Girl Scouts San Diego

What Girl Scouts San Diego does

Girl Scouts San Diego is the San Diego-Imperial Council, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit local council affiliated with Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA), headquartered at 1231 Upas Street, San Diego, California. The organization delivers a structured youth development program for girls in grades K-12, organized across six grade-level tiers (Daisy K-1 through Ambassador 11-12), with earnable badges, journeys, patches, and the Girl Scout Gold Award as the highest honor. Core program offerings include the Cookie Program (including Digital Cookie and Fall Product), Camp and Outdoors programming, STEM initiatives, and council-sponsored events such as Urban Campout and Cool Women.

The technology footprint is non-proprietary and relies on GSUSA's centralized platforms — MyGS for membership management, gsLearn for training, Digital Cookie for online cookie sales, and the Volunteer Toolkit for troop planning. Operational infrastructure includes PayPal as a PCI DSS-compliant payment processor, Asurint for volunteer background screening at an average $6.25 per check, and California Live Scan fingerprinting for AB 506 mandated-reporter compliance. The organization is COPPA-compliant and FCRA-compliant via its vendors.

The business model is community-led: families and adult volunteers join through troop participation, the council supports volunteer-run troops across San Diego and Imperial counties, and revenue is generated primarily through cookie sales (70%+ of total revenue), supplemented by membership dues and donations (including monthly and planned giving). The council is currently engaged in a federal lawsuit against Ferrero U.S.A. alleging breach of the cookie contract and over $1.1 million in revenue loss, which has resulted in the elimination of 25 jobs.

Name

Girl Scouts San Diego

Legal name

Girl Scouts, San Diego-Imperial Council, Inc.

Website

https://sdgirlscouts.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1917

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Girl Scouts San Diego is a 501(c)(3) local council of Girl Scouts of the USA that delivers a K-12 youth development program — including badges, the Cookie Program, camp, and STEM — to girls across San Diego and Imperial counties through volunteer-led troops.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Cookie Sales: Cookie sales represent the primary revenue stream, accounting for more than 70% of the organization's revenue. Girl Scout cookies are sold through organized booth sales and individual Girl Scout entrepreneurs.
2. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees collected from youth and adult members.
3. Donations and Support: The council accepts donations locally through its website, including monthly giving and planned giving options.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Girl Scouts San Diego operates as a local council of Girl Scouts of the USA, delivering a structured youth development program for girls in grades K-12 (Daisy through Ambassador). The organization offers badge/award pathways including the highest Girl Scout Gold Award, a cookie entrepreneurship program with online sales, and camp and outdoor programming, all delivered through volunteer-run troops across San Diego and Imperial counties.

Product overview

Girl Scouts San Diego operates as a local council of Girl Scouts of the USA, delivering a multi-level youth development program organized by grade level (Daisy K-1 through Ambassador 11-12). The core program centers on earnable Badges, Journeys, and the highest Girl Scout Gold Award, supplemented by the Cookie Program (including Digital Cookie and Fall Product), Camp and Outdoors programming, and special programs and events. Member-facing digital operations run through Girl Scouts of the USA's centralized platforms — MyGS Portal for membership management, Volunteer Toolkit for troop planning, gsLearn for training delivery, and Digital Cookie for online cookie sales — while the council provides local volunteer support resources including the Troop Leader Blueprint, Troop Year Planner, Forms and Documents Library, and the Girl Scout Experience Box for new troops.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Girl Scout Badges, Journeys, and Patches Earnable awards organized across grade levels (Daisy through Ambassador) covering topics such as STEM, arts, citizenship, entrepreneurship, outdoors, and life skills. Designed for Girl Scout youth members to demonstrate skill mastery.
• Cookie Program Annual Girl Scout cookie sales program through which girls develop entrepreneurial skills, including the Digital Cookie online platform and Fall Product Program. The program accounts for more than 70% of the council's revenue.
• Camp and Outdoors Program Outdoor programming including summer sleepaway camp, day camp, and outdoor adventure activities for Girl Scout members across all grade levels, including specialized programs like backpacking courses.
• Girl Scout Gold Award The highest award in Girl Scouting, earned by Seniors and Ambassadors who complete sustainable take-action projects addressing community issues. Bronze and Silver Awards form the lower tiers of the highest awards pathway.
• Girl Scout Experience Box Complimentary monthly meeting supplies delivered to new Daisy (K-1) or Brownie (2-3) troops to support troop leaders at program launch.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• AsurintcoreOthersAsurint is the third-party background screening provider used by Girl Scouts San Diego for volunteer criminal background checks. The service performs comprehensive screening including criminal/civil records, reference verification, and DMV records. Asurint complies with Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, Driver's Privacy Protection Act, and Fair Credit Reporting Act requirements.
• Girl Scouts of the USAflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerGirl Scouts San Diego is a local council affiliated with Girl Scouts of the USA, the national organization. The council partners with GSUSA for online registration systems, training platforms (gsLearn), program materials, badge/journey resources, and operates under the national organization's policies and standards.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• National 4-H Council: Another legacy U.S. youth development nonprofit organized around volunteer-led clubs, badge-style programming, and outdoor/civic experiences for K-12 youth. Closely comparable mission and federated council structure.
• Scouting America (formerly Boy Scouts of America): The most comparable national youth development organization; although it serves all genders today, its rank-based progression, outdoor programming, badges/merit badges, and volunteer-led troop model are structurally analogous to Girl Scouts.
• Camp Fire: National youth development nonprofit with strong outdoor/camping emphasis and a badge-style 'Trail to Brotherhood/Sisterhood' progression, historically the closest co-ed parallel to scouting.

Broad incumbents

• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Larger, broader youth development nonprofit serving K-12, focused on after-school and club-based programming. Comparable in mission but typically site-based rather than volunteer-led troops.
• YMCA of the USA: Community-based youth and family services organization with comparable camp programs (e.g., resident/day camps, swimming) and broad recreational offerings, but operates a much wider portfolio across fitness and social services.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: National youth mentoring nonprofit serving similar K-12 demographics with structured volunteer-led programming; comparable in mission and reliance on adult volunteers, but focused on one-to-one mentoring.
• Girl Scouts of the USA: The national umbrella organization that Girl Scouts San Diego is a local council of. Same mission, brand, and curriculum (Daisy through Ambassador, Gold Award, Cookie Program), but operates as the federation body rather than a local delivery unit. Direct organizational parent.

Emerging players

• After-School All-Stars: National nonprofit providing after-school enrichment programming for K-12 youth; competes for the same parents and after-school hours, with a more focused school-based delivery model.
• NatureBridge: Environmental education nonprofit delivering residential and day outdoor science programming for K-12 youth. Partial overlap with the Girl Scout outdoor/camp programming axis.

Others

• Sylvan Learning: For-profit supplemental education provider (STEM, math, reading) with franchise delivery serving K-12 youth and families — adjacent competitor for enrichment time and parental discretionary spend.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sdgirlscouts
• YouTubeyoutube.com/sdgirlscouts
• Facebookfacebook.com/sdgirlscouts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sdgirlscouts
• Instagraminstagram.com/sdgirlscouts
• Pinterestpinterest.com/sdgirlscouts
• TikToktiktok.com/@sdgirlscouts

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Girl Scouts San Diego