By: Margaret Karren

Anna Maria Chavez from the Girl Scouts of the USA kicked off the Not-For-Profit Conference as the keynote speaker. Her topic "The Full Slate - The Economic Imperative of Leveraging the Full Potential of Women in the Modern Workforce".

Ms. Chavez spoke of the great history and legacy of the Girl Scouts and the many changes they have made to ensure the future of the scouts. There are 59 million living alumni of the Girl Scouts. Studies have shown that the Girl Scout alumni out perform their peers in school, in their careers and in volunteerism. They have done a STEM research project which showed that 74% of girls like STEM but STEM related careers ranked very low. Girls start opting out of leadership roles in the 4th grade. What girls need are role models and advocates and anything is possible when you give a girl a chance. The major problem that the Girl Scouts organization is facing is the lack of donations, the perception is that they don't need donations because of the money made from selling cookies. Another big issue is the lack of adult volunteers. Ending comment buy more cookies.