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“I know it doesn’t sound very revolutionary,” she jokes, “but I knew that if we were going to get serious about philanthropy, we’d need a serious fund-development department. Now we have two VPs, one focused on major gifts and one on annual giving.”

GSUSA’s more focused approach to fundraising involves developing what Cloninger calls a successful “culture of philanthropy.” She says that the organization already is a great study of women in philanthropy, because it achieved success before women were in the workplace in large numbers or had the right to vote. A century ago, women weren’t comfortable in the fundraising arena, which is why Girl Scouts came to depend on self-generated funding mechanisms — e.g., membership dues, and merchandise opportunities with handbooks and uniforms. It’s clear that, to some degree, GSUSA’s decision to transform itself reflects the extent to which not only the organization but also the country has altered its views on the roles of women in society.