Annual Report

2018 Annual Report Girl Scouts of the USA Girl Scout Mission Statement Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. The Girl Scout Promise On my honor, I will try: To serve God and my country, To help people at all times, And to live by the Girl Scout Law. The Girl Scout Law I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout. Girl Scouts of the USA 420 Fifth Avenue New York, New York 10018 This report covers services during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. In some instances, to maintain continuity, events beyond the fiscal year have been included. Girl Scouts of the USA was founded by Juliette Gordon Low on March 12, 1912, in Savannah, Georgia, and chartered by the United States Congress on March 15, 1950. Its central office is located at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10018-2798. Girl Scouts of the USA is a member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. © 2019 by Girl Scouts of the United States of America All rights reserved. Electronic edition published 2019. CONTENTS page 10. 1 Message from the National President and the Chief Executive Officer 5 G.I.R.L. 2017—A Global Gathering for Every Girl 6 Girl Scouts’ National Young Women of Distinction Honored 7 Girl Scouts Introduces 30 New page 12. Badges to Elevate Girls’ Leadership 9 Debut of G.I.R.L. Agenda Powered by Girl Scouts 9 Girl Scouts: Creating the STEM page 11. Workforce of the Future 12 Girl Scout Central, Girl Scouts’ New 10 Getting More Girls Outside More Flagship Store, Opens in NYC! Often—Through Girl Scouting 12 Girl Scouts Joins Macy’s Thanksgiving 11 Girl Scouts Kicks Off Next Century of Day Parade Female Entrepreneurs 12 Three Girl Scouts + Three Days in the 11 Dianne Belk and Lawrence Calder: “Equality Lounge” at Davos Preparing the Next Generation of Girl Scouts 13 Unveiling a New Site-Use Plan for the Birthplace of Girl Scouting 54TH. 13 Fast Company Names Sylvia Acevedo NATIONAL. One of the 100 Most Creative People COUNCIL. in Business SESSION. 14 GSUSA Leadership (FY2018) page 5. 15 TOGETHERTHERE: Invest in Girls. Change the World. 18 Financial Report 20 Membership 22 Honor Roll of Donors 24 Juliette Gordon Low Society Girl Scouts of the USA / 2018 Annual Report 3 MESSAGE FROM THE NATIONAL PRESIDENT AND THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Dear Friends, At Girl Scouts, we are building tomorrow’s leaders one girl at a time. Our innovative, girl-led, girl-centered programming offers experiences that allow her to take the lead early and often and develop skills that ensure she’ll thrive on whatever path she chooses. All the work we do for the girls of our Movement—at 111 Girl Scout councils across the country and our national headquarters—is driven by our unwavering belief in the power of girls to lead us into the future. We are in a moment of transformation as a Movement that reflects the Sylvia Acevedo transformation our country and world are undergoing more broadly—from GSUSA CEO rapid-fire and constant technological changes that impact how we create, communicate, and collaborate, to the profound ways in which demographic shifts are affecting our social, economic, and political lives. Girl Scouts is positioned to thrive in this moment as we continue to expand and refine our program offerings for today’s girls, aligning them with our four national program pillars of STEM, the outdoors, life skills, and entrepreneurship. Girl Scouts had a lot to celebrate in FY 2018. Our July rollout of 30 new badges and two new Journeys in cybersecurity, environmental advocacy, mechanical engineering, robotics, computer science, and space exploration Kathy Hopinkah Hannan GSUSA National President was a great success. The more than 100 new badges introduced in the past three years are receiving glowing coverage in the media and driving awareness of Girl Scouts as the pioneering, girl-centered STEM organization offering girls fun, relevant, and impactful programming. We continue our work of providing amazing experiences for girls through our camps (where more than half a million girls experienced the great outdoors this summer) Girl Scouts of the USA / 2018 Annual Report 4 HIGH ADVENTURE and our incredible new outdoor high adventure badges sponsored by BADGES The North Face. Most importantly, we invested in collective actions as a Movement that we’ve never done before, including national digital ad buys, grassroots campaigns, a conversion call center, and a much stronger defense of our intellectual property. In our second century of service to girls, and with the enduring support of donors and partners like you, we are ensuring that Girl Scouts remains relevant to girls, their families, and our volunteers and that we’re building the leaders our communities, businesses, and institutions want and need. Throughout their Girl Scout experience, girls learn how to solve problems effectively, leverage the power of teamwork and collaboration, flex their entrepreneurial muscles, develop persistence and resilience, and identify and seize opportunities. On behalf of the entire Girl Scout Movement, we extend our profound thanks for your commitment to bringing girls life-changing experiences that position them for success. Together we are building tomorrow’s go-getters, innovators, risk-takers, and leaders—the G.I.R.L.s who will build our collective future. Yours in Girl Scouting, Sylvia Acevedo Kathy Hopinkah Hannan Chief Executive Officer National President Girl Scouts of the USA Girl Scouts of the USA Girl Scouts of the USA / 2018 Annual Report 5 G.I.R.L. 2017—A GLOBAL GATHERING FOR EVERY GIRL rom dive tanks to infinity rooms to the Girl Scouts of the USA Board of Finspirational speakers (and more!), Directors, in the form of, for example, Where else G.I.R.L. 2017 truly was an epic event— electing new board members and can thousands and the LARGEST girl-led event in the amending the Girl Scout Constitution. world! Hosted by Girl Scouts of the USA, of go-getters, Accomplished public figures Chelsea G.I.R.L. 2017 took place in Columbus, Clinton, Gabby Douglas, Barbara Pierce innovators, Ohio, October 6–8, providing every G.I.R.L. Bush, Mae Jemison, and many others (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™ risk-takers, and joined G.I.R.L. 2017 throughout the with unforgettable experiences as she got leaders gather weekend, leading panels and intimate inspired, gained tools to empower herself, breakout sessions on the pressing to spark change and learned how to lead change in her issues facing girls today. The event also community, all while connecting with and make the featured performances by talented some of the most influential women in world a better young artists, such as Angelica Hale and the world along the way. place? Caly Bevier from America’s Got Talent. And the best part? G.I.R.L. 2017 was The Hall of Experiences was one of 100% girl-led! That’s right! Twenty- the biggest (literally!) attractions at one girls from across the Girl Scout G.I.R.L. 2017, offering more than ten organization, nicknamed the G-TEAM unique hands-on activities focused on (girls together Girl Scouts’ national program pillars THE G-TEAM LEADS THE WAY empowering and of science, technology, engineering, mobilizing), made and math (STEM); entrepreneurship; up the core of life skills; and the outdoors. Here girls G.I.R.L. 2017’s also had an opportunity to make an planning efforts impact both locally and globally by to ensure this taking part in the Rise Against Hunger national Girl Scout service project. For the project, girls convention was the packed a whopping 20,768 meals for best one yet! people in need—in Columbus and And before G.I.R.L. beyond. Dianne Belk, Founding Chair of 2017 kicked off, the Juliette Gordon Low Society, spoke hundreds of and 218 individuals made planned gift Girl Scout commitments. delegates—girl and adult members Where else can thousands of go-getters, of Girl Scouts—traveled to Columbus innovators, risk-takers, and leaders gather from around the country to represent to spark change and make the world a their councils and Girl Scouts at large better place? Girl Scouts, of course! at the 54th National Council Session. At this triennial meeting, delegates influence the strategic direction of the organization by providing guidance to Girl Scouts of the USA / 2018 Annual Report 6 GIRL SCOUTS’ 2017 NYWOD. NATIONAL YOUNG WOMEN OF DISTINCTION HONORED he 2017 National Young Women of TDistinction—the top Gold Award Girl Scouts of the year—were recognized at G.I.R.L. 2017 for their remarkable leadership and excellence at creating positive change in their communities and beyond. On October 7, the 2017 National Young Women of Distinction (NYWOD) joined Chelsea Clinton for lunch, where they discussed their Gold Award projects and The Girl Scout Gold Award is the their personal journeys. Later, all ten Gold Award Girl Scouts joined Chelsea for a roundtable discussion about ways girls can take action in most prestigious award in the world their own communities and change the world. for girls (and the most difficult to earn), and it’s available exclusively From the thousands of exceptional, newly minted Gold Award Girl Scouts to Girl Scouts. Gold Award Girl each year, GSUSA recognizes ten girls as inspiring leaders who have Scouts are inspiring leaders who transformed an idea and vision for change into an actionable plan are working on a broad range of the with measurable, sustainable, and far-reaching impact at the local, most challenging problems facing our national, and global levels.

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