NCS 2023 Proposal: Council Representation on the National Board

SUBMITTED BY

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta

STATEMENT OF PROPOSAL SUPPORTED

To amend Article X, Section 2 of the Constitution of Girl Scouts of the USA to insert the bold language:

The National Board of Directors shall consist of the President, the Vice Presidents, the Secretary, and the Treasurer; and 25 members-at large, at least three (3) of whom shall be Council Executives. The Chair of the National Board Development Committee, if not already elected to the National Board, shall be ex officio a member of the National Board. The Chief Executive Officer shall be an ex officio member without vote. The National Board shall at all times be representative of the various geographical areas of the country.

Council Executive

A Council Executive shall be defined as a person currently employed as the Chief Executive Officer of a chartered Girl Scout Council who meets the criteria for service as a member of the National Board. A Council Executive who ceases to be employed as the Chief Executive Officer of a chartered Girl Scout Council shall be deemed to have automatically resigned as a member of the National Board, and such vacancy shall be filled by a new Council Executive.

REASONS:
1. What makes this proposal important to the future of Girl Scouting across the country?
2. What is the Movement-wide benefit adoption of the proposal will provide?

The purposes of this proposal are to (1) improve communication, transparency, accountability and trust between the National Board, GSUSA, councils, and the membership at large and (2) facilitate better decision making by the National Board with respect to movement priorities.

The addition of Council Executives to the National Board addresses a missing perspective that elevates the experiences and needs of current volunteers, girls, and councils. While the National Board typically includes one or more individuals who formerly served as Council board chairs, these individuals lack a real-time connection to the experiences of current girls and volunteers in our movement, as well as the experiences of local councils. Council Executives would serve as advocates for local Girl Scouting to allow the National Board to better understand and prioritize initiatives that impact the member experience and address critical pain points like the national technology platforms (e.g., VS 2.0, GSEvents, Digital Cookie) that have hindered the achievement of strategic movement goals. Council Executives can provide a valuable perspective to the National Board with respect to sensitive issues such as dues increases and gender expression and assist the National Board in better understanding how their decisions will be perceived at the local level. The addition of council voices to the National Board will facilitate better alignment of our movement behind our national strategy in the area of operational excellence, which seeks to transform our culture, operations, funding model, and governance in visible and impactful ways.

FINANCIAL IMPACT STATEMENT
Indicate the projected expenditures and impact on resources for councils and the national organization, for a five (5) year period.

There is no financial impact to local councils or the national organization.

Council webinar (you may have to be signed into a Google account in order to view the video):