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issue no. 12
December 2013
NEWS
 
Annual Meeting 2014  

Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland will host their Annual Meeting on March 22, 2014, in Springfield, MO at the Ramada Oasis Convention Center. There will be discounted rooms available for Girl Scouts. Watch for your invitation coming in January 2014!

Online Delegate Training  

This year we will be holding three live webinars* for delegate training. Delegates can attend one of the webinars, then take their test online. We are also recording the webinars, so if you cannot attend a live one, you will be able to view the webinar and take your test at your convenience. 

 

*Webinar dates coming soon!

BOARD MEETING RECAP
 
November Board meeting focuses on property proposals, year-end numbers  

When it met November 15 at the Springfield Administrative Service Center, members of the GSMH Board of Directors unanimously voted to approve the implementation of the volunteer/community plans developed to retain Green Berry Acres Program Center (Cole County), Latonka Program Center (Wayne County), Mintahama Program Center (Newton County), and Sacajawea West Program Center (Pettis County) for an initial three-year term.

 

The plans are subject to review and revision on an ongoing basis. Each group was tasked with developing a proposal outlining plans to tackle deferred maintenance, operational costs, and declining usage for the Girl Scout properties located in its area. Three of the groups presented the proposals at the Board meeting. Additionally, the Board voted to move forward with the Property Committee's recommendation for divestment of the Sacajawea East Program Center (Cape Girardeau County) as no volunteer proposal was submitted. 

 

Board members learned that the council ended fiscal year 2013 about $300,000 in the red. However, operating expenses were about $274,000 under budget. Girl membership ended the year down 3.8 percent, and adult membership was up .5 percent. The number of girls participating in resident camp increased. The number of adults trained also increased. Product program revenue was down 1 percent. Public support and retail sales were down, while program service revenue was up. GSMH experienced a smaller decrease in girl membership and product program revenue during the past year than Girl Scouting did on a national level.

 

Board member Linda Regan (Springfield) reminded the Board that sponsors are needed for the Smart Cookies Gala February 8, 2014, at the Vesta Room in Springfield. Board Development Chair Brigitte Marrs asked board members for their help in identifying candidates for the Board whose names would be placed on the slate for the annual meeting on March 22, 2014. Candidates from the east region of the council are especially needed. Carolyn Harris (Sikeston) gave an update on the annual meeting, which will be held at the Ramada Oasis in Springfield.

 

New Board member Gregg Bexten (Jefferson City) attended his first Board meeting. Bexten, senior vice president at Hawthorn Bank in Jefferson City, has previous Girl Scout Board experience. He will serve on the GSMH Finance Committee.

 

The next Board meeting will take place January 17, 2014, in Springfield, MO.

UPDATES

Strategic Learning at GSMH

Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland is currently engaged in its second cycle of the Strategic Learning process. This work will set the direction for the council for 2014-2017. Strategic Learning is a process that was developed by Willie Pietersen, Columbia University Business School, and adopted by Girl Scouts of the USA several years ago. The key to Strategic Learning is to help build adaptive organizations ready to meet the challenges facing them and prepared to achieve their mission.

 

The Council Strategy Team, comprised of operational volunteers, board members, community volunteers, and council staff members, began their work in April 2013. They did intensive research to discover the "brutal truths" facing GSMH and began to develop the strategy that will help the council move forward in achieving the Girl Scout mission. The work of the team was approved by the council board of directors in September 2013. 

 

This work has produced five Strategic Priorities that will drive all of the efforts of GSMH during this upcoming three-year period. These priorities are:

  • Recruit, develop, retain, recognize and inspire volunteers who are equipped to support the Girl Scout program.
  • Develop and implement fun, quality, outcomes-based leadership experiences for girls.
  • Create sufficient and sustainable council funding by developing the potential of all council revenue streams and increasing contributed income.
  • Develop and implement flexible strategies to increase retention of girls in grades 1-7.
  • Build upon Girl Scouts' iconic brand to educate the public on the value of the Girl Scout program.

Staff Gap Teams are working now through early January 2014 to develop strategies to "close the gaps" that have been identified and move the council toward the achievement of these Strategic Priorities. They are eager to have more input from the volunteers.  Any input regarding these five priorities and strategies to achieve them can be emailed to the following addresses:

 

Volunteer Support Gap Team 

volsupport@girlscoutsmoheartland.org

 

Program Delivery Gap Team

prodel@girlscoutsmoheartland.org

 

Funding Gap Team

funding@girlscoutsmoheartland.org

 

Girl Retention Gap Team

keepgirls@girlscoutsmoheartland.org

 

Perception and Awareness Gap Team

pna@girlscoutsmoheartland.org

 

Anne Soots, Strategic Learning Project Manager
CALENDAR
 
Upcoming Dates to Remember

 

December 22, 2013

Discussion items for consideration at Annual 

Corporate Meeting due.

 

January-February 2014

Online Delegate Training.

 

Early/Mid-February 2014

Delegate Annual Meeting Packets mailed to delegates elect.

 

February-March 2014

Delegates relay governance information to constituency 

and get feedback from constituency.

 

March 1, 2014

All delegates must have completed delegate training 

and taken the delegate test.

 

March 22, 2014

Annual Meeting - Standing delegates term ends, 

delegates elect term begins.

In This Issue
Annual Meeting 2014
Online Delegate Training
Board Meeting Recap
Strategic Learning at GSMH
Upcoming Dates
About GSMH

Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland provides the premier leadership experience for girls. 

 

Our outcomes-based program model empowers girls to develop life and leadership skills that they will use for the rest of their lives.

 

Our council serves just over 16,000 girls and 5,000 adults across 68 counties in southern and central Missouri, southeast Kansas, and northeast Oklahoma.

 

About Girl Scouting

 

Contact Us
Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland

Web: www.girlscoutsmoheartland.org

General e-mail: gscouts@ girlscoutsmoheartland.org

Delegate feedback e-mail:
delegatefeedback@ girlscoutsmoheartland.org

Phone: 877-312-GSMH (4764)
GSMH Social Media 

facebook twitter blog youtube 

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest changes and information, read our blog for news and stories from around the council, and see great Girl Scouts-related videos on YouTube.

 

United Way