GSUSA's Membership & Volunteerism Department will host a full day of MVP-focused offerings, immediately following the 2010 Girl Scout Council Technology Conference (GSTechCon2010) at the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee. We encourage all COOs, as well as Vice Presidents of Membership, Volunteerism, and Program, to join us the evening of Sunday, July 11, and continue through the afternoon of Monday, July 12.

The highlight of these additional sessions is the release of new resources, as well as peer-to-peer sharing by 16 councils that have focused on membership-infrastructure planning. Since the fall of 2009, these councils have worked on building their systems and processes to ensure a strong infrastructure for the delivery of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE). As a follow-up to the June 2009 Membership Conference, three new models for volunteer delivery will be showcased.

Additionally, a number of pathways promising practices will be shared by councils that have implemented one or more pathways. Updates on staffing designs and membership marketing strategy will also be part of the program.

Sunday, July 11: A work session focused on pathway promising practices will immediately follow the conference dinner reception. Pathways align the way the Girl Scout program is delivered to girls. As a result, our way of work is impacted in multiple ways. In membership year 2010, promising practices are being collected nationally in the implementation of five pathways (camp, events, series, travel, and troop). Of primary importance are innovations in GSLE delivery, membership marketing strategy, volunteer delivery system, staff support, and financial planning. Those practices demonstrating success and potential for replication will be shared by councils, and discussion will include change management and early results of innovations.

Monday, July 12 (through 5:00 pm): This full day will focus on one of the most critical aspects of implementing volunteer delivery of the GSLE: a redesigned service delivery model. Based on work with 16 infrastructure-building councils and research with external organizations that utilize volunteers in service delivery, GSUSA has developed three new service-delivery models that will roll out to the entire movement on the final day of the conference. Participants will have the opportunity to review volunteer and staff service delivery concept models, hear from councils who have begun service delivery redesign, and engage in a national conversation with peers about service delivery redesign and change-management promising practices.

Membership and Volunteerism Conference Kickoff on Sunday, July 11
 
Celebrate a year of tremendous learning and innovation at the kickoff of the Membership and Volunteerism Conference! Join your council peers, GSUSA staff, and CEO Kathy Cloninger to ignite the evening of festivities, starting with a reception, followed by dinner and highlights of inspirational promising practices from councils around the country. After dinner, dive into conversation with your colleagues, and share your own success stories and learnings.

Peer-to-Peer Sessions on Monday, July 12

Strategizing Membership Growth
Create a plan, implement it, and grow! At this open forum, you will hear from council peers who have identified the best opportunities for membership growth and engaged cross-functional staff teams to develop plans for success. Join the conversation about how to leverage tools such as pathways for girls and volunteers, brand-engagement strategies, the Strategic Planning Report, and the 2010 Girl Scout brand marketing campaign. No matter where you are in the process, this session will help you serve more girls and volunteers than ever before.

Implementing Service Delivery System Redesign
In this session, you are invited to connect with other council staffers and discuss successes and challenges with your current organizational design. Engage in peer-to-peer sharing about how to ensure volunteer delivery of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. You will hear from councils that have initiated service-delivery redesign and how they have engaged staff and volunteers in their processes. Topics will include staffing and volunteer structures, organizational design, and staff and volunteer engagement.

Innovating Volunteer Management
A comprehensive, consistent volunteer management system is key to retaining volunteers and delivering the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. The goals for this session are to learn about managing Girl Scout volunteers, look at the current state of volunteerism at your council, and plan for identifying and implementing changes by providing practical tools and promising practices. This session provides an opportunity to learn from other councils about successful ways to engage, support, and communicate with Girl Scout volunteers.