Helping Transform a Treasured Community Organization
Where can you build your own robot, create the perfect s’more over a campfire, plant a tree in your community, or film your own movie? Girl Scouts, that’s where!
And that’s just the beginning. Girl Scouts is building on 100+ years of giving girls opportunities they couldn’t get elsewhere – and they are evolving their approach to remain relevant today. The founders may not have been able to imagine today’s STEM curriculum topics, but they would feel right at home with the focus on leadership, belonging, and addressing community needs.
Crafting the Girl Scouts of Central Texas Strategic Plan
This spring, we had the joy of working with the Girl Scouts of Central Texas (GSCTX) leadership team and board to create their next three-year strategic plan. They were wrapping up their previous strategic plan and seeking to create a plan and roadmap that could be iteratively refined over the next three years.
We worked with the GSCTX team to conduct situational analysis across a dozen areas, such as market research, membership statistics, and annual survey findings. Together we considered how to make the most of high brand awareness, strong community relationships, and wide-ranging programming, while responding to changes in how families approach extracurricular activities post-covid. Top of mind was how to connect the dots between what GSCTX offers and what parents and youth are seeking, since research indicated substantial overlap.
We compiled strategic imperatives identified through situational analysis, and then we used dot voting with the strategic planning work group to prioritize them. For each of the top four strategic imperatives, we identified up to five operational priorities that are critical to achieving the imperative. We also identified up to five key performance indicators to track our progress toward achieving each strategic imperative.
With the overarching objectives clear, we collaborated with the GSCTX executive team in creating a three-year roadmap to achieve them. We plotted each operational priority along the timeline, factoring in dependencies, annual cadences, and resource constraints. We identified high-level activities needed to accomplish each operational priority, making sure to balance activities across the three-year timeframe.
Reflecting on the Experience
Through the effort, we were fortunate to gain exposure to inspiring stories from central Texas, throughout the United States, and beyond. The GSCTX leadership team took in new and surprising information thoughtfully, truly considered how potential priorities could impact the youth of central Texas, and then rallied around the plan and roadmap.
Ultimately, we understood far more clearly how Girl Scouts builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.
We asked Paula Bookidis, CEO of Girl Scouts of Central Texas, to share a few words about her experience through this project:
I am grateful for your help creating the strategic plan, working with our task group, and supporting me. Working with you was easy and fun, and your quick understanding of our business model added immeasurable value to the work.
Multiplying Community Investment
The FlexPoint team was happy to provide this project on a “low bono” basis in recognition of the contribution that Girl Scouts of Central Texas makes to our community. We delivered the GSCTX strategic plan for and with their leadership team according to their required timeframe – while providing our services at a more than 50% discount.
We’re looking for opportunities to invest in more community organizations.
We invite you to learn more about the FlexPoint Community Investment Program, including three unique ways for non-profit and community organizations to engage with us on a pro bono or low bono basis. If you are engaged with a non-profit organization that can benefit in any of these areas, please share this with them!
