Girl Scouts of Central Texas on building leaders and sustainable revenue beyond cookie season
The Charity Charge Show - Nonprofit Podcast · 2026-01-16 · 42 min
Episode notes
Most people think they know Girl Scouts because of one thing: cookies. In Episode 143 of the Charity Charge Show, Stephen Garten sits down in person with Paula Bookidis, CEO of Girl Scouts of Central Texas , to talk about what the public rarely sees. Yes, the cookie program is a powerhouse. But the real story is how Girl Scouts builds courage, confidence, and character through a leadership experience that blends entrepreneurship, STEM, outdoors, and life skills . Girl Scouts of Central Texas serves more than 12,000 members across 46 counties, runs with about 75 full-time staff, and relies on roughly 10,000 adult volunteers. It is a serious operation, and it runs on a model many nonprofits talk about but few actually execute: sustainable earned revenue tied directly to mission outcomes.