Girl Scout Council of the Southern Appalachians Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

The girl scout council of the southern appalachians (gscsa) is a mission-driven, girl-focused organization that strives to build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. Through programs offered to girls k-12 in 46 counties from southwest Virginia, through east Tennessee, and into north Georgia, girl scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges. Backed by trusted and dedicated adult volunteers, mentors, and alums, girl scouts lead the way as they find their voices and learn they can do anything they set their mind to. For more than 112 years, girl scouts has brought to life the dreams of girls and worked together to develop our next generation of successful female leaders.(continued on sch. O.)gscsa continues to create new programming to support and educate its girl members. The programs and leadership skills provided by girl scouts are needed today more than ever.girl scout programming is provided through the girl scout leadership experience and girl scout community troops, serving 6,497 girls in our 46-county footprint. The council ended the 2025 membership year (october 1, 2024 - september 30, 2025) with 9,837 girl and adult members. In addition to individual troop activities, approximately 1,421 girls participated in more than 317 programs, either organized by gscsa staff or one of our community programs partners during the 2025 membership year. Girls did everything from stem workshops to rafting to helping others, many earning badges along the way. In the girl scout leadership experience, girls learn through activities that earn them badges for things like leadership, stem, financial and business literacy, healthy living, the environment, and global citizenship. Girl scouts helps girls learn these five attitudes, skills, and behaviors of effective leadership:1. Strong sense of self2. Positive values3. Challenge seeking4. Healthy relationships5. Community problem solvingwhy do these five outcomes matter? When girls exhibit these attitudes and skills, they become responsible, productive, caring, and engaged citizens. Studies show that the development of attitudes, behaviors, and skills like confidence, conflict resolution, and problem solving are critical to well-being and rival academic and technical skills in their capacity to predict long-term positive life outcomes.a recent research study provides evidence that girl scouts stand out significantly from nongirl scouts, demonstrating more well-rounded lifestyles and a stronger propensity for success. Compared to nongirl scouts, girl scouts are more likely to: exhibit strong leadership outcomes earn "excellent" grades expect to graduate college aspire to stem, business, and law careers feel hopeful about their futureaccording the 2021 report the girl scout alum difference: a lifetime of courage, confidence, and character, girl scout alumnae are more satisfied with their education and attain higher levels of education than non-alums. The length of time in girl scouts is positively correlated to attaining higher levels of education. Girl scout alums who participated for four or more years completed more years of education, with 43% of alums having completed at least a four-year college degree compared to 32% of non-alums. In addition, 78% have attended at least some college compared to 65% of non-alums.in short, girl scouts do better in school and, as adults, are better educated, have a higher income level, are more active as community volunteers, and vote more often than girls who were not. Girl scout alums say girl scouting prepared them to face life's challenges and opportunities with resourcefulness, ingenuity, and discipline. Compared to women who were not girl scouts, our alumnae feel more capable and competent in their lives, have more supportive social relationships, and feel more optimistic about their futures.girl scouts performed more than nearly 6,0

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 80.5%; rating input score 80
• Fundraising efficiency: $1.69 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -15.9%; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.28; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.37; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 8.2%; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 1% per year; rating input score 100; 17th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 1.8% per year; rating input score 100; 19th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 1.7% per year; rating input score 100; 19th percentile among comparable filings