Why You Should Buy Girl Scout Cookies!
- Denique "Neeky" Dennis and Jenn Sloan
- Feb 26
- 5 min read
Economic development is often discussed through the language of markets, land use, and growth strategies, yet some of the most meaningful community transformation begins in spaces designed simply for learning and connection. Over the past year, our consulting team had the opportunity to work alongside two Girl Scouts councils on a feasibility study and strategic plan. The work invited us to reconsider how youth development initiatives quietly shape local economies, not through grand gestures but through steady investments in access, leadership, and belonging. So, here are a few reasons you should consider buying a few boxes of Girl Scout cookies:
Because Every Girl Deserves Access to Opportunities
A central focus of our feasibility work with Girl Scouts of Southeast Michigan explored decentralized Community Hubs intended to bring programming closer to underserved neighborhoods. At first glance, the concept seemed straightforward: create welcoming spaces and expand access to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) and leadership opportunities. As conversations deepened, the hubs began to represent something more nuanced. They became a reflection of how community infrastructure can evolve when planning starts with people (including youth!) rather than buildings.
Access and equity weren’t just side conversations in this work. They shaped nearly every decision about location, programming, and partnership. Stakeholders spoke about transportation barriers, language access, cultural relevance, and the reality that opportunity is not evenly distributed across neighborhoods. The Community Hub model challenged us to think differently about what inclusion looks like in practice. Instead of asking families to come to centralized spaces, the strategy brings resources into communities that have historically been overlooked. For economic development practitioners, this offers an important shift in perspective. Equity is not an abstract value. It is a design choice that determines who benefits from growth, who participates in leadership pathways, and who feels that development efforts truly belong to them.
To that end, our team, including our partners at Steadfast City Economic & Community Partners, spent considerable time analyzing demographics, site feasibility, and operational models. Yet, the most revealing insights came from listening. Volunteers described balancing work, family, and service while still striving to create meaningful experiences for girls. Parents spoke about wanting safe, culturally responsive spaces that felt rooted in their communities. Local partners considered how youth programming could complement broader neighborhood revitalization efforts. These perspectives reshaped how we interpreted the data. Participation rates and cost projections began to feel less like abstract metrics and more like indicators of community trust.
Because Girls Are Already Building the Future
The economic implications of the hubs were also tangible. Feasibility projections pointed to new jobs and measurable economic output tied to the investment in physical spaces and programming. Yet, a deeper value seemed to lie in long term workforce development. Exposure to entrepreneurship, outdoor education, and STEAM programming introduces girls to fields that many regional economies struggle to staff. By creating environments where young people can experiment with leadership roles and career exploration, the hubs help cultivate a future workforce that is both skilled and community-minded. Economic development practitioners often speak about talent pipelines. Here, the pipeline begins with curiosity and confidence.
On the heels of the feasibility work, our team engaged with the Girl Scouts of Central Illinois to support a strategic planning effort focused on growth, inclusion, and long-term sustainability. The planning process revealed how nonprofit organizations can function as anchor institutions within regional ecosystems. Discussions centered on expanding access, modernizing programming, and strengthening volunteer pathways. These goals were not framed solely as organizational priorities. They reflected a broader desire to ensure that communities remain vibrant places where families feel connected and girls see pathways to leadership.
Throughout both projects, we found ourselves reflecting on the relationship between strategy and everyday experience. Planning documents often emphasize clarity, metrics, and timelines. The lived reality behind those documents is more layered. It includes volunteers adapting to shifting schedules, staff balancing innovation with limited resources, and families searching for spaces that feel welcoming. Our role as consultants required us to translate these lived experiences into actionable frameworks without losing sight of the human stories that gave them meaning.
There were many moments that challenged our assumptions about how economic development work should feel. Instead of focusing solely on expansion or competition, many conversations centered on care and collaboration. Community partners spoke about sharing resources rather than guarding them. Staff and families emphasized cultural relevance and language access as essential components of growth. These themes reminded us that resilience does not come from scale alone. It emerges when organizations align their missions with the everyday realities of the communities they serve.
One of the more unexpected aspects of the projects was the sense of reflection they inspired within our own team. Consulting can sometimes create distance between analysis and impact. Engaging deeply with these initiatives narrows that distance. It encouraged us to slow down, to ask better questions, and to acknowledge that strategic planning is as much about listening as it is about designing solutions. Each workshop and stakeholder conversation reinforced the importance of humility in community-centered work.
Because Investing in Girls is Community Development
Looking back, the most enduring lesson from these experiences is that economic development is often quiet and deeply relational. It can unfold through mentorship programs, mobile STEAM labs, and camps where young people feel empowered to explore their potential. Strategic planning and community hubs are not ends in themselves, but are tools to help organizations evolve without losing sight of why they exist in the first place.
For practitioners in economic development, these projects offer a reminder that girl- and youth-serving initiatives deserve a place within broader regional strategies. Investments that strengthen leadership pathways and expand access to opportunity create ripple effects that extend far beyond program participants. They shape how communities imagine their future, how organizations collaborate, and how the next generation understands its role in building resilient local economies.
As a consulting team, we leave this work with a deeper appreciation for the patience and care required to support community-driven change. Strategy provides direction, but relationships sustain momentum. The processes showed us that planning can be rigorous without losing warmth, and that economic development can feel deeply human when it begins with listening.
Because Sometimes the Answer IS Cookies 🍪
And if you are wondering how to support the kind of community-building and leadership development described here, consider this a gentle call to action. Buy a few boxes of Girl Scout cookies! 🍪 Behind every box is an investment in girlhood, accessible programming, and a confidence-boost for girls as they learn to lead in their own communities. Sometimes the smallest investments are the ones that help communities grow the most.
