The Girl Scouts Cookie Program

The $800 million Girl Scout Cookie Program generates immeasurable benefits for girls, their councils and communities nationwide. Girls set cookie goals to support their chosen activities for the year, to fund community service and leadership projects, to attend camp, to travel and to provide events for girls in their community. Girls’ efforts provide resources to their local Girl Scout councils and to their own Girl Scout troops/groups. All proceeds earned from cookie activities stay in Hawai`i to support programs and activities for Hawai`i’s girls. Girl Scout cookies are a beloved facet of American culture. For more than 80 years, Girl Scouts, with the support of their families, have helped ensure the success of local Girl Scout cookie activities.

The Cookie Program is so much more than just “selling cookies.”

The Five Skills

The Girl Scout Cookie Program is the largest girl-run business in the country. Much more than a fundraiser, it’s a unique, hands-on way for girls to develop five essential skills that are core to the Girl Scout Leadership Program:

Goal Setting

• Selling cookies is optional, but think of all the valuable skills she’ll be missing out on! Find other tasks that she can do to help out the troop, stay involved, and still learn about the five skills!
• Make your troop goal a group effort! Then, break down that goal by each girl. A suggested goal is 160 boxes per girl, but it’s up to each troop to decide what is appropriate.
• When placing your cookie orders, take into consideration:
  a) What are your “FIRM” orders (committed orders from family, friends, etc.)?
  b) What booth sites will your troop be selling at? Are they high traffic sites or not? Use the Booth Estimator Worksheet to help you figure this out.

 Decision Making

• As a troop, decide TOGETHER what your proceeds will fund. It is suggested that part of the proceeds go toward a community project, which all the girls decide on together. Also, use the booth sites as a way of telling the community how your troop is making a difference! Of course some of the proceeds may also be for a FUN event that the girls decide!

Money Management

• Develop a budget for accomplishing at least one of the goals you set in the Goal Setting step.  Use this budget to help determine your sales goals.
• Be able to explain how the money earned in the Girl Scout Cookie Program helps you, your group, and your community.  Booth sites are a GREAT venue to communicate what you are doing for your community.

People Skills

• Smile! Be enthusiastic! Be thankful!
• Practice your “elevator speech” for customers about what you are selling, why you are selling it, and why they should purchase it.
• Make a list of customers you will approach. Don’t forget people you sold to last year!

Business Ethics

• Discuss how living the Girl Scout Promise and Law applies to what you do in the Girl Scout Cookie Program.