Running head: CRITICAL ANALYSIS REPORT 1
Critical Analysis Report: GSCSNJ’s Fall Magazine & Nut Program
Rebecca Frazzetta
Wilmington University
Guided Practicum in Administration of Human Services
AHS 8100
Shavonne Brathwaite, MBA
March 27, 2015
CRITICAL ANALYSIS REPORT 2
Critical Analysis Report: GSCSNJ’s Fall Magazine & Nut Program
Girl Scouts of Central & Southern New Jersey (GSCSNJ) offers two annual product programs to all registered Girl Scout members as a way to fundraise and earn money for their troop activities: the Fall Magazine & Nut Program and the winter/spring Cookie Program. Both programs are a part of the Girl Scouts Financial Literacy Program and whereas the winter/spring Cookie Program is nationally known and the biggest money-maker for Girl Scouts, the Fall Magazine & Nut program is often treated like an after-thought. This paper will take an in-depth look at the GSCSNJ’s Fall Magazine & Nut program and critically analyze the program from an outside view as a prospective administrator.
GSCSNJ offers an annual Fall Magazine & Nut program to all registered girls and through the sale of magazine subscriptions, nut and candy products; girls can raise funds for their troop activities (gscsnj.org, 2015). This program typically runs for the first three weeks in October of each year and is backed by the national Girl Scout Financial Literacy program, which offers an opportunity for girls to learn the essential “5 Skills”: goal-setting, decision making, money management, people skills and business ethics by taking part in sponsored activities and badges associated with the program. It is also a fun, safe, and quick way for a Girl Scout to raise money for their troops while earning recognitions to acknowledge individual effort (gscsnj.org, 2015).
The department that manages the Fall Magazine & Nut program for the entire Girl Scout council is the Product Program department which includes one Director, a Product Program Manager and two Product Program Specialists. The Director of Product Program and the Product Program Manager have been overseeing the department for over five years together. Although actual management of the program has remained unchanged for the past few years, the departmental home where the department lies has recently changed due to a recent council restructuring. Up until this year, the Product Program department reported directly to the CEO; however, now the department reports to the Chief Mission Officer who oversees the entire Operations leg of the council.
GSCSNJ’s Fall Magazine & Nut Program has been managed the same way for the past few years and is partnered with two licensed companies approved by GSUSA: Ashdon Farms and QSP. Beginning in April of each year; the Product Program department works with Ashdon Farms to choose its products, price points and recognition items for the upcoming program. In August, the Ashdon Farms representative returns and conducts three trainings for the Service Unit Magazine & Nut Coordinators. This is where all of the details regarding the sale are discussed and materials are given out so that the local volunteer coordinators can plan and train their local Girl Scout Troop Leaders. The timing is all planned out so that the troops can be ready to sell the first week of October.
As a prospective Director, I have found a few opportunities and weaknesses that would urge me to run the program a little differently. The first opportunity I found is the fact that GSCSNJ’s Fall Magazine & Nut program has a ton of room for growth in sales and participation. Currently, out of the 25,000 registered girl members, only about 9,000 girls participate annually. That is unacceptable! The incorporation of individual and troop incentives that focused on participation and sales growth would grow the program substantially. Another opportunity that I don’t believe is being utilized correctly is the vast and exceptional resources available from our vendor, Ashdon Farms; such as Magazine & Nut Kick-Offs and Rallies. If the department took advantage of these resources by promoting and running events throughout the council to generate excitement for the program, more girls and troops would participate.
A few weaknesses that I found to be holding the Product Program department back is the fact that the program occurs in the beginning of the Girl Scout calendar year. I would really consider pushing the start of the sale back by a few weeks in order to give troops more time to get settled and registered. Another weakness that I found is that the current Product Program Manager does not see the value nor have the desire to try new promotions or incentives to grow the program. She feels that she has tried things in the past that have not worked so why bother. Unfortunately, this kind of negative attitude is not acceptable in a sales oriented department. As a Director, I would have a serious conversation with her about the importance of growing the program, keeping an open mind and give her the okay to let the Product Program Specialists try some new ideas. The final weakness that I would have to address is the lack of interested Service Unit volunteers to be the local coordinators for our council’s troops. Many sign up and get trained; however, by the time the sale begins, they have no interest in really training or supporting their troops throughout the sale. I would possibly consider a Service Unit and volunteer incentive for those volunteers to help promote and encourage participation.
The current GSCSNJ Fall Magazine & Nut program has many strengths that as a prospective Director I would keep in place. The first strength is the fact that it is partnered with two amazing companies, Ashdon Farms and QSP, who provide year round support and 24/7 assistance during the program. GSCSNJ has had the same representative from these two companies for many years and the volunteers know and love him as well. The second strength of this program is that it is backed by GSUSA’s national Financial Literacy program. The Fall Magazine & Nut program is in fact more than just a fundraiser for girls to raise money for their troops and earn individual rewards. The third strength is the fact that Ashdon Farms has progressed with the times and now offers an easy-to-use online ordering system and volunteer database so that girls can reach family and friends anywhere in the country. The final strength is the dedication and commitment that the Product Program team has towards their jobs. This department has a great rapport with each other and works really well together and with the council’s volunteers.
Since the Fall Magazine & Nut program is an actual fundraiser, funding for this program is not an issue. Each year, a budget is completed with plenty of funds allocated for the successful management of the program; however, funding the program depends on the actual sales of the program. Each budgeting year, funds are allocated based on last year’s sales and projected sales for the upcoming sale. If we want to enhance the budget and try new things, we will have to allocate funds typically held for other miscellaneous items into the Fall Magazine & Nut program budget. Considering that funding the program is not an issue, there are two other threats to the program that warrants attention: the continual decline in Girl Scout membership and competing fall fundraisers.
Girl Scouts has been suffering from a continual decline in adult and girl membership since 2012, the 100th anniversary of Girl Scouting. While GSCSNJ has been able to retain most of its membership on a yearly basis, getting new members has proved to be difficult. Declining membership and stagnant retention membership definitely plays a role in GSCSNJ’s annual fundraisers. With less girls participating in the annual fundraisers, there is less money coming into the council to help cover scholarships, camperships, and programs. GSCSNJ has to address its declining membership issues and figure out a way to keep and grow their membership for the benefit of the whole council and not just for the annual fundraisers. The second threat to the Fall Magazine & Nut program is competing fundraisers. Not only are our Girl Scouts’ schools offering fundraisers as soon as school begins in September; but so are the many extracurricular sports and clubs that our girls are a part of as well. Parents are bombarded with many fundraising options and have to decide which ones to take part in. Many times, the Fall Magazine & Nut program gets the cut.
As a prospective Director of the Product Program department, I would look for such qualities as dedication, flexibility, organization, punctuality and strong customer service and interpersonal skills in employees and interns. Employees and interns must also be able to multi-task and change directions in a moment’s notice to get the job done. Since we are dealing with our council volunteers, I would also look for people who have positive personalities and a calm demeanor. This department deals with many responsibilities including training, data entry, facilitating product deliveries in various weather as well as day to day volunteer problem-solving and support; so having staff members and interns who are flexible and mission driven is key to the effective management and facilitation of the two annual Girl Scout programs.
In conclusion, after a critical look at the Fall Magazine & Nut program, I believe that there are many aspects of this program that are strong and should continue as planned such as dedicated staff members and a strong partnership with Ashdon Farms and QSP. However, there are a few areas that can be tweaked and changed in order to promote a more successful Fall Magazine & Nut program such as sales and participation growth opportunities; individual, troop and Service Unit incentives; Magazine & Nut Kick-Off and Rally events; and possibly pushing back the start date of the sale. All in all, this is a successful program with a great department of staff members working tirelessly behind it. There is always room for growth and a new outlook and this Fall Magazine & Nut program could grow immensely if it were to take some of these suggestions to heart.
Resources
Gscsnj.org. (2015). Magazine & nut program. Retrieved from http://www.gscsnj.org/cookies/magazine_nut.html