Strategic Plan
FISCAL YEARS
2016 2017 2018
OVERALL GOAL By September 30, 2018, eight percent of the girls within the GSHPA footprint will be members of our council for at least two to three years and will have participated in Girl Scout programs of consistently high quality.
VISION MISSION Girl Scouts builds girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place.
Preparing and inspiring generations of girls to become leaders instilled with the values of the Girl Scout Promise and Law.
CUSTOMER FOCUS GSHPA has multiple customers and beneficiaries, including girls, parents, volunteers, donors and the community at-large. Our primary customer is girls, grades K-12. Strategic Plan | 1
STRATEGIC GOAL 1: Offer a consistent, high-
quality Girl Scout experience for the girls we serve.
Strategic Objectives A. Assure that girls receive a well-rounded, outcomes- based Girl Scout leadership experience which includes:
• A Journey • An outdoor experience • Use of Girls Guide to Girl Scouts with appropriate awards • Participation in Cookie Sale • Participation in a GSHPA signature program B. Continue developing outdoor programs and signature programs as distinctive GSHPA offerings C. Advance Girl Scout Teams as GSHPA’s short-term, flexible Girl Scout experience D. Make a multi-year commitment, with a $250,000 annual expense budget, to providing outreach programs to low income girls where we determine the best opportunities to have a positive impact E. Establish an annual program evaluation system
Performance Indicators • Troop leaders incorporating all elements of well- rounded Girl Scout experience • Completing Camp Development Plan and planning next phase • Implementing multi-year plan to reach more low income girls • Establishing comprehensive program evaluation system
STRATEGIC GOAL 2: Increase the
market share of girls in our membership.
Strategic Objectives A. Focus recruitment resources on: • K-5 age group • Geographic areas with largest markets of available girls B. Improve membership diversity through recruitment focus in geographic areas with the largest markets of available girls C. Assure that program delivery is consistent
Performance Indicators • Percentage of girls in GSHPA’s footprint belonging to Girl Scouts • Percentage of girls retained for 2-3 years • Increasing ethnic/racial diversity of our membership
2 | Strategic Plan
STRATEGIC GOAL 3: Strengthen teamwork
between volunteers and staff in order to improve the quality of program delivery to girls.
Strategic Objectives A. Continue implementing the “Community” model which makes working with girls the primary responsibility of volunteers and supporting volunteers and administration the primary responsibilities of staff B. Align with the needs and expectations of new generations of volunteers by embracing digital tools for troop and volunteer management C. Review GSHPA’s governance structure and assure that it is meeting our needs
Performance Indicators • Implementation of customer engagement platform • Use of digital toolkit by volunteers • Increased recruitment and retention of volunteers • Increased volunteer satisfaction level with orientation and on-boarding • Recommendations for improving governance structure
STRATEGIC GOAL 4: Align resources with membership goals and invest strategically to reach them.
Strategic Objectives A. Results of current operations (i.e., minus pension liability) will break even by FY18. B. Make strategic investments in support of achieving membership goals: • Marketing • Program Evaluation • Technology-driven troop and volunteer manage-
ment tools • Planned Giving • Renovation of the Harrisburg headquarters building • Outreach to low-income girls C. Research potential sources of new revenue • Property-based passive revenue (windmills, solar, etc.) • Council program fee • Expand non-troop girl participation in cookie sale
Performance Indicators • Results of current operations breaking even by 2018 • Financial investments made to advance strategic
goals & objectives • Growth of fundraising revenue • Growth of planned giving • New revenue-earning opportunities Strategic Plan | 3
GSHPA STRATEGIC GOALS W W STRATEGIC GOAL 1: Offer a consistent, high-quality Girl Scout experience for the girls we serve.
The strategic objectives aim for greater consistency across GSHPA in troops, specifically spelling out our expectations of a high quality troop experience. There is a recommitment to outdoor and signature programs which are distinguishing features of our council. There is a specific multi-year commitment to low-income and at-risk girls. In addition, GSHPA will continue to experiment with programs for those girls who cannot participate in a year-round troop. GSHPA will develop and establish a comprehensive program evaluation system, with objective and measurable goals, involving parents, girls, and volunteers.
W STRATEGIC GOAL 2: Increase the market share of girls in our membership. Available census data shows that our number of Total Available Girls (TAG) has declined and will continue to decline. Our best recruitment opportunities have been in the K-5th grade cohort, with declining participation into high school. With more than half of our TAG residing in five of our 30 counties, we will focus additional marketing and recruitment resources in these areas while offering all the advantages of Girl Scout participation throughout the council. We will continue to offer financial assistance and to seek broader membership in ethnically and racially diverse areas. We will seek to maximize the positive impact of Girl Scouting with an emphasis on retaining girls for at least two to three years.
W STRATEGIC GOAL 3: Strengthen teamwork between volunteers and staff in order to improve the quality of program delivery to girls.
The parents of our girls, and particularly the parents of the youngest girls, have grown up in a very tech-savvy environment. They expect rapid, interactive electronic communications with our professional staff, and we must provide that opportunity. We will continue to invest in our “Girl Scout Community” model of collaboration, with the talents and passion of volunteers aimed directly at working with girls, while those of the staff are directed toward providing administration, support, and training. We will thoroughly review our governance structure with an eye toward using it to increase the council’s effectiveness in advancing our mission.
W STRATEGIC GOAL 4: Align resources with membership goals and invest strategically to reach them.
None of the preceding goals can be achieved without the necessary resources. We forecast a need for an additional $1.255 million through the life of this Plan for low-income outreach, marketing and recruitment, program evaluation, and technology upgrades. Our current pension liability will decrease but not be eliminated, and some additional staff will be required to fully implement this plan. The maturation of GSHPA’s fund development program, with special attention to growing planned giving and leadership giving, will be imperative. Our overall fiscal goal is for current operations to break even by 2018.
GIRL SCOUTS IN THE HEART OF PENNSYLVANIA
350 Hale Avenue | Harrisburg, PA 17104 | 800.692.7816 | www.gshpa.org | general@gshpa.org