Girl Scouts Case Analysis

Essay by kd1077University, Bachelor'sA+, June 2005

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Current Situation

Today there are approximately 3.6 million Girl Scouts in the U.S. (GSUSA), including over 2.7 million girls and nearly 900,000 adult members, most of who are volunteers. Membership is open to girls starting at age 5 through age 17. Membership is at an all-time high. Due to specific target initiatives, growth in 1999 was especially strong among Hispanic and African-American girls.

GSUSA is part of a larger organization known as World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. GSUSA has a U.S. membership of over 3.6 million girls, including 900,000 adult members/volunteers. The organization operates on a corporate level, headed by a board of directors, national president, and national executive director. The local councils are considered small business units (SBUs) and are directed by a board and an executive director. There are over 300 councils and 226,000 troops in the U.S. and overseas. To maintain consistency, local councils are evaluated annually to re-establish their charter.

The corporate level conducts strategic marketing planning every four years.

Key Issues

Major issues for GSUSA include recruitment and retention efforts. Retention of older girls is an issue because they have many choices (e.g., athletics, academic programs, or special interests) and demands on their time.

Another issue is that local councils have the opportunity to change priorities or to add other goals peculiar to their local efforts. It is up to them to establish how they will meet the goals and objectives. This can lead to a breakdown in the process, especially involving recruitment. The example given is that the local council might decide not to use nationally prepared brochures and literature, opting instead to localize and personalize these efforts, resulting in limited membership opportunities.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths:

Membership at all-time high

Diverse membership

Expanded coverage area (140 countries) through...