Girl Scouts of Nassau County

The Council’s governing body is its Board of Directors. Under the leadership of the President (Chief Volunteer Officer), the Board maintains the integrity and the purpose of Girl Scouting. The Board’s responsibilities include policymaking, fund development, and strategic planning. Governance members are volunteers who are elected by and accountable to the voting members of the Council.

Operational: The Executive Director/CEO, the partner of the President/CVO, is employed by and accountable to the Board. The Executive Director/CEO provides leadership to the staff of the Council and manages all operational work within the framework of the Council’s goals. Volunteers serve in a variety of positions to support council-wide program, design/deliver training and provide critical support for Council events, enhancing and strengthening Girl Scouting throughout Nassau County. Leaders, CAVs (Chairs of Association Volunteers) and Service Team members are volunteers who provide the direct services to girls and adults within assigned geographical areas.

In 2003-2004, a series of articles on the governance process appeared in GirlFriends. If you are interested in more information on this process, please view these articles listed below:

Welcome to a"A Glimpse at Governance."

This is a new column that will appear in each issue of GirlFriends. Here you will learn how the Girl Scouts governance process works. You will also get a sense of why we separate governance from operations, and you will learn about some current issues facing our governance
volunteers. We will also highlight volunteers and staff who lead and support the governance function in Girl Scouts of Nassau County. In addition, this can be used as a vehicle for us to hear your concerns and answer your questions about governance issues in our Council.

Girl Scouts is built on the democratic process. It begins with our Daisy Girl Scouts. Simple decisions are made at this level - for example, "which craft project will we do this week?" or "what games will we play?"

It continues through all levels of Girl Scouts as girls are given the responsibility of deciding if their Troop/Group will participate in the Cookie Program, what service project will be undertaken or how to spend the proceeds that they have earned.

In addition, Girl Scouts learn about the importance of governance as they participate in their communities, building on what they learned in school, and often by visiting a local village hall, going to Albany or even taking a trip to Washington, D.C.

As girls begin to participate in STUDIO 2B, they will have even more opportunities to use the democratic process to determine the kind and scope of activities that they want to pursue.

The democratic process is a way of making decisions so that each member of a group has the opportunity to be heard and to take part in making decisions about things that affect the whole group. Opportunity is a key word in describing the
democratic process because some people may choose not to participate. THIS IS OKAY, as long as they are given the
opportunity to listen and be heard!

There are two facets to the democratic process. The first – consensus – involves the process of gathering information, sharing information and opinions, and responding to information and opinions presented. Consensus, which is
typically done by listening and speaking to members of the group, involves compromise or accommodation. Everyone should walk away feeling that their needs and wishes have been heard and at least partially met.

Election is the second part of the democratic process. This can involve voting on an issue – to participate in the Cookie Program, to amend the Girl Scouts Bylaws, to institute a country or state referendum, or to fill an office.

In Girl Scouts, Council Delegates and Delegate Chairs in each Association come together each year at the Council Annual Meeting to elect Council Officers, Board of Directors, Nominating Committee and National Council Delegates. They also vote on any other issues that may come before the group.

Each delegate elected is your eyes, ears and voice regarding the policies that affect Girl Scouts of Nassau County. Throughout the year, your Association Delegates, lead by the Delegate Chair, will receive feedback from the Board of Directors and from the Nominating Committee on the work those groups are doing. The Delegates also have the opportunity to bring their concerns to the Girl Scouts of Nassau County Board of Directors, through the Board’s Delegate Communications Committee.

Our goal is that every registered adult Girl Scout feels that she/he has a part in the democratic process. The democratic process ensures that Girl Scouts remains the premier organization for understanding and addressing the needs of girls and for preparing girls and adults for leadership roles.

If you have questions about Girl Scout governance, or if you are interested in serving as a governance volunteer, please call the Adult Education Coordinator at
(516) 741-2550 ext. 245.

Operational vs Governance Volunteer and The CAV / Delegate Chair Partnership

In the last issue of GirlFriends, we addressed the role of the democratic process in Girl Scouts and its position as a key factor in the way that we work on all levels of the organization. Girl Scouts is committed to ensuring that every person has the opportunity to voice her or his opinion.

Each Girl Scout in a Troop/Group and every adult member in each Association is afforded the same opportunity to speak as the system of Delegates that elects our Board of Directors and Nominating Committee, who give voice to, and sometimes vote on, key policy issues for the organization.

Our strong corporate governance system is designed to support our volunteers in the work that they do for girls. The system does this by fostering the spirit of enterprise and accountability and by promoting fairness, transparency and responsibility.

Governance is a form of the word government. Governance / government provides order and authority, to keep us all from running higgledy-piggledy into one another. In the United States, our government is the collection of individuals and agencies that have been elected and established through the will of the people as determined through the ballot box.

It is much the same in Girl Scouts. The adults in each Association have the opportunity to select their representatives – the local Delegates, Delegate Chairs and Nominating Committees – who in turn elect the Council’s Board of Directors, Council Nominating Committee and National Council Delegates.

The Board of Directors is the governance component charged with the fiduciary and policy-setting responsibility for the Council. They must see that the work of the Council is done in accordance with the Council’s Constitution and Bylaws and all appropriate laws as well as the standards set forth by Girl Scouts of the USA. The Board also works with staff and the community to set the long-range goals for the Council.

The Board trusts the day-to-day management of the corporation to the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer, who is responsible for monitoring fiduciary issues and for overseeing the work of the Council through the employment and deployment of staff and volunteers. The Board appoints the Executive Director, who serves as a Board member, but does not vote. The Executive Director serves in partnership with the President of the Board of Directors and Chief Volunteer Officer, who is elected by the Council Delegates.

At the local level, each Association has a Chair of Association Volunteers or CAV. The CAV appointed by Council staff, is the OPERATIONAL leader who is accountable to the Council for organizing and implementing the Girl Scout program in her area and appointing Troop/Group Leaders. The CAV assembles the Service Team, a group of other adult volunteers that assists in the delivery of the Girl Scout Program.

The CAV’s partner in her or his community is the Delegate Chair, who is elected by adult members in that community. The Delegate Chair ensures that the Delegate system is in place and working for her community. The Delegate Chair serves as Delegate at the Council Annual Meeting, and maintains communication between the Board of Directors, the Delegate system and the local community. The Delegate Chair calls and chairs the Annual Meeting of the local In the last issue of GirlFriends, we addressed the role of the democratic process in Girl Scouts and its position as a key factor in the way that we work on all levels of the organization. Girl Scouts is committed to ensuring that every person has the opportunity to voice her or his opinion.

Hats off to our volunteers for all that they do to provide Girl Scouting and ensure the democratic process works in their communities!

The Council Nominating Committee

The Council Nominating Committee is one of the most influential functions in our organization. Finding the appropriate leadership to ensure the Council’s success into the future doesn't’t just happen -- it takes the time and thoughtfulness of a group of committed volunteers.
The Nominating Committee has the responsibility of identifying and recruiting talented individuals who will serve on the Council’s Board of Directors, as Council Officers and as members of the next Council Nominating Committee. Every third year, the Nominating Committee must choose Nassau County’s National Council Delegates, who travel to Girl Scouts of the USA’s triennial convention. These Nassau County representatives help to set the tone and direction for our national organization.

The Girl Scouts of Nassau County Nominating Committee is composed of nine people elected by voting Delegates at the Annual Meeting. Members serve a two-year term and approximately half of the members are elected each year. Members of the Nominating Committee may not succeed themselves.

The Nominating Committee assesses the Board of Director’s current composition and identifies strengths and needs. They decide on a recruitment plan -- including accepting referrals from throughout the Council -- then begin to identify and cultivate new prospects.

Their work is done in private. Confidentiality is of utmost importance. Not everyone who is referred for the vacant positions can be chosen, and the Nominating Committee must make their selections with care and sensitivity, while holding fast to their commitment to find people who have the talent and resources to best serve our Council. The same is true for the selection of the Officers, the next Nominating Committee members and for the National Council Delegates.

Local Girl Scout Associations also elect a Nominating Committee each year at their Annual Meetings. These Girl Scout volunteers have the responsibility of selecting those adults registered in that geographic unit to represent that area as Delegates at the Girl Scouts of Nassau County Annual Meeting. The local Association Nominating Committee also selects the Delegate Chair for their Association. The local Association Nominating Committee presents its slate of
candidates for Delegates and Delegate Chair, along with the next year’s Association Nominating Committee, to the voting members at the local Association Annual Meeting.

The Council recognizes that at the local Association level the selection of Delegates is sometimes done more informally, because of the difficulty in finding adults who are willing to fill these positions. We hope that this series of articles on governance will inform and inspire more of our adult volunteers to use the democratic process in their local Associations and to become involved in Association and Council governance.

Highlights on the Board and Delegate Chair Committee

Governance volunteers play a special role in the Girl Scouts of Nassau County Council. They are the people who develop policy that affects more than 23,000 girls and 7,000 volunteers. They are the liaisons between Girl Scouts and their Troop/Group leaders and the Board of Directors, acting as the voice of their Associations. Their role differs from other volunteers in many ways, but the single most important difference is the power to vote.

Here is what a few governance volunteers have to say about their roles in Girl Scouting and what it means to have a vote.

Diane White

"We are the voting members of the Council," said Diane White, Vice Chair of the Delegate Communications Committee and a member of the Board of Directors. "We make resolutions, amend the by-laws, hear proposals and propositions. It is
democracy in action."

Ms. White suggests getting the girls involved in Association meetings. "We try to teach the girls about patriotism," she said. "So make a big deal about
Association meetings."

Diane White believes that her role makes a difference in the lives of the 22,000 Girl Scouts in Nassau County. "By providing oversight to the organization, we are making a difference in these lives. We exist to serve the girls!"

Debra Ieraci

" I started Girl Scouts when I was six years old," said Debra Ieraci, who serves as the Secretary for the Board of Directors and Chair of the Delegate Communications Committee. She acted as a Delegate, a Delegate Chair and a National Delegate. She was also a Troop/Group leader for more than 17 years. "The organization did a lot to shape me into the
person I am. Now it is my turn to give back."

"The vote helps to shape the direction of the Council now and in the future," Ms. Ieraci maintained. That is why she stresses the importance of informed – not instructed – voting. "Every vote is important. Each
person who votes should be well-informed of the

Grady Farnan

Grady Farnan likens the Girl Scouts’ governance
structure, as well as his role in it, to the United States government.

"I am like a congressman," said Mr. Farnan, Delegate Chair for the Glen Cove Association. "The delegate committee is like the House of Representatives and the Board of Directors is the Senate."

"I am not as involved as a CAV or even a Troop/Group Leader," Mr. Farnan admits. His commitment involves going to about seven meetings a year and attending
Association meetings when there is something to report."I get involved in the process of decision-making and influencing the policies or changing by-laws."

"Because I am the voice for the Glen Cove area, if there is a concern in the Association, I am the one to report it to the Council," said Mr. Farnan. "My vote is for the more than 300 girls in my Association."

Francette Holland

" My vote will make a difference," said Francette Holland, Delegate Chair for Uniondale. "It makes a difference about policies and about what I believe in for the girls."

In addition to acting as Delegate Chair for her Association, Ms. Holland gets involved as a Co-leader for a Daisy Troop and a Leader of a Brownie Troop. She also sits on the Delegate Communications Committee. She also manages to find time in the day to spend time with her children and run her own business.

"I like making the commitment," she said. "I know that a lot of the girls need someone, but don’t have anyone. I give a lot to Girl Scouts because I didn't have a lot growing up and I know what that feels like."