GSSA Leader Blog: The Virtual Volunteer

It's time for our 2015 Annual Meeting, and we are excited about the business to be conducted and the time for volunteers to share their experience and successes with us. The materials are on the website and available for the meeting, which will held at the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Wiregrass on Alice Street (there are two in Dothan) on Saturday, March 28.   We have a nature-themed girl program, which will run concurrent to the business meeting and discussion sessions.

Each year the goal of having an annual meeting is to provide transparency and accountability to the membership about what transpired the year before.   We also review the financial results from the year prior and try to have some discussions that will interest volunteers.   We also present the annual volunteer of the year award. This year, the aware is going to Barbara Mitchell, a long-time volunteer from the Dothan area, who has worked with girls in public housing communities.

We move the annual meeting around the council jurisdiction, so all have an opportunity to attend.   We have held the annual meeting in Elba, but have not been to Dothan.   We receive strong support from the Wiregrass United Way in this area, so we are delighted to hold the meeting in that part of the council.   If you would like to attend the meeting and are a registered Girl Scout older than 14 years old, you can be a delegate.   Simply register as a delegate.   The registration materials for the meeting are available here, and can also be found on our website on our Forms page, under Publications.

We have lots of topics we would like to hear from you on, including the cookie program, fall product sale, program possibilities, camp programs and best practices or simply great idea you would like to share.

Once the meeting is over, we post the financial report and the annual report on our website for your review.   We know many of you like to know what is going on, so this is a great opportunity for you to share your thoughts, ideas, and challenges.

Thank you for all you do to make the world a better place. We hope to see you on March 28.

The mountain of cookie boxes is starting to look more like a hill now, with cookies (happily!) continuing to fly out of the offices, cupboards, and warehouse.   We are grateful to each and every one of you who work with girls to make that the world's largest girl-led entrepreneurial program a success.   It is always simply amazing to see some of these girls in action.   Girls do learn how to set goals, make decisions, money management, people skills and business ethics from that experience.   Given what I have seen in some of these girls, they have a promising future as entrepreneurs themselves.

This time of year, as we see light at the end of the cookie program, we turn our attention to other activities and events we have planned to teach girls leadership.   It is always a busy time because we have some great spring programs planned.

One of the new events on the program calendar is Pi day at Auburn University on March 14.   The Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) are hosting this event of fun with science.   A STEM program, girls can select from the program outline the badge they are interested in earning during that daylong event. I even hear that Aubie will make an appearance!

For girls who enjoy politics, Advocacy Day at the State Capitol is always a great event.   Co-sponsored by Girl Scouts of North Central Alabama, this event has girls watching the beginning of the legislative sessions.   They have an opportunity to interact with legislators and get to see the process in action.   This event is on March 12.   Letters from local legislators are available requesting excused absences from for school.

Each year in April in Montgomery, there is a large event called the Joy to Life walk/run for breast cancer awareness.   This was started many years ago by a board member of Girl Scouts, Joy Blondheim, who is a breast cancer survivor.   She started this event to heighten awareness about breast cancer and its challenges.   There are a number of ways a troop can participate in this event, no matter where you live.   Troops can make bracelets that will be passed out to cancer survivors at the special Survivors Tent.   The bracelets can be made and taken to either the Montgomery or Mobile Service Center or given to your field executive to get to the event.   There is a new Joy to Life fun patch available for sale at the council shops.   Your troop can also volunteer to work at this event; it is an extravagant affair and includes many Girl Scouts who have survived breast cancer.

If you have never had the opportunity to visit the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, you have missed a treat and should take advantage of the following exciting program.   Mission:  NAS Pensacola is scheduled for March 21 at the air station where girls will have an opportunity to watch an IMAX film.   You can visit all various planes, jets, and winged forms of transportation, as well as take a tour of the Pensacola Lighthouse and Museum.   The facilities are interesting and the highlight is a talk by a three star general and a Captain who was a Girl Scout.   This program will delight girls of all ages.

Also be sure to check out our Mini-Destination to Huntsville in July.  This two-night event will include both a special visit to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center and Sci-Quest. Girls will get to tumble spin on the Multi-Axis Trainer and experience the Five Degrees of Freedom Chair at the Space and Rocket Center's sleepover space camp!  Then girls will have a one-of-a-kind science adventure sleepover at Sci-Quest where they will investigate the different ways things can glow by doing hands-on chemical reactions.  It all sounds so cool!
These are but a few of the programs we have planned for the spring and summer.   We hope you find some great activities for your girls to learn and experience leadership in action.

We serve lots of girls from ages 5 to 11 and do an excellent job, providing them with lifelong skills and good friends.   But why do some continue past age 11 to complete the program?   As we look around at the programs we offer, it always seems that a role model has touched many of our older girls.   For many, this is their troop leader, an adult in their life not necessarily their parent, who they believe in.   But for some girls, it comes from some of the programs they attend.

We are fortunate to have a strong partnership with Distinguished Young Women in the Mobile area.   Each year representatives arrive from each state for a two-week experience in and around the Mobile.   Many of the troops and Girl Scout families in and around Mobile have met these girls at the airport, hosted them in their homes and enjoyed some great events with them.   These girls have consistently served as excellent role models for our girls. We also have a wonderful council patch program associated with Distinguished Young Women, called Be Your Best Self.

We have a wonderful partnership with the Kappa Delta sororities around the council, particularly in Mobile, Troy and Auburn.   These young women have sponsored badge days and volunteered at a many council events.   They serve as a great resource to encourage girls to continue their education.   They also provide a good resource of older role models for our girls as they explore what the right next path to take on their journey through life. 

Many of our girls are encouraged to remain Girl Scouts because of their involvement in earning the Bronze, Silver or Gold awards.   I have seen some excellent community work done through these award experiences.   In fact, in 2014 alone, our girls provided more than 3,000 hours of service to their communities through completing these award requirements. These experiences have led to scholarships and other accolades for these girls.   This is where you really see how the learning keys of discover, connect, and take action come together in the girls' experience.   These girls are simply amazing.

Each year we have at least one Jesuit Volunteer who works with the girls.   These college graduates have provided some excellent role models and leadership experiences for our girls.   Because they are viewed as closer in age, girls find them more approachable and easy to relate to.   Each has left a legacy of different gifts and made an impression on the girls they have served.

We have some fabulous opportunities for older girls.   For those who enjoy the water, we have a strong sailing program to hone skills and provide girls with a lifetime leisure activity.   The Mariner troop not only has a long summer camp to enjoy, but they have taken a fantastic sailing trip down the Florida Keys.   Another trip is in discussion for the near future.   GSUSA also provides excellent opportunities for leadership development through their Destinations program.   We have had one girl going to Central America, another to Michigan and two more sailing in the Caribbean; there are many ways a girl can grow and develop through these programs.

We recognize that girls have many options for their leisure time, but those girls who stay with Girl Scouts are some of the most accomplished young women I have had the privilege of meeting.   They are quietly capable, confident, and accomplished.   We have many programs this spring that provide great illustrations of great women role models, including Joy to Life, which has a great event in Montgomery, and Girl Scout Advocacy Day in March at the State Capitol. Make sure to check out these events and the many others that are planned!

Many of the values and lifelong skills are illustrated through the cookie program experience.   Girls find their voice, suddenly able to speak to strangers and gracefully accept "no" for an answer.   One of the more interesting facets of the learning experienced during the cookie program is how troops decide what to do with the cookie proceeds for the troop.

This is a great place for Girl Scouts to truly be "girl led."  One of the beautiful things about girls in a troop is that they often have to negotiate with one another.   Testing negotiation skills, leadership skills, and how to make group decisions enhances the girl experience.   I have heard a number of anecdotal stories about how girls determine what to do with their proceeds.   I have to admit I'm often entertained and surprised with what they do.

The most common use of cookie proceeds is the groups that fund their summer camp experience.   We have girls that sell enough to attend camp at both Camp Scoutshire Woods and Kamp Kiwanis.   I met two of those girls last week.   They are excited about using the cookie program to pay for their camp experience.   Those activities also build their skills.   These girls were excited about what camp experiences they would have this summer.

We hear about lots of girls that go to the McWane Science Center or the Georgia Aquarium.   Both hold many learning opportunities in a fun venue.    For most of our girls, these are significant trips and provide an opportunity to travel and see more than their hometown.   Some other things that I think are educationally valuable and interesting are the Selma to Montgomery Interpretive Centers; one is located in Selma and the other in Lowndes County.   Given the buzz around the anniversary of the march and the movie "Selma," it would be a good year for this visit.   I also like the Tuskegee Airmen Museum in Tuskegee, whichis en route to Auburn and/or Atlanta.   Two other places of note are the Naval Air Station Pensacola; one of our Gold Award recipients is based there in flight training.   They have an interesting museum with lots of hands-on activities, a bus tour, and for additional funds about four IMAX movies.   A new place that I have not visited yet is the Infinity Science Center located on Stennis Air Force Base on the western edge of Mississippi on I-10.   They have all sorts of interesting space exhibits.   Huntsville's Space and Rocket Center is another great place for girls to visit.

I know many girls take this opportunity to visit larger zip lines than the ones we offer at camp, overnights in new and different places.   I would put in a plug for Wehle Center in Bullock County.   They have fantastic facilities at a reasonable cost.   We also have lots of troops who use camps they don't regularly visit within GSSA.   Then there are the always-fun visits to water parks, zoos, and other events and activities close to where you live.   I hope your girls learn the power of being "girl led" through the cookie program.

Thank you for all you do to make that possible for them.

What is that all about?   Many of you know the original story; that the cookie program started as girls learning to bake cookies and selling them as a fund raiser.   Isn't it amazing how the world's largest girl entrepreneur program was started by girls and was girl led?   And it started as early as 1917!

As you can imagine, we have seen a lot of changes to the cookie program this year with the move to allowing girls to sell cookies online.   This is a positive move, as girls have asked for this to happen and permission has been lagging.   Because of concerns over girl safety, this change did not move at "girl speed."   But with this said, selling items online and in a virtual marketplace will be the world these girls inhabit.  

This changes the mix on the cookie program because sales will become more reliant on the girl who has a good sales pitch and marketing for the e-mail recipient to purchase their cookies.  The online sale does not replace or substitute from the regular sale of cookies to friends, family, and at booth sales, so this is in addition to the other traditional sales approaches.

Our cookie baker, ABC, which has developed the online sales software, has assured us they have done considerable testing around the safety issues of girls doing online sales.   One of the safety features is that you cannot forward the e-mail from the Girl Scout from whom you received it to your friends, colleagues, etc.   The link is broken when forwarded, so girls have to initiate the e-mail to make the online sale.   If any of you experience something different, please let us know at communications@girlscoutssa.org.

There has been some blogging about the cost of shipping of Girl Scout cookies sold online.   For anyone whose dining room or home has been consumed in cases of Girl Scout cookies, this might not bother them.   Because this is the first time for this type of sale, there are no reductions in the actual shipping costs.  Or put another way, we do not have the volume that a company like Amazon has to negotiate dramatically reduced shipping rates.   Our baker has determined that purchasing a half case, whole case, or 8-pack of each variety sampler makes the shipping cost effective, so the orders have to be of that size to make the shipping costs bearable.

Although the cookie program always has everyone operating in high gear, each year we all hear wonderful stories about what it does for the self-confidence of the girls who participate.   Every year we hear about the quiet, shy girl who doesn't speak up at troop meetings.   She's an introvert and doesn't interact a lot.   And then, one day at a booth sale, this girl suddenly finds her voice.   She sheds the fright of speaking to people she doesn't know.   She gracefully accepts "no" as a response and isn't bothered by it.   She has discovered that she is an entrepreneur and a successful one.   This happens every year to many girls.

The cookie program has five objectives for girls, which build their self-confidence. They are goal setting, decision-making, money management, people skills, and business ethics.   We hear stories that demonstrate each of those objectives during the program each year.   If you have some good stories to share, please send them to communications@girlscoutssa.org.   We love to share those stories, and they reinforce the power of the program.

I want to remind people that this year the money management is more complex than in previous years. The gluten-free cookie, the Trio, costs $5 a box, rather than $3.50.   This means you will have to be more vigilant while you are selling cookies to be sure you collect the right amount for the type of cookie sold.   The bakers assure us those who regularly purchase gluten-free products are not bothered by the higher cost, but our concern is that your troop and your parents remember the price difference.   I had someone complain to me about it, and I understand change is hard.   As an educator, my response is that this creates a great opportunity for girls to practice their math skills.

We hope the addition of online sales is yet another way for you to learn with your daughter or troop member.   We believe this is a great opportunity for girls to experience the world they will inhabit.   As always, we can learn from girls about how to market and make sales.    I hope your experience with the cookie program is a positive one.  

Cookies, cookies, cookies! They are in our house. They are in our dreams. They are at work. They are everywhere!   It definitely is cookie season!

I have been fortunate to see some great photos of the neighborhood walkabout for cookies, what fun!   One of my favorites was the canine "assistant," who helped the girls while they were doing the walk-about.   There's always safety in numbers.   I watched a delightful video created by some girls, doing their sales pitch and talking about what they learned from selling cookies to the public.   So, even though the cookies are invading our homes and invading our dreams, they are fulfilling their purpose of teaching girls how to be entrepreneurs.  

I had a great discussion with a staff member recently about how professional the girls are when they are selling cookies and how great they act.   They are in their uniforms or in their Girl Scout T-shirts and look like professional young women.   They are making great sales pitches and graciously accepting that not everyone purchases their delectable treats, so not only are we building future entrepreneurs, but this program builds professional women.

 The first year I was here, I received telephone calls about parents and volunteers at booth sales arguing about what door they had scheduled at the Walmart and throwing boxes of cookies at one another.   I'm so grateful the demeanor of the parents and volunteers working with the girls has improved during my time here.   One of the staff has a sign in their office that says "REMEMBER A GIRL IS WATCHING."   I think this is true of the cookie program.   The public draws conclusions about Girl Scouts from how professionally the girls and parents behave at cookie booth sales and throughout the program.   This makes me appreciate the high level of professionalism I see exhibited or hear about from others about girls participating.

We appreciate the amount of time this takes from your already busy schedules.   We know that moving cookies, hauling cookies, counting money, running to the bank, and all the other things you do to make this program a success are time consuming.   But, if you could see all the things the girls learn from it, you would know it certainly is worthwhile.   We also appreciate your professionalism in what can be a taxing task.

Thank you for all you do to make the world a better place, one girl at a time.

This time of year is so exciting for many of our amazing young entrepreneurs, and the beginning of some real craziness for many of us as we kick into high gear.   In an effort to keep you abreast of what is going on, I want to review some of the issues we often face during cookie time, so you are well-informed about what may come up.

During the 2014 cookie program, we dealt with that old internet farce, the so-called Planned Parenthood conspiracy with Girl Scouts.   We received telephone calls from some upset people; others made a point of letting us (or girls) know they were not purchasing cookies because of Girl Scouts giving money to Planned Parenthood.   The truth is, we don't.   We haven't, don't, and we are not going to.   Because this affected our cookie program sales, our public relations staff has worked ahead to try to address this and provide you with a set of responses around last year's allegations and the real facts.   Let me repeat: we do not have any relationship with Planned Parenthood.   For more information and the materials we have developed for this year's cookie program, visit our Forms & Resources page.

We have seen some blogs and other materials about the Girl Scout retirement program funding deficit.   Yes, there are issues around the full funding of the Girl Scout retirement program.   This and other councils pay into the plan annually to fund pensions of long-time Girl Scout employees.   However, the plan has been frozen for several years, meaning those of us hired in the last several years have no retirement plan.   GSUSA has worked with Congress to shape legislation to address the full funding issues.

Online cookie sales is a new point causing confusion this year.  I have had many people tell me they thought the only way girls were selling cookies this year was online.   I think the great public relations around the online sales have led the general public to that conclusion.   I have assured those to whom I have spoken that online sales are simply another approach to selling cookies in this age of the internet.   When 70% of the public says they do not purchase cookies because no one asks them, this is a way to ask them to support girls.   Hopefully, as the general public sees girls out and about with cookies, their perception will change.

This year there are two online platforms to purchase cookies.   These vary by the two bakers. One is being managed by GSUSA, and the councils using that platform use Little Brownie Bakers for their cookies.   We are using COCO, which is the online platform for our baker, ABC, which decided that, to purchase online, you must purchase at least 6 boxes of cookies to make the shipping costs seem reasonable.   Thus, you cannot purchase only one box of cookies online from our baker.   

Through the online cookie platform, girls send emails to potential customers, so that they may purchase cookies. Depending on the email sent, girls either are asking customers to purchase cookies that they will then deliver, or purchase cookies that will be delivered by the cookie baker (in which case, customers must pay applicable shipping fees).

We are looking forward to a great cookie sale and hope you are, too!  Please let us know if there is other information that would make your girls more successful as they are out selling.  Thanks, again, for your hard work during this time of year.

I was a Girl Scout. For many years, my own mother was my leader. Naturally, that motivated my choice to be a leader for my own daughter. And many times I compare my leadership experience with hers. She took us to Kiwanis for Camporees. She even served as Service Unit manager a few years. We did service projects and fun things. I participated in the council's Spotlight Girl program, and I did radio spots to promote Girl Scout Cookies. When I was a Cadette, I got on a plane and flew to National Center West for a Wider Opportunity. I earned my Gold Award. When I graduated from high school and went on to college, those experiences went with me. I like to think that my Girl Scout experiences, along with others, helped me earn the scholarships that sent me to college.

Fast forward quite a few years, and I became a Girl Scout again. My own daughter wanted to be a Girl Scout, and we joined a troop here in our hometown. I assisted with the few Juniors in the troop, while the leaders focused on the Brownie activities. My daughter is now a Girl Scout Senior, and I have been involved in her troop from the beginning. I have served with my service unit as Secretary and even helped plan service unit events.

My troop loves to go to new places and experience new things. Badges are okay, but plan a trip and they are all in. At times I have struggled with whether my troop is being done "right." But it is girl-led -- we do what they want to do. We have spent the night at the Georgia Aquarium, at the McWane Center (three times!), in the Battleship, and at Fort Gaines. We have been on Mini-Destinations at Dauphin Island Sea Lab (twice!) and at Space Camp. They have learned how to make tasty goodies and decorate cakes, they have gone on hikes, and they swam with dolphins this summer. We collect food for our sponsoring church's Christmas boxes each November, we donate to the church clothes closet, and we participate in the church-sponsored Slapout Clean-Up each spring. We hope to learn about falconry next year, and we are signing up to participate in the council's Dozing with Dolphins event. If I can get them there and we can afford it, we go.

So, you may be asking, how has this journey benefitted my family or changed my life for the better? I can truly say that Girl Scouts has enriched my life. I have had opportunities that I would not otherwise have had. I have done things I probably never would have if I had not been a Girl Scout or a Girl Scout leader. And, now, as a leader, I am truly blessed to be able to share these opportunities and experiences with my own daughter and a few girls I have watched blossom into amazing young ladies over the years. I hope every day that my leading them enriches their lives. I want them to see amazing things, experience amazing things, and to do amazing things. Watching girls grow into young women of courage, confidence, and character is beyond enriching. Seeing it happen touches the soul. I cannot speak for other leaders, but I suspect that they feel similarly. That feeling is why we come back year after year. Because it truly matters.

     -- Marcy Perdue

We hope the New Year brings peace, wisdom, and many gifts that feed your soul.

Did you make any New Year's resolutions?   What are they?   I've made a few, and we'll see how it goes.   Some years I make them, and I follow through.   When this happens, they do change how I enjoy the year and life.  The experts on a tv program I was watching recently said most resolutions are broken within a month, long forgotten.  

One of my resolutions is to be a better friend to my many friends.   I have wonderful friends who are supportive.   They lend a listening ear.   They remember my birthday, visit my mother when I sometimes can't, and they are simply there when I need them.   I believe it is important to be as good a friend to my friends as I possibly can.   Do you teach girls to be good friends through troop meetings, programs, and activities you do through Girl Scouts?   I suspect you do.

During the holidays, one of my friends lost her husband.   He came home on Friday evening and had a heart attack.   She did CPR on him until the ambulance arrived.   They got him to the hospital where they operated and installed three stents.   He had been to the doctor 15 days before and pronounced in excellent health.  

By Sunday he was awake; talking and joking with his wife and son.   Sunday night he was again taken to the operating room, they called his wife and said there was no need to return to the hospital because  they were going to install a pacemaker.   He didn't make it through the surgery.   This happened three days before Christmas.

I attended the funeral, which was postponed until after Christmas.  Everyone was trying to make sense of it.   He was young, and as a court-appointed attorney, he did work others did not want to do.   He lived what he believed, with respect to social justice and the treatment of others.   The theme of the funeral was his constant kindness, which was so true of him.  One of my resolutions is to be sure to be supportive of his wife and son, who are friends of mine.   But we are reminded you never know what tomorrow will bring.  

It is important to live each day to the fullest, as it is a gift to you.   I know many of you personally, and kindness is an attribute that I see constantly in what I do.   I see frequent acts of kindness and conversations with girls about kindness.   Make kindness part of your 2015 plan. I hope it is.

A number of years ago, I attended a middle school football game to watch the son of one of my friends in his debut.   I arrived well before she did, so I was sitting in the bleachers, watching those around me.   There were lots of people there, but many were on the cell phones, not looking up long enough to really see what was going on.   My conclusion is that we can be present but not paying attention.  

Another of my resolutions is to be present and pay attention.   The cell phone can ring constantly, with e-mails and updates.   But being present matters to those I interact with.   People crave real conversation with others, where both parties listen and exchange thoughts and ideas.   When I have attended troop meetings, it's clear that, as a troop leader you have to be present.   Girls appreciate that you take the time to be present with them.   It shapes lives.

Finally, one of my resolutions is to change the world.   In my case, I have the privilege of changing the world one Girl Scout at a time.   It isn't often that we have the opportunity to see how the world is changed, one girl at a time.   Last week, there was an article in the Dothan Eagle about one of our Girl Scouts who saved someone's life.   What a wonderful gift she gave as a direct result of the skills she developed as a Girl Scout.   Although not everyone's story is quite as dramatic, being a Girl Scout and changing your world does make the world a better place.   Thank you for changing the world, one girl at a time.

I hope you stay with your New Year's resolutions and have a great 2015!