2020 GIRL SCOUT COOKIE PROGRAM
Family Guide FEBRUARY 15 - MARCH 22, 2020
FAMILIES: Here’s how you can support her sale: 1. Attend your troop’s cookie meeting. 2. Sign and return the permission slip before selling. 3. Help her set goals and track progress. 4. Help her create a Smart Cookies account. 5. Volunteer to help: set up a cookie booth, chaperone, pick up cookies.
ABOUT THE GIRL SCOUT COOKIE PROGRAM When your girl sells Girl Scout Cookies, she’s doing more than helping her customers stock up on delicious treats - she’s earning new and amazing experiences for herself and her troop! Whether that’s taking a trip to an unforgettable place, coding her own computer program or attending Girl Scout Camp next summer...selling cookies can help get her there! Did you know the Girl Scout Cookie Program is the LARGEST girl-led business in the world? Along with earning those unique experiences, running her own cookie business will help her explore and understand skills she’ll use for a lifetime.
Goal Setting
Decision-Making
Money-Management
Business Ethics
People Skills
Setting cookie goals and making a plan to reach them
Choosing how her troop will spend their cookie proceeds
Making a budget, taking orders and handling money from her business
Girl Scouts need to be honest and responsible every step of the way
Talking to new people and listening to customers while selling cookies
Make Double the Impact If you live in Dane County, donate your Cookie Share boxes to a food pantry and the Dane County Dairy Promotions Committee will match each box with a halfgallon of milk!
COOKIE SHARE: A Community Service Project Cookie Share allows customers to purchase cookies that will be donated. Customers pay for cookies but do not receive them. The troop coordinates delivery to their chosen cause, such as a food pantry or a Ronald McDonald House. These orders are written in the Cookie Share column on the order card. The cookies are included in girls’ totals and count toward rewards. All Cookie Share money must be turned in to your Troop Cookie Coordinator so the cookies can be delivered to the troop’s chosen cause. Every Girl Scout who participates in Cookie Share earns the Cookie Share patch.
HOW THE COOKIE CRUMBLES Troop Proceeds $0.63-0.75
Girl Scout and Volunteer Services $1.97-$2.09
Girl Scout Rewards $0.21
Pay the Baker: Cookie Cost - $1.07
After paying the baker for the cookies, 100 percent of the money that Badgerland troops raise through the Girl Scout Cookie Program stays local. *The cost breakdown is different for Girl Scouts not in a troop and selling as Juliettes. See Juliette-specific info for details.
4 WAYS TO SELL COOKIES 1. DIRECT SALE (DOOR-TO-DOOR)
February 10-14: Troops distribute pre-ordered cookies to each family.
February 15 - March 22: Girls have cookies in-hand and sell door-to-door to family members, friends and neighbors. Girls collect money at the time of the sale. Turn in money weekly to Troop Cookie Coordinator. Before March 8: Girls/families return any clean, unopened cases of cookies to the troop if they don’t think they will be able to sell them. Troops are limited on how many boxes can be returned to the Council, so try to sell all you have accepted responsibility for.
March 22: Cookie sales end, but girls can continue selling. Families are responsible for turning in money for all cookies in their possession.
2. ORDER TAKING
February 15 - March 10: Girls take orders with order cards and collect money at the time of sale.
March 11: Families submit the order card and all money collected to the troop co-leaders.
March 19-21: Families pick up cookies from the troop and begin delivering to customers.
March 22: End of Cookie sale. All cookies should be delivered by March 30.
3. COOKIE BOOTHS February 15 - March 22: Girls sell directly to the general public in places such as grocery stores or sporting events. Girls work together to achieve troop and individual sales goals. (Booths are usually scheduled by the troop)
4. DIGITAL COOKIE SALES Girls can superpower their sales by opening an online store. Girls email eCards (provided by our cookie baker) to family and friends, inviting them to purchase cookies.
Mid-January: Look for an email from noreply@abcsmartcookies.com to set up the account.
February 15 - March 22: Digital Cookie sales occur throughout cookie season.
SETTING UP HER DIGITAL COOKIE STORE 1. In mid-January, look for an email from noreply@abcsmartcookies.com. (may land in your junk folder) - Click the link in that email to begin. Complete the profile page, which includes selecting a username and password. - Click submit to complete the registration. 2. Look for another email that confirms her account set-up. - Save the email because it has the username and password which you’ll need each time you log in. 3. Log in to her account at abcsmartcookies.com and help her set up her dashboard and sales goal. 4. Select the ‘eCard’ tab. Add contacts, then generate eCards to family and friends. There are two ways customers can purchase cookies online: 1. Direct Ship eCards: Customers pay for their cookies + shipping. Cookies will be delivered to their doorstep by mail. 2. Girl Delivery eCards: Customers place a promise order for cookies. Girls deliver the cookies to the customer in person and collect payment at that time.
IMPORTANT INFO COOKIE FAQS
GIRL SAFETY
Q. What are the dates of the Cookie Program? February 15 - March 22, 2020
y Buddy up. Always sell with another person.
Q. What are the cookies for sale? There are eight varieties: Thin Mints, Caramel deLites, Peanut Butter Patties, Shortbreads, Thanks-A-Lots, Lemonades, Peanut Butter Sandwiches and S’mores. Q. How much do the cookies cost? $4 per box. Cookies must be sold at this price.
y Wisconsin law requires children under 9 to be supervised by a person 16 or older when selling or delivering a product. y Girls do not give her phone number, address or last name to customers. y Never enter another person’s home. All cookie sales are made at the door.
Q. What about gluten-free cookies? It’s the troop’s choice whether to sell them. Troops were invited to pre-order their Caramel Chocolate Chip cookies in October. Ask troop co-leaders if your troop has them. Each pouch costs $5. Q. What if we run out of cookies? Contact your troop cookie coordinator or co-leaders to get restocked.
y Girls should not carry large sums of money. All money needs to be turned in promptly and frequently by a responsible adult rather than sending it to school. y A Girl Scout should always wear her uniform when selling cookies.
What Girls Learn...
HANDLING MONEY Money is collected from customers at the time of the order. Customers may pay by cash or check.
Here’s what Badgerland Girl Scouts said they learned from selling cookies last year:
Customers should make checks payable to your troop or Badgerland Council. A customer never writes out a check to a parent or girl. If this is done and the check becomes NSF, Badgerland will not be able to help in collecting the funds from the customer.
y Setting a Goal y Talking to People y Being Responsible, Honest & Kind (even during busy cookie weekends!)
COOKIE RETURNS Parents are financially responsible for all cookies received. If your Girl Scout is unable to complete her cookie sale, some cookies may be returned. Parents may return unopened, clean cases of cookies to their troop on or before March 8. This is the only opportunity to return cookies.
REWARDS New in 2020: Instant Rewards! She’ll earn these items as soon as she reaches the goal!
BRAND NEW! The Cookie Entrepreneurship Family Pin Earn a different one each year by supporting your girl as she builds her cookie business.
This Year’s Mascot: The Red Fox! Each year we choose a new animal and motto for the cookie program. In 2020, the red fox is telling Girl Scouts to chase their adventures!
See all girl reward options on the rewards flyer. 2020 Cookie Program Participation Patch 24 boxes
Girl Scout Paracord Bracelet Comes in yellow, too! 60 boxes
Small Plush - 240 boxes
Large Plush 348 boxes