Girl Scouts of the Sierra Nevada

What Girl Scouts of the Sierra Nevada does

Girl Scouts of the Sierra Nevada (GSSN) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit local council chartered by Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA), headquartered at 605 Washington St in Reno, Nevada, with a secondary regional location in Elko. The organization delivers youth development programming to girls in grades K-12 across Northern Nevada through a structured framework spanning Daisy (K-1) through Ambassador (11-12) levels. Its core delivery model combines traditional volunteer-led troops with a Council-Led Troop (CLT) program in which council-employed staff run troops at schools, libraries, and community centers, an architecture explicitly designed to overcome volunteer shortages and geographic and financial barriers to participation.

Programming is organized around four pillars: STEM, Outdoors, Life Skills, and Entrepreneurship. The annual Cookie Program and Fall Product Program generate the bulk of earned revenue while teaching entrepreneurship; membership fees ($100 annual CLT membership, $165 troop fees covering uniform and supplies) and a tiered event pricing structure (including a $25 robotics workshop and a new $126 Extended Year Membership running April 2026 through September 2027) round out the pricing model. GSSN also generates revenue through diversified fundraising streams including TRIUMPHANT, Glamping for a Cause, Cookies and More, Girl Scouts Through the Ages, monthly GEM giving, and planned giving.

The underlying technology stack is lightweight: a public website, the national MyGS portal for membership and event registration, social media aggregation through Juicer.io, and Zoom for virtual training. GSSN is COPPA-compliant for child data protection and operates within the California AB 506 regulatory framework for youth-serving organizations. The council reports to its own Board of Directors while operating under GSUSA program and policy standards, with Girl Scout trademarks, the trefoil logo, and the broader program portfolio (badges, journeys, Bronze/Silver/Gold highest awards) supplied by the national organization.

Name

Girl Scouts of the Sierra Nevada

Legal name

Girl Scouts of the Sierra Nevada

Website

https://gssn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1936

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Girl Scouts of the Sierra Nevada is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit council under Girl Scouts of the USA, delivering K-12 youth leadership programming across Northern Nevada through volunteer-led and Council-Led Troops, funded by membership fees, cookie sales, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development and Nonprofit Membership Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAMALAA

Multi-Activity Enrichment Camps (Academic + Arts + Sports)

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Summer & Holiday Enrichment Camps (Multi-Activity, Academic)

SECONDARYEDAMALAE

Robotics, Engineering & Makers Camps

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Summer & Holiday Enrichment Camps (Multi-Activity, Academic)

SECONDARYEDAMALAO

Life Skills & SEL Camps (Confidence, Executive Function, Social Skills)

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Summer & Holiday Enrichment Camps (Multi-Activity, Academic)

SECONDARYTHAGAOAI

Group Camping & Scout Camps

Travel & Hospitality/Lodging & Accommodation/Camping & Glamping Facilities

Keywords

• Youth development programs
• Girl leadership training
• Scout membership services
• Cookie fundraising program
• Nonprofit educational programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Reno

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Girl Scout Cookie Program: Annual cookie sales managed by girl members, generating revenue for troops and the council. Girls learn entrepreneurship skills while selling cookies door-to-door and at booths.
2. Fall Product Program: Fall product sales (nuts, chocolates, magazines) managed by girl members and volunteers, complementing the cookie program.
3. Annual Membership Fees: Annual membership fees collected from girl and adult members. Girl membership runs October 1 to September 30. Council-Led Troop members pay $100 annual membership plus troop fees.
4. Council-Led Troop Fees: Troop fees of $165 cover uniforms, patches, and meeting supplies for Council-Led Troop participants. Financial assistance is available.
5. Donations and Fundraising Events: Donations, planned giving, and fundraising events such as TRIUMPHANT, Glamping for a Cause, Cookies and More, and Girl Scouts Through the Ages.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Girl Scouts of the Sierra Nevada delivers a year-round youth development program for girls in grades K-12 (Daisy through Ambassador) and supporting adult volunteers, structured around four program pillars: STEM, Outdoors, Life Skills, and Entrepreneurship. Core paid offerings include the annual Girl Scout Membership, Council-Led Troops for underserved areas, the annual Cookie Program and Fall Product Program, with revenue also derived from donations and fundraising events.

Product overview

Girl Scouts of the Sierra Nevada offers a comprehensive youth development program organized around four pillars: STEM, Outdoors, Life Skills, and Entrepreneurship. The core offering is the Girl Scout Membership for girls in grades K-12 and adult volunteers, with programs delivered through both volunteer-led troops and Council-Led Troops (CLT) for areas with volunteer shortages. Key programs include the Cookie Program and Fall Product Program for entrepreneurship education, Badges and Journeys for skill-building, Highest Awards (Bronze, Silver, Gold) for leadership recognition, and diverse Activities and Events including robotics workshops and outdoor adventures. The organization also provides extensive Volunteer Resources including training, background checks, Troop Year Plans, and the Girl Scout Experience Box for new troop leaders. Programs run on an October 1 - September 30 membership year.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Girl Scout Membership Annual membership program for girls in grades K-12 (Daisy through Ambassador) and adult volunteers, providing access to Girl Scout activities, badge programs, council events, and the cookie program for the October 1 to September 30 membership year.
• Council-Led Troops (CLT) Council-staffed troops addressing barriers to participation by expanding Girl Scout reach to girls in Northern Nevada underserved by volunteer-led troops, with $100 annual membership plus $165 troop fees covering uniforms, patches and meeting supplies; includes STEM, Outdoors, Life Skills and Entrepreneurship programming.
• Cookie Program Annual cookie sales program in which Girl Scouts in Northern Nevada sell cookies through booths, door-to-door and digital channels, teaching entrepreneurship, goal-setting, money handling and business skills while generating revenue for troops and the council.
• Fall Product Program Fall product sales of nuts, chocolates and magazines managed by Girl Scouts and volunteers, complementing the cookie program and providing additional entrepreneurship experience outside cookie season.

Quantifiable outcome

• Council-Led Troops serve girls in Northern Nevada who face barriers to participation by eliminating the need for volunteer troop leaders.
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• YMCA of the USA: A membership-based national organization operating local Y branches that deliver youth programs (sports, swim, before/after-school care), summer camps, and leadership development. Directly comparable membership/dues model and youth programming breadth, though with broader family-fitness focus.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: A national youth services network operating club-based after-school and summer programs focused on academic success, character development, and healthy lifestyles for school-age youth. Comparable target demographic and complement to Girl Scout programming, though delivered in facility-based rather than troop-based formats.

Direct peers

• 4-H (National 4-H Council): A USDA-affiliated youth development program delivered through local Cooperative Extension offices, offering project-based learning in STEM, agriculture, outdoors, and civic engagement. Comparable age range, badge-equivalent recognition system, and community-club delivery model.
• Boy Scouts of America: The most direct sibling organization to Girl Scouts — a century-old, national youth development organization delivering structured outdoor adventure, leadership badges, and character education through local councils across the United States. Directly comparable mission, membership model, and program pillars (STEM, outdoors, life skills).
• Camp Fire: A national co-ed youth development organization originally founded as Camp Fire Girls, offering similar badge-based progression, outdoor programming, and teen leadership opportunities. Operates local councils that mirror the Girl Scout council structure and competes for the same members and volunteers.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: A national nonprofit mentoring organization pairing adult volunteers with youth (Littles) for one-to-one mentorship. Comparable mission (youth development and empowerment), volunteer-dependent model, and reliance on background-checked adult mentors.
• Girl Scouts of Northern California: A sister GSUSA council serving Northern California — adjacent geography to GSSN's footprint, with an identical membership, product, programming, and council-staff delivery structure. A useful peer for benchmarking council-level KPIs, CLT adoption, and cookie-program economics.

Emerging players

• Girls Who Code: A nonprofit focused on closing the gender gap in technology through after-school clubs, summer immersion programs, and college-loops. Highly comparable on the STEM-for-girls value proposition that GSSN also pursues via its robotics and coding programming, though without the broader multi-pillar structure.
• Police Athletic League (National PAL): A national network of locally operated youth programs offering sports, mentorship, and enrichment activities typically hosted at community/recreation centers. Comparable delivery to underserved youth and overlap on the life-skills/leadership programming dimension.

Others

• American Camp Association: A national membership association that sets standards for and accredits resident and day camps, including Girl Scout camps. Functions as an enabling/ecosystem organization rather than a direct competitor, but is highly comparable on the youth-camp and outdoor-programming dimensions of GSSN's portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/girlscouts
• Facebookfacebook.com/GirlScoutsoftheSierraNevada
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/girl-scouts-of-sierra-nevada
• Instagraminstagram.com/girlscoutssierranevada
• Pinterestpinterest.com/gsusa

Compliance2 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 of the Sierra Nevada