUSA has done its homework when rolling out some of these recent procedures and systems.

8.  Create a solid volunteer training foundation and put forth some kind of guidance that is obvious to volunteers in print and online.  An example is to bring back Leader Guides and publish one per level.  Put more of this sort of thing on the OFFICIAL GSUSA website.  A great example is what the River Valleys council provides.  Right now my perception is that what passes on the GSUSA website for support is lip service.  It seems like GSUSA wants to bring everybody under the same umbrella but is leaving it up to the councils to do the heavy lifting when it comes to volunteer support.  That’s not fair to councils.  It’s also a waste of time and energy because councils have to reinvent the wheel each time they put materials together for volunteers.

9.  Modify the end of year surveys and create age-appropriate ones per level.  I covered this in a previous blog post.

10.  Respect the differences in councils.  Each one has its own set of challenges that aren’t the same as the next one.  Allow them to modify strategies to meet these challenges.

11.  Review and study current council boundaries with regard to size.  Are they TOO large to support volunteers?

12.  Start a program or provide procedures and training for managing troops and service units that are on the outskirts of council offices who have to travel long distances for council services.  This issue was created by the mergers, but in my opinion, there is a way to fix it without splitting councils back up.  I feel like this is a huge opportunity to grow membership.  I’ll cover this in a later blog post.

14.  Rename the Customer Engagement Initiative (CEI), because for Heaven’s sake, we need to get rid of the word customer.  It insinuates that we’re making money for GSUSA, and this leaves a bad taste in volunteers’ mouths.

15.  And last but not least, OFFICIAL SCARVES FOR EVERYONE!  Oops, I still had a little bit of silliness left.

I’m sure I’ll think of more in the days and months to come, so I’ll add them to this list as I think of them.

Want to read more?  Here’s another list from the Girl Scout History Project website with some great thoughts.

Addendum 7/29/16:  Holy cow, I can’t believe I forgot this one after I wrote a huge post about it. 

16.  Bring “old timers” back into the fold.  Embrace tradition.  We need those Girl Scout alumni back for more than just donations.