Clusters, destinations, TAB and older girl specific events are hosted regularly. Encourage girls to look through Journey books for next program level.

New and innovative program ideas are always welcome- please email a program team member with specific ideas!

Partnerships with service unit leadership in the area to enhance the GSLE are encouraged. Please contact a program team member.

Planning is currently underway for larger events in 2009 and 2010 so that any girl who wants to participate can. Please provide any recommendations/facilities to program staff.

The April Program News article provided some clarity. As we receive updated resources from GSUSA, we will continue to share them with you.

Mailings to all households go out every August with the list of program offerings. With Program News moving online, that will be another ongoing opportunity to connect directly with girls and parents. Please encourage families to provide email addresses.

There are over 100 community partners that offer badges and program enhancements. A goal is to have all the information online in the next 6 months so that it is more readily available. In the meantime, please contact the program team for referrals and resources.

Additional service opportunities/ resources will be hosted online with the new website by the end of 2009.

Press releases to all area papers regarding Gold Award recipients are a priority, please submit ideas and contacts to the communications department.

The planning for 2009-2010 programs will take this recommendation into account.

Each active cluster has unique needs and dynamics, however all clusters are intended to be girl led and directed. Clusters should not replace service unit or troop activities as they are offered as an additional pathway for those girls who desire more of the Girl Scout experience and interaction with other older girls. For more information, please contact Robin Lemon at rlemon@girlscoutssdi.org.

The prestige and consistency of the Gold Award is an important process. Requirements, policies, processes and procedures of approving awards are being updated. Additional resources from GSUSA are expected in the summer of 2009 and will be shared.

All program level curriculums have been updated to better meet the needs of our leaders and girls.

Clusters in Imperial Valley are being re-activated to better support the older girls and provide ongoing information about GS opportunities. Contact your volunteer support coordinator to learn about neighboring service unit events or other experienced leaders willing to share older girl activity ideas.

The 2009 Restaurant Week coverage was terrific. There were 15 articles or photos published and received coverage on several radio and TV stations. The local newspapers are very supportive of Girl Scouting, and have printed as many as 500 articles or photos about the girls and their service each year. Unfortunately, as publications downsize because of declining ad revenue, there's less space for coverage. The council communications department is the sole contact for the San Diego Union-Tribune, North County Times, and radio and TV stations (so that coverage can be coordinated and maximized). However, troops and service units are encouraged to submit information about their activities directly to the community newspapers with a copy to council. Communications Director Mary Doyle is available to help you determine who to contact and what to provide. You can reach her at mdoyle@girlscoutssdi.org or (619) 610-0710.

Currently Girl Scouts USA has a partnership with Kappa Delta Sorority and they have volunteered with us on a number of council events. At Cookie Kick Off volunteers from Sigma Rho assisted throughout the event.

Volunteer Support and Membership Development coordinators will partner and engage service unit teams in developing membership goals. The new database (Personify) will also include training records to make it easier for any staff member to retrieve and send to volunteers. We will also ask membership staff to provide service unit teams with quarterly updates on progress towards membership goals.

Increasing our market share in the Hispanic/Latino community is a high priority. Many outreach and membership development staff are bilingual and work to support other staff and volunteers that are not. Recently, a new membership position was created to focus on supporting monolingual staff with outreach and to help build a volunteer network of support. A bilingual intern began in April to develop a resource and recruitment directory to improve partnerships in North county's Hispanic/Latino community. Girl Scouts, San Diego-Imperial Council was chosen to participate in Hispanic Membership and Marketing Initiative with Girl Scouts USA to begin assessments in March 2009. New Leader Orientation, Ready, Set Lead and all the forms inside have been translated as of 3-6-2008. GSUSA translated resources include:

• Online Volunteer Orientation
• FAQs The Girl Scouts Leadership Experience (Answers to Frequent Asked Questions)
• Journeys
• Transforming Leadership
• Want your daughter to be a leader? (tips for parents)
• Safetywise
• Activities: Follow the Leader, Songbooks, Uniquely Me, Got Money, Nature and Science
• Guide for Juniors
• Brownie Handbook & Try-Its
• Guide For Brownie
• Daisy Girl Scouts

Alumnae are engaged and recruited for volunteer opportunities.

As service unit members increase the number of ideas on getting parents involved, girl activities and community partners increase. Please engage with other volunteers to build Girl Scout community in IV. Program was helping volunteers to create a resource guide for the Valley and volunteers can share information.

As new troops start, all volunteers are encouraged to take part in the leadership of the troop and create a team to support the girls. A parent handbook is being developed to further encourage additional parent participation.

A standardized agenda for round tables has been developed. Council booths will be available for information only and will not part of a presentation at round tables this year.

Volunteers know their communities best. Membership staffs strive to build a strong recruitment program in partnership with volunteers through the troop organizer model. Spring Membership Campaign 2010 outlines ideas for a strong recruitment program.

All sinks have been repaired and currently are in working order. Water and soap on the floor would come from use of the bathroom and should be cleaned up in the normal contract cleaning service schedule. If the bathroom is found to be unsafe due to soap and water on the floor, staff and/or troop leaders or other volunteers using the property should clean the area affected to ensure the safety of girls, then report the incident/situation on the property use form.

The question refers to the Escondido Program Center. The property director has performed a general assessment of maintenance and safety issues at all properties and has developed a timeline to address them.

The new building (Leadership Center) completed the inspection process and now holds an "Occupancy Permit" and is used daily. Air conditioning was deleted from the building design to satisfy the neighbors who fought the construction of the building in general and the noise of air conditioning equipment specifically. To get approval from the Balboa Park Planning Board to build, this was a necessary concession. To improve comfort in the building, we intend to install ceiling fans and are researching a ventilation system to draw cool air in from outdoors displacing the heat.

A new commercial property is being sought at this time. Form and function of a new location has been identified through collaboration with the IV staff and a commercial property broker engaged to start the process.

As council embraces Personify and e-business for membership, program, training, it is expected that this process will be improved. Online registration will provide real time confirmation and payment.

All VSCs are encouraged to attend a troop meeting as time permits. They attend service unit meetings regularly. Program, membership, volunteer development, and outdoor staff do attend meetings throughout the year. Feel free to invite specific staff members to your meetings.

New employees, particularly those that work with volunteers, spend a period of time "shadowing" with a experienced professional (typically, the Manager and strongest performer), observing everything that she/he does related to the work that is expected to be accomplished as part of the daily routine of the position. This occurs at two points in the Girl Scouts position training process. First, the employee is exposed to the following information on the first day of hire:

• Girl Scouts Mission and The Girl Scout Promise/ Law
• Girl Scouts Strategic Plan
• Girl Scouts Program Levels
• Council Departments Overview - What each member of the organization is responsible for
• Council Policies and Procedures

Secondly, new employees are partnered with their Manager and the strongest performer to observe the workings of the Council. At this stage, what the employees learned in orientation specifically related to policies and procedures are put into action. Employees that are required to train volunteers typically shadow a certified volunteer to gain a broader scope of the volunteer training in action. Employees are strongly encouraged to attend troop meetings, Council board meeting and meetings that are relevant to their responsibilities. To address inconsistency with answers and questions, those employees that are responsible for providing important information to volunteers and girls have created internal FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) lists in an effort to provide clear, concise and consistent messages to everyone. This FAQ information is then disseminated to "All Staff." Both internal staff training and internal policies and procedures are periodically reviewed for as the internal and external demands change. Any and all information communicated from Girl Scouts of the USA are immediately reported to all staff through from the CEO, Directors, Managers and employees that have direct contact with Girl Scouts of the USA via All Staff Council Updates, email and team meetings.

A web developer is now on staff (as of April 1). Many of the current site's issues are being resolved. An interim site that will include a new look, updated information and improved functionality is in development and is on track to be up mid-year. Once it's functioning, work will begin on a completely revised site that can include many of the suggestions received. Delivering training via webinars and podcasts is also being investigated.

On-line registration for membership is a functionality that will likely be available to re-registering troops in the 2011 or 2012 membership year. GSUSA is currently testing an on-line membership re-registration system. Training registration forms that can be submitted electronically will be available starting in the fall of 2009.

High quality customer service standards require that all staff strive to return calls/ emails within 24 hours. If that is not happening, please contact the department manager.

Almost all program events can be found in Program News and in the resource center, and are advertised at least two months prior to the program. In addition, all council sponsored events are published in August for your planning consideration. Occasionally Girl Scouts offer special program opportunities. Information is disseminated to troop leaders as timely a manner as possible. On-line registration processes are under development. Camp registration is currently offered on-line. Program News is moving online and will be accessible to all leaders, families and girls.

The less than $250 limit for a troop to receive is based on recommendations from accounting advisors. Limitations are also set in place by the federal government.

Unfortunately with the exception of troop meetings and SU meetings this is not possible due to the increased costs of utilities and property maintenance the Council has experienced over the last 4 years. In order to continue to provide use of the properties to members at a reasonable cost an increase in fees was necessary. Every effort was made to keep the fees manageable to our members.

As the website gets re-worked, it may replace the need for many of the paper forms currently in use. Combining forms and streamlining processes will make it easier for our membership. Some forms are required due to risk management processes; however, many of these forms will soon be PDF fillable forms that can be submitted online.

GSUSA continues to assess solutions to the GSUSA membership card. As a Council the decision was made to include a membership card with each 2010 membership form that the registering member can complete themselves. Very positive feedback was received about the membership card on the 2010 membership form at the registrar roundtables held at EPC and Balboa on March 24 & 26. The 2010 membership forms were distributed to currently registered members in late March and early April.

On-line registration for program and training will become available in the next 12 months. GSUSA is testing a solution that all Councils will be able to use to better serve their membership.

Updates to the web site will add more camp specific information. camp2009@girlscoutssdi.org is the quickest way to get a response. The team responsible for camp registration is highly committed to providing the best customer service and wants to ensure that calls are answered in a timely manner and with the correct information.

The camp staff sing a different version that does not involve the word "splat." Occasionally kids will create new words to songs and we leave it up to leaders to monitor the songs and correct language.

2009-2010 program considerations will include these types of program activities. All approved collaborators who offer these programs are available to contact year round. Contact the program or outdoor teams for more information.

Service Units who do not leave a site "better than they found it" are penalized by not getting their deposit back. There is not a system in place to penalize SU for the encampment lottery, as encampment directors and troop leaders change year to year and we don't want to penalize new encampment directors for past issues. Each service unit goes into each draw equally.

This is a good idea. We will look into the logistics of such a program. Girls are currently allowed to interview for volunteer positions within our Balboa Council Store to work off their destinations cost.

This is possible and a great idea. The change would most likely occur for the new year in fall 2009.

All store hours are being evaluated and will be adjusted beginning September. Staffing and scheduling is always a challenge. Please recommend qualified and available candidates as appropriate.

Our council sponsors the nut sale and cookie program, although troops may participate in other money earning projects that are within the financial guidelines. The Girl Scout nuts are a quality product with Girl Scout branding, which sets our troops apart from other fundraisers. The council decided to sell nuts instead of calendars, because it would allow troops to increase their income in the fall and would not conflict with product sold through schools and other organizations. Troops earn $1.50 per can sold. 100% of cookie proceeds stay in San Diego and Imperial County. Thanks in large part to the cookie program, our council provides over 45 exciting girl programs each year for nearly 30,000 girls. Proceeds are also used to offer hundreds of low-cost adult training courses, such as CPR and First Aid, to ensure safe and effective leadership for girls. The remainder helps maintain our three camps and four program centers and enable us to offer camps at a significantly reduced rate. Troops are encouraged to look closely at the annual report, which provides specific information regarding the income and expenses of our council.

The Girl Scout Cookie Program is the best leadership and entrepreneurial program for girls. It's not just a way for troops to earn money. If a family donated money rather than their daughter participating in the program, their girl would not benefit from the many learning experiences the cookie program offers. Although, we understand the time restraints families are under these days and we are currently exploring more time efficient ways we can help girls participate without losing the programmatic impact.

Every summer, we work very hard to make sure ourur incentive program exciting and meaningful for our girls. Girls vote on the recognitions, as well as the t-shirt designs and they have consistently voted on the shirts that do not say Girl Scouts. An attempt to find American products has been made, unfortunately there are not very many options available. Three items this year are made in the U.S. At our higher box levels, fun activities have been offered to girls instead of giving them more stuff. The feedback received has been very positive as girls are making great memories at these events. This year, the first ever event at the 650 box level was held. Each year will continue to listen to our volunteer and girl feedback and implement changes and improvements as needed.

We understand how that the use of palm oils in baked goods (and many other products, e.g., cosmetics, etc.) matter to many girls and their adult volunteer leaders. Girls are encouraged to learn more about the issue and to consider positive ways they can use their "Cookies4aChange" troop cookie proceeds to contribute to organizations and projects that will lead to further reducing the environmental impacts. "As a socially responsible company, we take our commitment to the environment very seriously. Kellogg conducts its business in ways that respect the environment and demonstrate good stewardship of our world's natural resources. The limited amount of palm-based oils we use are from suppliers on the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), a group working to promote the growth and use of sustainable palm oil.

Kellogg Company is also a member of the RSPO." The Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is a group working to promote the growth and use of sustainable palm oil. You can find more information regarding the ingredients the baker uses at http://www.littlebrowniebakers.com/cookies/news_ingredients.html

Evaluations of the information given at these trainings are being performed in order to keep these meetings short and simple. Online trainings to make this process more flexible are being considered. SUCC roundtables will be held this summer to discuss this further.

Ongoing efforts ensure there is an effective system for checks and balances for troop and service unit financials. Last year 1983 troops (94%) and 56 (100%) service unit financials were collected and audited by volunteers and staff.

A model for Adult Volunteer Progression that will help build the volunteer level of expectation, evaluation and succession plan for each position is currently being developed.

Encampment directors are offered an encampment training that specifically recommends a girl planning aspect for all encampments. Activity Consultants are also taught this in their training and round-tables. An encampment director roundtable will be held in the future and will cover best practices for involving girls in the planning process. We do not have any rules that limit troops from selling on certain days during our booth sale dates or excluding certain troops from booth sales. We have begun to invite the Service Unit Manager to our service unit cookie coordinator trainings to encourage consistent messaging to our volunteers, hopefully this won't be an issue in the future.

Investigating using webinars and podcasts to deliver training. This request has been added to the project list.

At this time giving access to volunteers in the new database is not possible. The database requires access to advance internet and hardware technology which is unlikely that volunteers would have. In addition the application is not a web-based application like E-council. At some point it may be possible for volunteers to access the database in the resource centers. Information is easily transferrable to Excel. Please ask your volunteer support coordinator for information/reports you may need.

Thank you for this input. School testing schedules will be taken into consideration when scheduling assembly meetings.

By September 2009 an updated and integrated data collaboration system will be in place. Training recaps will go out regularly. All trainings are currently being updated and new enrichment courses will be added to support the entire adult development progression model. At our Leading the Way Conference we will launch many new resources to support adult progression- training will be included.