Girl Scouts Raise $257,000 to Support Transgender Scouts and Make Scouting #ForEVERYGirl

So we’ll see how that crowdfunding Greece away from default effort goes, but here’s a story about a crowdfunding attempt that did work.

The Girl Scouts of Western Washington recently received a $100,000 donation — which is, as Fast Company notes, “nearly one-third of its yearly financial assistance program.”

However, the donation came with a caveat: the Girl Scouts had to promise that none of the money could be spent on transgender girls. The Girl Scouts of Western Washington refused to make that promise, and gave the money back.

Then they launched an IndieGoGo campaign to make up the difference, calling it Girl Scouts Is #ForEVERYGirl:

Our vision at Girl Scouts of Western Washington is that EVERY girl in our region — regardless of her race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identity or geographic location — is empowered to unleash her potential, build her future and transform her world.

By donating to our #ForEVERYGirl Campaign, you’ll help make sure that EVERY girl has the opportunity to participate in the life-changing opportunities that Girl Scouts provides.

The campaign was launched on Monday. As of this writing, they’ve raised $257,520 — more than twice the original donation amount. Here’s one of their updates:

You are AMAZING! Together you’ve made sure 1,000 girls have the support they need to fully participate in all of the many life-changing experiences that Girl Scouts has to offer. Thank you for standing #ForEVERYGirl!

The IndieGoGo campaign will be open for the next 29 days, so people can still contribute. One of the perks, by the way, is a Samoas Cookbook that teaches you how to use the Samoa (aka Caramel deLite in parts of the country) in various recipes including “baked Samoas French toast with bacon.” There’s also a recipe for Samoas doughnuts, and Samoas cream-filled donuts, and… I just signed up to support #ForEVERYGirl.

Watch the video for more info about the campaign, and share your Girl Scout stories in the comments!

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