2021 Annual Report by Girl Scouts of Western Ohio

2021

Annual Report

Our CEO and Board Chair Acceptance, adaptability, and re-emergence 2021 remained a year of challenges as we continued to grapple with the effects of the pandemic. While so many of us were hopeful that 2021 would be easier than the prior 12 months, the year continued to require tenacity as we accepted and adapted to our reality. This was true for everyone, including Girl Scouts of Western Ohio. Girl Scouts have proven that, over time, they show their true flexibility. In 2021, we started to re-emerge from our bedrooms, basements, and backyards. Creativity shined for all, including our girls, our troop leaders, and our staff. While many virtual events remained, we were able to start holding programs and events in person, mostly outdoors. Camps were held at half capacity or delivered by box to a girl’s home. Cookies were sold in new ways as girls reimagined the process with door hanger order forms, contactless delivery, and outdoor drive-through cookie booths. Our survey data shows that 2021 was a year for girls to focus on earning badges and petals and even attending some field trips/outings. Girls in troops continued to meet virtually when necessary, and in-person and outdoors when they could. About half of our girls completed community service projects or operated a cookie booth, and a few were able to attend an overnight camping trip. Overall, our girls remained active with Girl Scouts despite the pandemic. About 56% of girls agreed that they enjoyed doing Girl Scout activities online. As we look ahead to 2022 with hope for what this year will bring, we continue to support all girls in achieving a healthy lifestyle, increasing their learning, and finding their voice for racial justice. As we watch these girls become our future leaders by blazing trails and finding their passions, it is clear that the world needs Girl Scouts. Thank you for your investment in the leaders of tomorrow. The past two years have been difficult, but because of you, thousands of girls have been able to connect with their communities and each other and continue to build their courage, confidence, and character. We are confident that this upcoming year will be one of great growth and success, and that couldn’t happen without you. For that, we are truly grateful. Yours in Girl Scouting,

Roni Luckenbill Chief Executive Officer

2021 Annual Report | Page 2

Victoria Nilles Board Chair

Our Mission, Promise, and Law Mission

Promise

Law

To build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.

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.

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.

Our year at a glance

2,334,221 Packages of Cookies

Badges

528

Highest Awards

5,860

28,786

7,768

2,406

23,372

Campers

$ 1,162 Donors

Girl Members

Adult Members

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Lifetime Members

Our Program The Girl Scout Leadership Experience The Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE) encourages girls to Discover themselves, Connect with others, and Take Action to make the world a better place. Guided by supportive adults and peers, Girl Scouts engage in age-appropriate activities that are girl-led, cooperative, and handson. Participating in the GSLE helps girls develop important leadership skills they need to become successful adults. The GSLE delivers “fun with purpose” by helping girls gain valuable life skills and amazing new experiences while having fun and building friendships!

Variety of Activities

Supportive Relationships

3 Girl Scout Processes

5 GSLE Outcomes

In Girl Scouts, girls get outdoors, participate in the Cookie Program, earn badges and awards, and much more! When these Girl Scout activities are girl-led, cooperative, and hands-on, girls show greater benefits. Girl Scouts who engaged with the GSLE in 2021 achieved the following outcomes:

72% Sense of self Girls have confidence in themselves and their abilities and form positive identities.

65% Positive values Girls act ethically, honestly, and responsibly, and show concern for others.

53% Healthy relationships Girls communicate their feelings directly and resolve conflicts constructively.

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49%

43%

Challenge seeking

Community problem solving

Girls take appropriate risks, try even if they may fail, and learn from mistakes.

Girls desire contribution, identify problems, and create “action plans.”

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion On our honor, every person. Every voice. Juliette Gordon Low founded Girl Scouts over 100 years ago as an innovative movement where all would be welcomed. We continuously strive to build a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization that supports the many faces, cultures, and walks of life that proudly make up our vibrant community. It is essential to our mission that every individual’s ideas and perspectives are sought out, heard, respected, and valued. As Girl Scouts, it is our duty to make the world a better place, and that includes standing against racism, violence, and hate. Girl Scouts strives to be a safe space for girls, families, and volunteers. We are fully committed to helping our communities and guiding our girls through this time. After all, it’s in the Girl Scout Law that we will do our best to make the world a better place and be a sister to every Girl Scout.

In 2021, we reached:

20%

18%

16%

Black, Indigenous, People of Color:

Youth

Adult volunteers

Black, Indigenous, People of Color:

* The Black, Indigenous, People of Color statistics above are based on those who reported.

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Staff

Our Girls What is Girl Scouts of Western Ohio without girls? Our Girl Scouts bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better world. Through programs and activities in each corner of our council, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges—whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike, advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends. Backed by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and millions of alums, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them. They start by making new friends, speaking up, and solving problems in their communities, and go on to push boundaries and change the world through their actions, both big and small.

Girls served in 2021

26% Daisies 7,511 girls

15%

Cadettes 4,398 girls

29% Brownies 8,247 girls

Seniors 985 girls

24%

In 2021, we served

28,786 girls in 2,839 troops.

Juniors 7,026 girls

Ambassadors 619 girls

Highest Awards in Girl Scouts

Gold Award Girl Scouts

183

Silver Award Girl Scouts

324

Bronze Award Girl Scouts Through Girl Scout experiences, girls develop the attitudes, skills, and behaviors needed to succeed in life, giving them the courage to fail and keep trying, the tools to create an independent future, and the power to do good in the world. Girl Scouts overcome barriers by building their confidence, creativity, and resilience. They learn to embrace risks and challenges by trying new things and taking on exciting adventures, preparing them to lead happy successful lives. 2021 Annual Report | Page 6

Program Highlights Girl Scout Cookies

Girl Scout Camp

2.3 million

packages of Girl Scout Cookies

$1.97 million

in troop cookie proceeds

76,625 boxes

1,287

677

Day campers

Resident campers

1,193

2,703

TAC girls

Camp in a Box

donated to food banks, shelters, and military organizations

A Whole Herd of Unicorns! When the girls of Troops 46876 and 45175 learned their usual volunteer-led summer day camp would not be offered due to COVID, the girls rose to the challenge and put on their own troop-run day camp. The idea came from older girls who are Program Aides (PAs) wanting a taste of normalcy in their summer. They really missed their summer tradition of day camp in 2020! The five days of camp all included singing and flag ceremonies. The girls made GORP (good ol’ raisins and peanuts) snacks, prepared skits, and went hiking. With themed activities including creature stories, a unicorn bead activity, making unicorn snot (slime), unicorn masks, and dragon-style cooking, the girls fully embraced their individual unicorns! The troops ended their week in community service, by freshening up the picnic tables with a coat of paint.

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“Singing at the flag pole really impressed me because they were as loud as when at camp, but they were close to a busy public sidewalk.” — Jen, Troop Leader

OurOur Volunteers Girls Girl Scouts is a volunteer-run organization. We rely on our volunteers for everything from coaching and guiding girls as troop leaders, to helping facilitate the Cookie Program, to administrative help in the office, service unit volunteers, outdoor training facilitators, and so much more. Girl Scouts of Western Ohio is fortunate to have an amazing group of dedicated and capable volunteers.

95%

10,121

of troop leaders indicated that being a troop leader allows them to use their skills, talents, and passions.

Volunteers

A lifetime of Girl Scout volunteering! Rebecca Nored was a Girl Scout volunteer for more than 60 years. She is the kind of volunteer that comes along once in a generation; Mrs. Nored was a troop leader and active in the service unit. Her deep devotion and genuine love for the girls was so apparent; it inspired all of us to do better—and to be better. Mrs. Nored was recognized for her service within Girl Scouts. She received the Paddle Wheel Award, the Appreciation Pin, the Thanks Badge, and the Thanks Badge 2. She also received this council’s highest award for women who are changemakers in the community, the Woman of Distinction recognition. But these recognitions were not what Mrs. Nored cared about. She cared about the kids. A former Girl Scout in her troop says, “When you were in Mrs. Nored’s troop, you felt special. You were like a part of her family.” Mrs. Nored passed away in 2014, but not before she profoundly impacted lives of thousands of children, both in and outside of Girl Scouts. In November 2021, the City of Cincinnati named a street in Mrs. Nored’s honor. We are so proud to call her a sister Girl Scout.

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Mrs. Nored’s daughter, Darlene, pictured at Rebecca Nored Avenue in Cincinnati.

Our Community Partners Despite the challenges in 2021, Girl Scouts of Western Ohio continued to offer quality program events for our girls. Program events, which are planned by the council, are designed to give girls the opportunity to try new things in each of our four program pillars.

STEM

Outdoor

Life Skills

Entrepreneurship

For 2021 program events were all about flexibility – events were offered virtually, in person, with program partners, at our camps – all the combinations you can think of! Regardless of the format, girls learned, explored, and had fun.

2021 Programs at a glance

5,269

3/4 of girls

1,000+

Girls participated in council-sponsored programs

Program partners

participated in 3 or more Girl Scout activities

Smiles created

Since 2014, Honda has supported Girl Scouts of Western Ohio’s STEM programming. This aligns with Honda’s organizational priority to introduce more girls to the wonderful world of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math). In 2021, COVID-19 couldn’t stop Honda’s commitment to Girl Scouts. This year, the STEM Challenge powered by Honda, went virtual! Girls chose 3 STEM challenges curated by Girl Scouts of Western Ohio to complete this program and earn a patch.

Girls watched interviews of women in STEM careers, like Jan Davis, an astronaut; they conducted fun experiments, like making and using a catapult; and they were able to reflect on which STEM careers were most interesting to them.

After completing three activities, girls earned a commemorative GSWO STEM Challenge patch; thanks to the support from Honda.

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OurOur Supporters Girls Girl Scouts of Western Ohio relies on the generosity of individual donors, corporations, foundations, our staff, board members, and organizations to help fund our council operations, programs and initiatives.

939 113

These donations helped the council fund over $425,000 in financial assistance to girls in 2021, provide Community Outreach programming to girls in underserved areas, engage girls in key programs related to STEM and financial literacy, and send girls to camp who may not have the opportunity to attend without assistance, among other priorities.

Individual donors

Corporations, foundations, & organizations

Juliette Gordon Low planned giving society members

Donor Spotlight

Leadership Circle

In 2021, Girl Scouts of Western Ohio launched the Leadership Circle. Leadership Circle is comprised of individual donors who have committed at least $1,000 annually in donations to Girl Scouts of Western Ohio. Members of the Leadership Circle form a powerful voice of support for girls in their community. Where they are able, they not only invest their resources, but also invest their time in special programming designed to uplift and inspire girls. In 2021, 99 donors were members of Leadership Circle, generating more than $250,000 in revenue.

Comprised of donors who have committed at least

$1,000 annually

99 donors were members of Leadership Circle Annual Report 2021 | Page 10

Over

$250,000 generated in revenue

Finance Report The programmatic cost of supporting a girl in Girl Scouts is approximately $360 per year. This cost is the shared responsibility of the troop, caregivers, and the council (The Girl Scout Council includes all members, including the troops and service units involved in delivering Girl Scouting within our geographic region).

8,868 Girls participated in Community Outreach programming

$ $427,831 Total financial assistance

49 Girls

were provided a full week at Resident Camp through our “Camp for Every Girl Program”

10,867 Girls received financial assistance

* Camps were held at reduced capacity in 2021.

2021 Revenue

2021 Expenses

50.6%

Product Program & Merchandise Sales

21.2%

Investment Return

13.6%

COVID Assistance Funds

7.7%

Charitable Contributions

4.2%

Program Fees and Dues

2.7%

United Way Allocations

85.5%

Program Services

Annual Report 2021 | Page 11

7.3%

7.2%

Fundraising

Mission Core Services

Michigan Lucas Fulton

Williams

Defiance

Service Centers

Wood

Henry

Ottawa

Paulding Putnam

Van Wert

Hancock

B B

Toledo

Lima

Dayton

Cincinnati

Allen Hardin

Camps

Auglaize

Mercer

1 2

Logan Shelby

3 4

Darke Champaign

Miami

Indiana

Preble

Montgomery Greene 4 4 Warren

Butler

6 6

Cincinnati 4930 Cornell Road Cincinnati, OH 45242

Dayton 450 Shoup Mill Road Dayton, OH 45415

Lima 1870 W. Robb Avenue Lima, OH 45805

Toledo 460 W. Dussel Drive, Suite A Maumee, OH 43537

Clinton

D D Dearborn

Clark

C C

Camp Libbey Camp Woodhaven Camp Rolling Hills Camp Stonybrook Camp Whip Poor Will Camp Butterworth

Hamilton Clermont

Ohio

Brown

Kentucky

Board of Directors 2021-2022

Secretary Patrice Borders Prevention Strategies, LLC

Officers

Treasurer Susan Gantz Matz Retired, Lyondell Chemicals, LLP

Chair Victoria Nilles Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office 1st Vice Chair Cassie Barlow Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education (SOCHE) 2nd Vice Chair Kimber Fender Retired, Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library

Members-at-Large Maria Arcocha White Inclusity Sheri Bogardus Payce Angela Carter Owens Corning Melissa Cutcher Technology First

Elizabeth Dreyer Morgan Stanley

Pam Viscione Retired, Procter & Gamble

Michelle Furlong Horan

Carole Williams Mount St. Joseph University

Corinne Hemesath Retired, Morgan Stanley

Vonda Willis Vonda K. Willis, LLC

Theresa Hirschauer Cincinnati Country Day School Jackie Janning-Lask Air Force Life Cycle Management Center

Girl Member Siobhan Miller Kaitlyn Lott

Bleuzette Marshall University of Cincinnati

Immediate Past Chair Ellen Iobst IOBST Supply Chain Consulting, LLC

Jenny Michael CareSource Teanya Norwood-Ekwenna ProMedica Bill Schretter Life-Legacy Services Melanie Towns Fifth Third Bank

Ex-Officio — Non-Voting Members

Chief Executive Officer Girl Scouts of Western Ohio Roni J. Luckenbill In Partnership With:

888.350.5090 | gswo.org customercare@gswo.org