History: The Gap Teams

Bridging the 'gap' between Girl Scouts today and Girl Scouts of the future
The Gap Teams developed a pathway to bridge the “gap” between where Girl Scouts is today and where we want to go in the future. Gap Team members were appointed by CEO Kathy Cloninger in January 2005, and their work was guided by the strategic priorities for Girl Scouts developed in 2004 as central to the Core Business Strategy.

With a priority on mobilizing expertise from across the organization, Gap Teams included:

• Girl Scout CEOs, board members, and national headquarters staff;
• CEOs from each market area (Urban, Emerging, High-Share, and Low-Density);
• Representatives from councils with declining membership or income, as well as from councils experiencing increases in these sectors; and
• Insight from members with fewer than five years of tenure in Girl Scouts, balanced with historical perspectives from members with more than 10 years of tenure.

The Gap Teams focused on six areas:

1. Program Model and Pathways: Build the best integrated personal/leadership development model that defines activities and outcomes, differentiated by age level, for girls 5 to 17 and offers flexible pathways for participation. Learn more.
2. Volunteerism: Develop a nimble state-of-the-art model of volunteerism that mobilizes a diverse cadre of volunteers committed to the Girl Scout mission. Learn more.
3. Brand: Transform the Girl Scout image into a compelling, contemporary brand. Learn more.
4. Funding: Substantially increase contributed income. Learn more.
5. Governance and Organizational Structure: Create an efficient and effective organizational structure and democratic governance system. Learn more.
6. Culture: Lead the transformation of our culture, which is a key component of the broader transformation of Girl Scouting. Learn more.