Becoming Australia’s leading organisation for girls and young women in leadership and personal development

The GGA strategic plan and what it means for YOU

The Board of Girl Guides Australia has signed off on a new strategic plan. For leaders, other volunteers and Guides of all ages, the new strategic plan will deliver direct benefits and positive changes. It will position us to continue to change the lives of girls and young women in the 21st century.

What is the GGA strategic plan?

Our declining membership

Our current difficulty in recruiting and retaining volunteers

Our weak brand in the external market

Our unsustainable financial position

Our inefficient and unfocused organisational structures

Our culture

The new strategic plan is a map of who we are, where we want to be and the steps we’ll be taking to get there. The GGA strategic plan is broken up into six focus areas. Each area is designed to address issues impacting on our growth and future success. The issues we need to address include:

Why is the GGA strategic plan so important?

• Our mission is to enable girls and young women to become confident, self-respecting, responsible community members. We do this well BUT…

• Since 1991, our membership has been declining. Unless we take some steps to address the things that we know are holding us back, this decline will continue. Simply put, implementation of the GGA strategic plan will help us to ensure Guiding is around for the next 100 years.

Our six focus areas unveiled

1. High quality leadership with increased flexibility and support

2. Reinvigorated brand

3. Redesigned program experience (including outdoors)

4. Unified, stronger national organisation

5. New ‘commercial’ model and sustainable funding

6. Disciplined change management and project managementIn the next six slides, we’ll take a look at how these focus areas will make a positive difference to Guiding in communities around Australia as you join us in our journey towards a new and sustainable future.

What does the GGA strategic plan look like?

Unified, strong national

organisation

Reinvigorated brand

High quality leadership, with

increased support and flexibility

Redesigned program

experience (including outdoors)

Disciplined change

management and project

management

Girls and young women learn by doing through engaging, practical, fun activities: Values-Based Leadership & Advocacy,

Life Skills, Confidence & Self-Esteem

Revitalising the Movement

New ‘commercial’ model and sustainable

funding

Australia’s leading

organisation for girls and young women

in leadership and personal development

Growing membership & active Alumni

Sustainable surplus, with

diversity of income

National “top of mind” positioning as the leadership development organisation for girls and young women

While our mission remains the same the GGA board identified its aspiration for Guiding in 2015

To achieve this, some concrete goals were developedWe also needed to ensure we are clear about what we deliver

Six focus areas were developed

1. High quality leadership

So, what’s the current situation for leaders and other volunteers?

“It’s hard to find new leaders”• Leaders report feeling unsupported.• It’s hard for leaders to get the right information. This leads to a

feeling of isolation.• Flexible volunteering is not fully utilised to help support leaders.

What does the FUTURE look like?:• We will develop more relevant resources and training.• Increased flexibility in training will ensure leaders and other

volunteers feel supported in their roles and more valued.• It will be easier to be a leader and a volunteer. Volunteers will have

the opportunity to work in roles that suit their skills and availability. This will make it easier to attract new leaders.

• Leaders and volunteers will feel like they are a part of a valued, nationally-focused organisation. An increased sense of belonging will make it easier to talk the one language.

Why is it important?

We need to attract and retain quality Leaders and other volunteers. To achieve this, all of our volunteers need to feel valued. It’s also about improving our communication with volunteers so that we’re all talking the one language.

2. Reinvigorated brand

Why is it important?At the moment, when we say Girl Guides, a common response is “do they still exist?” We’ve undertaken some external research which verifies that our brand – Girl Guides – is not well known. But more than this, people who do know about us have an old fashioned idea about what we do. To change this, we need to reinvigorate our brand so that people outside of Guiding know what we do and why we matter.

So, how does the current brand awareness impact on leaders?•Having a weak brand makes it hard to attract new leaders, other volunteers and Guides.•There is a lot of inconsistency around the way we express who we are and what we do. This weakens our brand, making it harder for us to grow into a strong organisation that is respected, sought after and valued by the external community.•At present, because our brand is “weak” externally, it is harder when it comes to fundraising.

What does the FUTURE look like?•By investing in our brand, people will start to recognise us. More people will be willing to open their doors – and their pockets – to support us. •Because people will know about us, our members and other volunteers will feel proud to be a part of Guiding. This will lead to increased retention.•Leaders and other volunteers are more likely to stay and more girls, leaders and other volunteers will want to join us.

3. Redesigned program experience

Why is it important?To be a strong nationally-focused organisation, we need to ensure that no matter where a member participates in Guiding, the program experience is similar.

So, what’s the current situation for leaders?•At present, with limited essential program resources and training that is not always appropriate or relevant, Leaders find it difficult to deliver our Guiding programs.

What does the FUTURE look like?•We’ll keep doing the things that girls and young women love, but we will add new elements to our programs to ensure they are relevant to girls and young women in the 21st century.•Leaders will receive more effective support and training to increase the consistency of our youth program delivery. •We will develop new and relevant resources that are easier to use.

4. Unified, stronger national organisation

Why is it important?To ensure our long term sustainability, we need to start working together. Every one of us has the same passion – Guiding. By working together, we can make significant improvements across the entire organisation – from our funding to our training and resources.

How does our current way of work affect you?•Guiding has a state based focus at present. •Some retail prices, services and opportunities differ across the country.

What does the FUTURE look like?•Leaders will feel like they truly belong to a nationally consistent organisation.•There will be fairer pricing of retail items and better sharing of resources.•Our national focus will make us more attractive to potential partners. The development of new national partnerships will help to support the delivery of Guiding in local communities around Australia.•Resources will be freed up to fund the organisation which means leaders and other volunteers will be better supported.

5. New commercial model and sustainable funding

Why is it important?It makes smart business sense to work as a team. The development of new commercial models and sustainable funding will have direct benefits for leaders, other volunteers and Guides on the ground.

What is the current commercial model?• Our states act in isolation. This weakens our position and places us at great financial risk. •There is a lot of duplication around the country – from resources to people-power. This way of working is financially unsustainable. Unless we find new sources of income, Guiding will eventually disappear.

What does the FUTURE look like?•States will work together to develop national partnership opportunities with not for profits, government and business.•There will be less duplication across the organisation. Because our efforts will be streamlined, more money will be available to improve Guiding on the ground. •New national partnerships will mean more doors will open for you at a local level when you’re fundraising in your local community.•Improving our commercial models will enable us to utilise technology to support training and Guiding activities.

6. Disciplined change management

Why is it important?At present, a lot of people involved in Guiding are resisting change. This makes it hard to adopt new ways of work which will benefit Guides, leaders and other volunteers alike. We know that for Guiding to survive we need to make some serious changes. It’s a journey we all need to take together.

What is the situation like now?•Many people want to keep doing things the way they’ve always done them. But we know the old ways of doing things are no longer working. •There is a culture of “them” and “us” at all levels of the organisation. •We’re stuck in a blame culture.•New innovations are not embraced and there is a tendency to look backwards, rather than forwards to find solutions.

What does the FUTURE look like?•Communication across our entire organisation will improve.•We will all feel a shared sense of vision. We all belong to the one organisation and once we start talking the language of “we”, members will feel an increased sense of pride in belonging and we will be better placed to retain members and volunteers.•We will have the right people in the right roles.•We will promote respect in our language and behaviour. Bullying will not be allowed and we will celebrate our success and support innovation and new ideas.

Success so far …

New national marketing material has been adopted

New national uniform that girls feel proud to wear

New partnerships with UNICEF and Clean Up Australia

Working with WAGGGS as Global Action Theme Champion on the Millennium Development Goals

Approx $820,000 in Federal Government funding (2009-2010) to support Taking the Lead, the Centenary Celebrations, Be the Change, Guides Say 2010

Growing cooperation between state Guiding organisations

Our new unified organisational structure is already making a difference and enabling us to achieve great things!

So what now?

We’re all on a journey together. As the new strategic plan starts to roll out, each and every one of us will have an important role to play. By working together and embracing change, we can help to grow Guiding and ensure its survival for the next 100 years.

GGA and your state Guiding office will keep you updated on our progress as things evolve and there will be plenty of opportunities to get involved along the way.

But for now, all we need is for each and every one of you to be prepared to get on board and journey with us as we power into the future.

How can you help Guiding along its journey?

Be familiar with where we have come from and where we are going to.

Understand you are a critical part of Girl Guides Australia and the GGA strategic plan defines where we are all headed.

Share the vision for the organisation in a positive way with your Guiding colleagues, volunteers, members, parents etc.

Help source skilled volunteers who can contribute to achieving the GGA strategic plan at a local, district, region, state and national level.

We still have a long way to go to ensure Guiding is seen as a relevant 21st

century organisation in the Australian community for the next 100 years …

But we’re on our way!

Each and every one of us needs to commit to change. Change is essential to create a sustainable future for Guiding in Australia

By 2015 we will be Australia’s leading organisation for girls and young women in leadership and

personal development