GIRL SCOUTS - BLUESTEM COUNCIL

Council Delegate Homestudy Training

This homestudy and the Delegate Portfolio are new this year.

These questions are not a test; their purpose is to help you think about how you can best carry out the responsibilities of your job. The training goal is to help Council Delegates understand their role in the democratic process of our Council. Both Council Delegates and Board Members play an important part in this process. Knowing and using the Board / Delegate communication system is vital in making it work for the benefit of all members of GS-BC. See Board/Delegate Communication Overview on the second page of the Delegate Portfolio.

Home study Instructions:

The Homestudy walks you through your Delegate Portfolio. Titles of pages in the portfolio are bolded at the beginning of each section of the Homestudy. Read the portfolio pages first, and then the Homestudy section.

Complete the required written work in italics following some sections.

If you wish to get training credit, return your worksheet to the Program Center c/o the Board Development Chair or hand it in at the Association Meeting or Annual Meeting.

GS-BC Council Delegate Homestudy Training

Council Mission and Goals, GSUSA Preamble to the Constitution

These first pages of your portfolio should be familiar to you. The council works to bring the mission, values, and goals to girls in its sixteen county, 2 state jurisdiction. As a delegate you should always think about this when considering council issues. It is important to think how an action will affect the council as a whole, not just your service unit.

Position Description

By attending the required Association Meetings and receiving and responding to the reports and information given to you by the board, delegates are carrying out most of their listed responsibilities.

1. Think about how these responsibilities have been carried out by past delegates in your service unit. Briefly note these methods and any new methods you might try to improve them.

Decision Influencing and Council Organization Chart Pages

	Delegates are elected to represent their service units
	Delegates elect the Nominating Committee and the Board of Directors
	The Board hires the CEO
	The CEO bears the responsibility of seeing that policy is implemented. She/he hires or authorizes the hiring of the staff, both paid and volunteers. All staff, paid and volunteer, are accountable to the CEO.
	The work the staff does is operational, part of the management structure.
	The CEO is accountable to the Board.
	The Board directs the CEO to work to accomplish the council’s GOALS and follow the Strategic Plan.

§ The Board monitors the CEO. It receives reports from the CEO and other staff she/he may designate on how the council is accomplishing its GOALS. The Board hears from delegates at Association Meetings and through the Talk to Your Council Suggestion Form.

This work is part of the governance structure.

Governance: Governance is the process by which the board of directors, under the leadership of the chair and with the support of the chief executive officer, maintains the integrity of the Mission and Goals of Girl Scouting. This is achieved by staying abreast of relevant issues, developing and reviewing policy, and monitoring the performance of the organization.

Management: Management is the activities required to carry out the operating objectives of the council. These activities are performed by operational volunteers and employed staff who are accountable to the CEO.

These two definitions are included in the Glossary of Terms in the back of the portfolio. Other definitions may also help you to understand some of the vocabulary used in governance. Delegates are The Policy Influencers, the Board of Directors, The Policy Makers, and staff The Policy Implementers. Council Delegates are the only members who serve both in management and governance. They CAN play an important part in the Decision Influencing Process. AND, don’t forget we are all working for the same reason - to serve the girl.

2. Review the Council Delegate position responsibilities and Decision Influencing. Using information from these pages, make two lists: one of actions a delegate might take to influence the Board and one of actions you feel the board does or should be doing to enable delegates to be decision influencing.

“What A Council Delegate Needs to Know About Governance”

“Why Is A Delegate Special”

GS-BC holds Association Meetings once a year and an annual meeting in April. Delegates are to receive a call to meeting packet at least 10 days before an Association Meeting. The packet should include one or more issues to be discussed at the meeting and a status report on issues discussed at the previous meeting. (If issues have been determined by the Board of Directors). Delegates are to share this information with their service units and bring the service units ideas to the Association Meeting. At each Association Meeting there is also an open forum for issue sharing. Special meetings may be called for discussions about major concerns. The Annual Meeting packet will include the slate of nominees for the Board and Nominating Committee and any By-Law changes to be voted on. Every three years (2004, 2007, etc.), at the spring meeting there will be a slate of national delegates to be elected. It is always important to attend meetings, but it is especially important when a vote is being held for it is necessary to have a quorum to hold an election. Only delegates speak at the meetings. They receive special identification. When speaking, first state your name and service unit. Service units are expected to take turns. Other members of GS-BC, fourteen and older, are invited to attend meetings as visitors.

When you receive your call to meeting packet, share the information with your service unit members and come to the assembly prepared to give their ideas on the Service Unit Discussion Topic listed on the agenda.

Board committees and task groups include:

Other committees or task groups are formed as needed. Delegates are encouraged to recommend themselves or others, with expertise on the topic, to serve on board committees.

3. From what you have now learned about the board, list some general types of issues that you think a delegate might bring to the board for discussion.

Your Council Suggestion Form -

This form is used for sharing concerns and/or proposals with the board. It is primarily for governance issues. Management issues should be dealt with through operational pathways. However, if you are uncertain if an issue is governance or management, or you are dissatisfied with a response from management, do not hesitate to use the form. If the concern is determined to be management, it will be referred to the CEO. Delegates should share this form with service unit members so they understand the procedure for allowing members to present concerns to the board. Service Unit Managers should give delegates a place in the service unit agenda at each meeting to discuss governance issues. Delegates may contact delegates from other service units to gain support on an issue.

4. Fill in the Talk to Your Council Form using a real or imaginary issue. If the issue is real, discuss it in your service unit and bring it to an Association Meeting, mail to the Program Center to the attention of the Board of Directors.

Criteria and Standards for an Effective Girl Scout Council

The listed Criteria and Standards for an Effective Girl Scout Council are what the board uses when the required GSUSA Council Performance Assessment takes place. To effectively monitor these criteria and standards, board members are needed with diverse background and experience. By recommending people in their community who have abilities that can help the board, delegates again play an important part in the democratic process. Ask yourself and your service unit who in your community might be a good board member.

Bylaws

Reading the Bylaws will help you understand the corporate structure of the council. A Bylaw Committee reviews them periodically. Amendments to them may be submitted. Delegates vote on Bylaw revisions and amendments at the annual meeting. The Glossary in the back of your portfolio may help you with words used in the Bylaws and elsewhere in this training. Note Article IX - National Council Delegates. They are elected by council delegates every three years. They attend and vote on proposals at the National Council Meeting after first getting input from council delegates about the proposals being considered there. In the following two years they work to develop proposals our council may wish to have selected for the next meeting.

5. Please complete the course evaluation.

Delegates are encouraged to ask an experienced delegate to be a mentor to them and help answer any questions they may have. Questions also may be brought to the Association Meeting Open Forum.

Girl Scouts - Bluestem Council

511 E. 11th St., Bartlesville, OK 74003

Talk to Your Council Suggestion Form

This form is for sharing concerns and/or proposals with your board of directors. Outline the general circumstances of the issue or the key components of the proposal you wish to discuss. If you have solutions or ideas concerning the issue or proposal, please tell us. This Suggestion Form will be reviewed by a member of the board of directors, who will acknowledge its receipt within 30 days.

Return the completed form to: Chair, Board of Directors,

Girl Scouts - Bluestem Council

511 E. 11th St., Bartlesville, OK 74003

Submitted by:

Name: ____________________ Phone #: _ Date:___

Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________

CONCERN OR PROPOSAL

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

PROPOSED SOLUTION

You should receive a response within 30 days.

Determined to be Management related: ______________

Referred to Management: Date_____________________

Governance Issues

Directed to: _________________________________________________________________________________

Action taken: ____________________________________________________________________________________________

Date of reply: ______________________________

Name _____________________________

Service Unit _______________________

Homestudy Training Worksheet

(If you wish to get credit for taking this training, mail this worksheet to the Program Center c/o the

Board Development Chair or turn it in at the Review Session.)

____________________________________________________________________________________

GS-BC Council Delegate Homestudy Training

and Review Session Evaluation

Did you complete the Homestudy? Yes No If no, skip to Review Session questions.

Did you like this method of receiving delegate training (homestudy rather than a longer separate training)? Yes No Why? Did not complete yet

After completing the Homestudy how would you rate your understanding of your position as a delegate? Poor Fair Fairly good Good Very good

How do you feel the Homestudy Training could be improved?

Did you attend the review session? Yes No

If yes, did it further your understanding of your position as a delegate? Yes No Why?

Would you recommend the Review Session to other delegates? Yes No Why?

How do you feel the Review Session could be improved?

What further information do you need to do your job?

Additional comments welcome.

Name (optional) ________________________ Date ___________