You may have heard references to the Blue Book of Basic Documents – so what is it? It’s the collection of governance and policy documents for our national organization. If you are a National or council delegate, you should be generally familiar with what it is and what’s in it. This article about the Blue Book is designed to give you an overview of how our organization’s structure is set up within its governing documents.
The Blue Book has gone through a number of changes throughout Girl Scouting’s history. It originally started as a manual for captains (who are now known as troop leaders). It has always contained the Constitution and Bylaws for the Girl Scout organization, but as our organization grew and changed, more was added. Eventually, the Blue Book morphed into what we know it as today. It contains these documents:
- The Constitution of Girl Scouts of the United States of America
- The Bylaws of Girl Scouts of the United States of America
- Policies of Girl Scouts of the United States of America
- Credentials
- Criteria and Standards for an Effective Girl Scout Council
- Congressional Charter of Girl Scouts of the United States of America
THE GSUSA CONSTITUTION
First of all, what is a constitution? Per Robert’s Rules of Order, 11th Edition: “In general, the constitution or the bylaws – or both – of a society are the documents that contain its own basic rules relating principally to itself as an organization, rather than the parliamentary procedure that it follows.” In other words, these are the hard and steadfast rules that we must follow. Within the GSUSA Constitution, you can find these sections:
- Preamble
- Article I: Name of the Corporation
- Article II: Purpose of the Corporation
- Article III: The Girl Scout Program
- Article IV: The National Council
- Article V: Sessions of the National Council
- Article VI: Proposals to the National Council
- Article VII: Local Girl Scout Councils
- Article VIII: Credentials
- Article IX: Membership Dues
- Article X: National Board of Directors
- Article XI: Officers
- Article XII: National Board Development Committee, Nominations, and Elections
- Article XIII: Partial Terms
- Article XIV: Finance
- Article XV: Insignia
- Article XVI: Bylaws
- Article XVII: Amendments
While it might seem boring, it’s a good idea to at least read through the Constitution a few times, even if it doesn’t make sense to you at first or if you’re not a governance expert. Its topics will be referenced at some point, and there are usually Constitutional amendment proposals at National Council Sessions. It’s important for you to be knowledgeable of their context and what they mean and entail.
THE BYLAWS
If you have a constitution, what’s the point of having bylaws? Usually organizations do not have a constitution – only bylaws. But larger organizations, such as GSUSA, have both. In GSUSA’s case, our Bylaws go into more detail than the GSUSA Constitution. Per Robert’s Rules, the authority specified in a constitution always supersede those in bylaws. The sections of our Bylaws include:
- Article I: Meetings of the National Board of Directors
- Article II: Officers
- Article III: International Commissioner
- Article IV: Executive Committee
- Article V: Committees
- Article VI: Finance
- Article VII: Indemnification
- Article VIII: Blue Book of Basic Documents
- Article IX: Geographical Areas
- Article X: Parliamentary Authority
- Article XI: Amendments
POLICIES
The Policies section of the Blue Book states GSUSA’s principles, rules, and guidelines. While councils have some operational independence according to our governance structure, the GSUSA policies on the following subjects govern the entire organization and cannot be changed or overridden:
- Endorsements/Trademark/ Marketing/Internet Sales
- Fundraising
- Girl Scout Council/USAGSO
- Membership Registration/ Security of Membership Data
- Pluralism And Diversity/ Human Resources
- Spirituality/Religion
CREDENTIALS
The Credentials section lists the requirements for certificates of membership, procedures and standards for local council charters, and all other credentials. This section covers:
- Certificate of Membership
- Membership Dues and Procedures for Registration
- Girl Scout Council Charter
- Requirements for a Girl Scout Council Charter
- Conditions for a Girl Scout Council Charter
- Procedures for Reviewing And Issuing Girl Scout Council Charters
- Procedures for a Charter Viability Review
- Procedures for Non-Issuance or Revocation Of Charters
- Standards for a Girl Scout Council Jurisdiction
- Procedures for Changing a Girl Scout Council Jurisdiction
- Procedure for Changing a Girl Scout Council Name
CRITERIA AND STANDARDS FOR AN EFFECTIVE GIRL SCOUT COUNCIL
As stated in the Blue Book, “The criteria and standards for an effective Girl Scout council are established by the National Board of Directors to delineate the way in which Girl Scout councils are expected to fulfill their charter requirements.” Councils are judged based on three criteria:
- Mission Delivery
- Governance and Administration
- Resource Development and Community Engagement
THE CONGRESSIONAL CHARTER OF GIRL SCOUTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A congressional charter is a law passed by the U.S. Congress and describes the purpose, authority, and actions of an organization. Congress does not supervise and leaves that up to the organization’s constitution and/or bylaws. A Congressional Charter was conferred upon Girl Scouts of the United States of America in 1950 by a special act of Congress. Nothing in the charter can be amended except by an act of Congress! Its sections include:
§ 80301. Organization
§ 80302. Purposes
§ 80303. Governing Body
§ 80304. Powers
§ 80305. Exclusive Rights to Emblems, Badges, Marks, and Words
§ 80306. Restrictions
§ 80307. Annual Report (this section is no longer required as of May 15, 2000)
- For more specifics about the Blue Book, visit GSG’s Blue Book FAQ.
- Want to know what’s been changed through the years? Check out the Blue Book change log.