I Wrote a Sternly Worded Letter

Yesterday, I opened my mailbox to find a letter from GSUSA Headquarters! I thought at first that it was the long-expected Cease and Desist, but then I spotted the words “Invest in Girl Scouts. Change the World” on the front, and I realized it was a solicitation for donations.  A business reply envelope was included.  I decided then that this would be a good opportunity to send a sternly worded letter up to NYC. I’ve tried to communicate my message via this blog and email, so why not snail mail?  Maybe I’ll attempt sky writing next.  I realize this letter will probably go no further than the intern who opens up the envelope, but perhaps they’ll enjoy it at the very least.

Notice that I didn’t write a strongly worded letter but a sternly one.  There is a difference.  Sternly isn’t quite as high on the nuclear scale.

Here’s my letter.  If you’re a regular reader of my blog, there’s nothing new in it other than some legal dollar amounts.

April 27, 2022

To GSUSA’s Leadership:

Recently, I received a solicitation from GSUSA in the mail. I was a little surprised considering in the past, I’ve only gotten donation requests from my local council, of which I am a donor. I asked around, and it sounds like most volunteers also received the same letter, so I’m assuming that this was a campaign directed to volunteers (and parents too?). I’d like to point you to page 21 of the Blue Book of Basic Documents, which states (emphasis added):

TROOPS AND COMMUNITIES WITHIN A GIRL SCOUT COUNCIL JURISDICTION

When a Girl Scout council is chartered and the territory in which it is to operate has been decided upon, all Girl Scout troops in all the communities within that territory shall be under its jurisdiction, and the Girl Scouts of the United States of America shall act through the local council in its relations with these troops and communities.

Did GSUSA receive approval, or at the very least, buy-in from all councils before undertaking this campaign? Just curious.

All legalities aside, it was a little off-putting to receive this solicitation due to what I perceive as out of control spending by GSUSA for the past few years. Granted, COVID’s impact has been devastating, and I can allow for some grace, but there have been pre-covid financial decisions made by GSUSA and the National Board that are questionable and are impacting us today.

First, there’s the strange project CircleAround, the website launched by One GS Media (aka GSUSA) in 2019. By my count based on FAQs and the recent Stewardship Report, a total of $6.75 million has been invested. In FY2020, CircleAround brought in $315,726 in revenue. Now I might be speaking out of turn since the FY2021 990 hasn’t been released yet, but I think it’s safe to say that the CircleAround endeavor isn’t a way to use resources wisely.

Then there are the legal fees. While I actually support GSUSA’s position to defend itself against BSA, I question whether appealing the case will be fruitful. Here are our legal fee amounts over the past few years. FY2021 is left blank since the 990 isn’t available yet.

Next up is IT development. Here’s our spending on CEI/Volunteer Systems 2.0 since FY2014:

This spending is wildly out of bounds. Considering the major issues from last fall when it came to membership registration had to be fixed immediately and the need to bring on another integrator, I’m assuming this year’s spending will be comparable to FY2021. What are the GSUSA and the National Board doing to bring this under control? Can a stable system even be created at this point with the money pit we’ve developed? The one we have now doesn’t fulfill volunteer needs whatsoever on top of it.

I am also very concerned about how much money we have taken out on our line of credit. In FY2020, we took out $7 million. That was understandable knowing the impact of COVID on nonprofit organizations. What really threw me for a loop, however, was that we more than tripled that amount in FY2021 when we not just maxed out the first line of credit, but took out a second one for a total of $24 million. Yikes.

As you can see, I am uneasy about the future financial stability of GSUSA. So while I see the need for a campaign such as this one, I have to wonder if our money is being used in an appropriate manner.

Please note that I used my own personal stamp to send this back so that it didn’t come out of GSUSA’s fundraising expenses. I realize it’s pennies saved, but it should go to show that I am sending this out of good faith.

Yours in Girl Scouting,

Amy M. Brown
GSSC-MM
Wearer of Many Volunteer Hats