we will be moving to a regionalized structure

[this post sent in by Stephanie]

November 7, 2008

Dear Volunteers,

Today, Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania  announced to staff that we will be reducing the staff team by about 30 staff members.    We are saddened by the change but it is necessary to control costs and manage the budget.  We are committed to not spending more money than we bring in; a balanced budget is necessary for our Girl Scout Council.

In order to enhance service to our volunteers, girls and the communities we serve, we will be moving to a regionalized structure.  This structure was determined by our membership numbers, girls 5-17 years of age population, and opportunity for increased local funding opportunities.

The regions are defined as follows:

*         West Region:  5 Counties – Clinton, Centre, Mifflin, Huntingdon, Juniata; 1 office located in Centre County (19,000 total available girls)

*         Central Region:  8 Counties – Lycoming, Sullivan, Columbia, Montour, Schuylkill, Northumberland, Union, Snyder; 1 office located in Lycoming County (39,000 total available girls)

*         North Region:  8 Counties – Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike, Lackawanna, Wyoming, Luzerne, Carbon, Monroe; 2 offices – 1 in Lackawanna, 1 in Luzerne (73,000 total available girls)

*         South Central Region: 6 Counties – Lebanon, Dauphin, Perry, Cumberland, Fulton, Franklin; 1 office in Dauphin County (68,000 total available girls)

*         South Region: 3 Counties – Adams, York, Lancaster; 3 offices – 1 in each county (82,000 available girls.)

Any volunteer or family may utilize any Service Center that is convenient to them.

As we move forward, we anticipate many changes.   We will be reaching out to you and our volunteer teams and committees to solicit your feedback and assistance in developing a structure that will meet your needs.  We look forward to your ideas about moving the council forward.

From now through January 5, the management teams will be working to staff our new regional structure.   Once the new structure is in place, there will be additional change as we adjust our way of work.  With such a large reduction of staff,  some of the core functions will be reduced or eliminated and we will look to our volunteers teams to assist us in many of the decisions.

While we have not finalized all the details of what is to come, we continue to be committed to you, the girls and members of GSHPA.  More information will follow as it is available.

Thank you for ALL you do for Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania and our girls.