World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts

What World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts does

World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts is a global youth movement for girls and young women delivered through national Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting organizations. It provides non-formal education programmes and international day campaign activity packs co-developed with partner organizations. The association offers leadership development resources, training, and international opportunities. It supports girl-led advocacy on issues such as gender equality, online safety, climate action, and body confidence. WAGGGS also strengthens member organizations through capacity building and governance support and reaches millions of participants across multiple world regions.

Name

World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts

Legal name

World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts

Website

https://www.wagggs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1912

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts supports girls and young women through non-formal education, leadership, and advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Non-formal Education and Leadership Development

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (BPAGABAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAD)

Keywords

• Youth non-formal education
• Girls leadership development
• Digital safety curriculum
• Global youth advocacy
• Non-profit membership movement

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Giving: WAGGGS raises funds through individual donations, regular giving programmes, legacy gifts (bequests in wills), and in-memory donations. Donors can give general donations or dedicate gifts to specific areas of work.
2. Capital Campaign Fundraising: WAGGGS is running a multi-year capital fundraising campaign targeting £3.75 million to protect, upgrade, and future-proof its World Centres portfolio, coinciding with the WAGGGS Centenary in 2028. Total programme cost is £5.9 million over ten years.
3. Member Organisation Fees: National Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting associations pay membership fees to WAGGGS. The organization has a Membership Fee Assistance Fund to support member organisations that need financial support.
4. World Centre Operations: WAGGGS operates five World Centres (Our Cabaña Mexico, Pax Lodge UK, Our Chalet Switzerland, Kusafiri Africa, Sangam India) that host events and generate revenue through bookings and programmes.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

WAGGGS is the world's largest voluntary movement dedicated to empowering girls and young women, delivering non-formal education programmes, leadership development, and girl-led advocacy through 153 national Member Organisations across 153 countries. Its core offerings include digital safety education (Surf Smart 2.0 co-created with Norton/Gen), the Capacity Assessment Tool 2.0 for member organisations, leadership seminars (Juliette Low, Helen Storrow), issue-based campaigns (Stop The Violence, Free Being Me, Girl Powered Nutrition, Plastic Tide Turners Challenge), and five physical World Centres for international gatherings.

Product overview

WAGGGS offers a portfolio of non-formal education programmes and resources focused on empowering girls and young women. The core products include Surf Smart 2.0 (digital safety education co-created with Norton/Gen), the Capacity Assessment Tool 2.0 (organisational development resource), and the Campfire digital platform. Key programmes include advocacy networks (Global Advocacy Champions, Advocacy for Generation Digital), campaigns (Stop The Violence, Free Being Me), leadership development (Juliette Low Seminar, Helen Storrow Seminar), and issue-focused initiatives (Girl Powered Nutrition, Plastic Tide Turners Challenge). The organisation operates five World Centres globally and an annual World Thinking Day event. The product portfolio works as an integrated ecosystem where digital education (Surf Smart) connects with advocacy (A4GD), leadership development connects with physical gathering spaces (World Centres), and individual programmes connect through the Campfire platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Surf Smart 2.0: Digital safety education programme co-developed with Norton, teaching online safety, digital citizenship and cyber wellness to girls and young women aged 5-25.
• Advocacy for Generation Digital (A4GD)
• Global Advocacy Champions
• Stop The Violence
• Free Being Me
• Girl Powered Nutrition
• U-Report

Products and services

• Surf Smart 2.0 A non-formal education programme co-created with Norton (Gen's Cyber Safety brand) that educates girls and young women aged 5-25 about online safety, digital citizenship, cyber wellness, and AI literacy. Available in all four official WAGGGS languages and awards a Surf Smart badge upon completion.
• Advocacy for Generation Digital (A4GD) A curriculum that supports youth-led advocacy action on online safety, digital wellbeing, and inclusive digital access, building practical skills in research, communication, leadership, and influencing for change.
• Capacity Assessment Tool 2.0 (CAT) A self-assessment tool for national Member Organisations to evaluate organisational capacity across five themed sections: Organisational Identity, Organisational Structure and Management, Young People in Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting, Adults in Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting, and Safe Space for All. Available as an interactive PDF and online through the Campfire platform.
• Campfire Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• Surf Smart digital safety programme has reached more than 850,000 girls and young women worldwide
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Gen Digital Inc. (Norton)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 April 2026Gen Digital Inc. (through its Norton Cyber Safety brand) partners with WAGGGS on the Surf Smart digital safety education programme. The partnership has evolved from Surf Smart (reaching 850,000+ girls) to include the Advocacy for Generation Digital (A4GD) curriculum launched in early 2026. Modules on AI were added in 2025. Youth advocates from Uganda presented at the 2024 UN Civil Society Conference in Nairobi. Campaigns have been launched in 10 countries addressing digital inclusion and online safety.
• United Nations Youth OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 September 2025The UN Youth Office and the Big Six Youth Organizations (including WAGGGS) announced a strategic partnership to accelerate youth leadership and action toward the Sustainable Development Goals. The partnership will focus on collaboration, advocacy, resource mobilisation, and representation. It builds on the Global Youth Mobilization (GYM) initiative and will be publicly launched during the High-Level Week of the UN General Assembly.
• Big Six Youth Organizations (World YWCA, World YMCA, World Scouting, IFRC, Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Foundation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWAGGGS is one of the Big Six Youth Organizations that collectively reach over 250 million young people across 190+ countries. Through their joint Global Youth Mobilization (GYM) initiative, they equip young people with funds and training to deliver youth-led solutions to global challenges. The partnership is powered by the European Commission's Directorate for International Partnerships through the Youth Empowerment Fund.
• Dove (Unilever) / Self-Esteem ProjectflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerDove and WAGGGS partner on the Action on Body Confidence programme, which supports girls and young women to tackle the root causes of low body confidence and self-esteem. The partnership includes events at UN CSW and the development of educational resources. The Dove Self-Esteem Project has been referenced in multiple CSW events hosted by WAGGGS.
• European Commission's Directorate for International PartnershipscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe European Commission's Directorate for International Partnerships, through the Youth Empowerment Fund, powers the Global Youth Mobilization (GYM). This partnership provides funding for youth-led projects around the world, with 21 projects from three regions already awarded funding.
• World Health OrganizationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Global Youth Mobilization was first launched during the COVID-19 pandemic with generous support from the World Health Organization and UN Foundation, providing initial funding and legitimacy for youth-led pandemic response projects.
• U-Report (UNICEF)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerWAGGGS U-Report is a youth engagement platform that enables Girl Guides and Girl Scouts to participate in polls on issues affecting them, including SDGs, climate change, and girls' rights. U-Report Global Ambassadors help drive engagement. WAGGGS has used U-Report data to inform advocacy positions at the UN.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• World YWCA: Global federated movement empowering women and girls through advocacy, leadership, and community programmes across 100+ countries. Directly comparable as a membership-based, UN-engaged women's empowerment movement and co-member of the Big Six Youth Organizations coalition.
• World YMCA: Global youth movement operating in 120+ countries focused on young people, leadership, and community development. Comparable as a parallel international youth federation and co-member of the Big Six coalition with similar UN advocacy and member-organisation delivery model.
• World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM): Global Scouting movement with 50M+ members in 170+ countries delivering non-formal education, leadership, and citizenship programmes. Direct peer in youth movement, non-formal education, and global federation structure; co-member of the Big Six Youth Organizations.
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC): World's largest humanitarian network with 191 national societies and millions of youth volunteers. Comparable in federated structure, youth programmes, and UN engagement; co-member of the Big Six Youth Organizations coalition through Global Youth Mobilization.
• Duke of Edinburgh's International Award: Global non-formal education framework for young people aged 14-24, operating in 130+ countries through licensed operators. Comparable in non-formal education delivery, youth leadership development, and country-level member federation model; Big Six coalition partner.

Broad incumbents

• UN Women: UN entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women, with global programmatic reach and policy influence. Comparable in gender-equality mission and UN advocacy platform, though operates as an intergovernmental body rather than a membership movement.
• Plan International: Global development and humanitarian organisation focused on advancing children's rights and equality for girls, operating in 80+ countries. Comparable in girls' empowerment mission, advocacy at UN forums, and country-level programme delivery, though structured as an INGO rather than a membership movement.
• UNICEF: UN agency for children's rights and wellbeing operating in 190+ countries with a major adolescent girls portfolio. Comparable in youth rights mission, UN advocacy platform, and partnership with WAGGGS through the U-Report platform, though vastly larger and intergovernmental.

Emerging players

• Room to Read: International non-profit focused on girls' education and gender equality in literacy across Asia and Africa. Comparable in girls' empowerment mission and non-formal education programming, though focused specifically on education access rather than broader youth development.
• Girl Rising: Global non-profit using storytelling and education to advance girls' rights and gender equality. Comparable in girls' empowerment advocacy and education mission, though smaller in scale and focused on media/campaigning rather than member-based movement delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wagggsworld
• Facebookfacebook.com/wagggsworld
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/world-association-of-girl-guides-and-girl-scouts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts