Gold Award Timeline

One of the pieces often missing from Gold Award proposals in our council is the timeline. This is a required piece of the proposal. Since it is not specified as part of Go Gold Online (GGO) it is easily overlooked. There is an update to GGO expected shortly – although it is not known what changes will be made.

Our council asks Girl Scouts to submit the budget and timeline, along with any other additional information, as the attachment upload in GGO in our council’s directions for proposal submission. Since individual councils are unable to edit the GGO platform individually –it is a national GSUSA website – when working on the GGO it can be missed.

A timeline can easily be created by identifying the top ten or so steps of the project. A number varying depending on the project and the Girl Scout. After listing the top steps expected completion dates and estimated work time for the steps are identified.

The timeline:

helps the committee understand the thought process the Girl Scout has regarding the process of the project.
gives additional information related to the project that may not be in the narratives.
guides the Girl Scout, the Project Advisor, and the committee as to when major steps are expected to be achieved.
helps determine if the project is on track for timely completion.

This summer we had an application from a graduated Girl Scout with a great plan for a project that could be completed in the few months she had left prior to the September 30^th deadline. The project was missing a timeline, along with some other needed clarification. The Girl Scout was able to complete the necessary pieces with just a couple of days after the interview. She has been approved and is moving quickly through her project.

As an aside here: I do not encourage Girl Scouts to wait until after graduation to submit a Gold Award proposal. These projects can take longer than anticipated. Condensing an 80-hour project into a couple of months does not always allow the Girl Scout to experience all the benefits of completing a Gold Award project. I encourage any Girl Scout that wants to earn the Gold Award to try. If a girl’s high school experience is such that a Gold Award was not able to be completed. A girl needs to be organized and thoughtful about the project. It is possible to have excellent, true Gold Award caliper projects completed in a shortened time frame when other activities are not competing for the time needed for the Gold Award project.

The timeline this Girl Scout submitted was beautifully created, clearly defining her project’s goals and deadlines. I was so impressed with her timeline, I asked if I could share with you as an example of a timeline other than a list.