Troop
Guide
Food for Thought Cookies 2014
Family Support is the Key to Success Girls have greater success in Girl Scout Cookie Program activities when family adults are informed and involved. These tips will help you turn “cookie time” into “family time” and provide important ways that you can guide and support her to cookie success! 1. Make sure your Girl Scout is a registered member of Girl Scouts of the USA for the current Girl Scout membership year. 2. Attend her troop/ group cookie training. Be sure to ask the cookie volunteer for your Girl Scout’s troop or group how you can help with meetings or with other tasks. 3. Understand “The 5 Skills for Girls” and how they impact your Girl Scout. 4. Work with her to set goals and track her progress. Encourage her to set up an account on COCO, your Girl Scout’s online Cookie Command Center for goal setting, planning and marketing. 5. Encourage her to make a telephone or email contact list of her friends and family. She can create and send eCards in the Online Cookie Marketing section of COCO. 6. Review and discuss Cookie Activity Safety Guidelines. 7. Coach her in selling techniques, including how to share her goals, and suggest additional reasons to purchase cookies. 8. Accompany your Girl Scout to support her as she sells. 9. Discuss how you can help her reach her goals, such as giving rides when she needs them or safeguarding her cookie money. Remember, closing the sale is her responsibility. 10. Allow your Girl Scout to participate in a booth sale and volunteer to help. Check on her progress during the sale. Help her live by the Girl Scout Promise and Law, and discuss how it applies to business-ethics throughout the activity. Let your friends know how proud you are of your Girl Scout and her participation in the Girl Scout Cookie Program. Check out Girl Scout Shouts, a collection of fun badges and art designed for sharing via social media or printing. These can be found in your COCO account.
Table of Contents Troop Calendar For Success ................................................................................................................................. Cookie Top Sellers~ Council, Region/ District ....................................................................................................... Individual Girl Rewards .......................................................................................................................................... Troop PGA Rewards and Proceeds ....................................................................................................................... Cookie Basics ........................................................................................................................................................ Meet the Cookies ................................................................................................................................................... Initial Orders ........................................................................................................................................................... Pilot Sister Plan ...................................................................................................................................................... Booth Lotteries ....................................................................................................................................................... Mega Drop ............................................................................................................................................................. Walkabout and Glow Party Reporting .................................................................................................................... Cookie Booth Guidelines........................................................................................................................................ Cookie Cupboard ................................................................................................................................................... Cookie Returns, Transfers, and Trades ................................................................................................................. Mid-Sale and Clean-Up Inventory .......................................................................................................................... Code of Conduct and Behavior .............................................................................................................................. Cookie Finances .................................................................................................................................................... Closing Out Your Sale and Paper Push ................................................................................................................. Cookie Dough Cards .............................................................................................................................................. 2
3 4 5 7 7 8 9 10 11 13 15 16 21 21 22 23 24 29 30
Troop Calendar For Success What’s Happening
Date December 10th
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Southwest Regional Training ~ Evening
December 11th
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Redlands Regional Training ~ Morning
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Central Regional Training ~ Evening
12th
•
Low Desert Regional Training ~ Evening
December 13th
•
High Desert Training ~ Evening
•
Redlands Regional Training ~ Morning
•
Central West Training ~ Evening
•
DROPDEAD Deadline for Initial Orders
January 11th
•
B.I.G. Expo
14th
•
Cookie Training Webinar for Juliettes
•
Live Booth Lotteries completed in each District/ Region~ Check with your District/ Region for date
•
NEW Troop/ Juliette Cookie Training ~ Southwest
•
Cookie Training Webinar for Juliettes
January 16th
•
NEW Troop/ Juliette Cookie Training ~ Redlands
January 19th
•
SNAP Booth Selections for Booth Lottery Shuffle Opens
22nd
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SNAP Booth Selections for Booth Lottery Shuffle Closes
January 23rd
•
SNAP Booth Lottery Scramble selections assigned by computer
January 24th
•
Deadline to review/ add names to SNAP~ P.P.P. Milestone
January 25th
•
Super Saturday Mega Drop ~ ALL Regions
January 26th
•
Sale Starts ~ Walkabout Begins
27th
•
Cookie Cupboard at Burgess Opens ~ The ONLY Monday at Burgess cupboard
January 29th
•
Outbound Cookie Cupboards Open
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Super Bowl Booth Sale Weekend
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Walkabout Sales Ends
•
Deadline to assign Walkabout cookies and payments to girls and print Girl Balance Summaries
•
Run Girl Balance Summery Report and PRINT (P.P.P. Milestone!)
•
Booth Sales Officially Begin
11th
•
Swoop & Sweep #1 ~ 15% of total amount owed to Council
February 16th
•
Mid Sale Inventory Reports Due ~ Including girls inventory at home ~ No Exceptions!! (P.P.P. Milestone!)
February 20th
•
Deadline to assign Glow Party cookies and payments to girls and print Girl Balance Summaries.
•
Full case/ same flavor trades begin at Cupboards
February 26th
•
Swoop & Sweep #2 ~ 30% of total amount owed to Council
February 27th
•
Glow Party
•
Last day for Parents to return cookies to troop
February 28th
•
Clean-Up Inventory Due
4th
•
Mixed case trades begin at Cupboards
March 7th
•
Last Day Outbound Cupboards Open
11th
•
Swoop & Sweep #3 ~ 75% of total amount owed to Council
March 12th
•
Last Day Girl Scout Office Cupboards Open
March 15th
•
Last Day Burgess Cupboard Open
16th
•
Final day of the sale
March 18th
•
WuFoo Form Completed for 750+ Girls
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Sale Closed out in SNAP, all boxes assigned and rewards ordered. (P.P.P. Milestone!)
March 21st
•
Cookie Sale Paper Push ~ Complete and Submit final paperwork (P.P.P. Milestone!)
March 22nd
•
Swoop & Sweep #4 amounts will be entered into SNAP ~ Balance owed to Council less P.P.P. Bonus
December
December
January January
January
15th
January February
14th
1st
&
2nd
February 6th February February
March March
March
7th
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First Things First The Troop Cookie Coordinator Must: • • • • • • NOTE:
Be currently registered Have an approved Volunteer Application on file Have passed a Criminal Background Check Sign a Troop Product Sales Coordinator Agreement Attend Cookie Training Agree to and follow all of the guidelines as outlined in training, the Troop Product Sales Coordinator Agreement, and this guide. The person who signs the Troop Product Sales Coordinator Agreement becomes completely responsible for everything that happens during the sale. Should it become necessary to change the Troop Cookie Coordinator during the middle of the sale, contact your District/ Region Product Sales Manager immediately. The new Troop Cookie Coordinator will need to be trained; new Troop Cookie Coordinators cannot be appointed without Council/ Team Training.
Where to Get What You Need If you have any questions about the Cookie Sale, help is available and we encourage you to ask questions to resolve issues. A problem is much easier to solve at an early stage, before it gets out of control. Please follow the chain of command to help with problem solving: • District/ Region Cookie Volunteers • District/ Region Product Sales Manager • Council Product Sales Team at (909)307-6555 or (800)400-4475 ext 273 or 237. NOTE:
Please allow your Teams a full 24 hours to respond prior to contacting Council. Follow the chain of command and the information will be passed on as necessary.
Council Top Sellers THE OVERALL 1ST, 2ND, AND 3RD PLACE COUNCIL TOP SELLERS WILL BE RECOGNIZED! THE 1ST, 2ND, AND 3RD PLACE TOP COUNCIL AGE LEVEL SELLERS WILL BE RECOGNIZED: Daisy, Brownie, Junior, Cadette, Senior, Ambassador, Pathways/Juliettes, Sisters NOTE: Overall Top Sellers ARE the top selling girls in our Council and therefore will not be honored in the “Top Age Level” categories.
Top Seller Scholarships GSSGC would like to begin helping girls with their higher education plans. To do this, we are establishing a scholarship rewards program. This money will be held in trust in their name and can be used for secondary education (i.e.: College, University and or trade school). The money is not a cash prize and cannot be cashed out. Rather, once she applies to school and is accepted, we will send the scholarship money directly to the school in her name. Scholarships will be held in trust a maximum of two years after high school graduation. • • • •
For every 500 boxes of cookies sold, the girl’s name will be entered into a random drawing for several college scholarships. A total of $12,000 in scholarships will be awarded. Two $500 scholarships will be awarded per grade level, for a total of $6,000 Council’s three Overall Top Sellers receive a combined total of $6,000 v Third Place Overall Top Cookie Seller will have $1,500 placed in trust in their name v Second Place Overall Top Cookie Seller will have $2,000 placed in trust in their name v First Place Top Cookie Seller will have $2,500 placed in trust in their name
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District or Region Top Sellers Each Region or District (depending on how that area is organizing the sale) will conduct a Cookie Rewards Event to honor the tremendous efforts of the girls. Rewards could include up to the top seller in each Troop, first through fifth place top sellers in each age level, and every girl who reaches a minimum of 750+ boxes. District/ Region top sellers and individual girl numbers will NOT be announced during the events. These numbers will be announced at Council’s Rewards event.
Individual Girl Rewards PLEASE NOTE: Rewards are cumulative, Cookie Dough Cards are NOT cumulative. Boxes sold includes: Individual Sales, Walkabout Sales, and Booth Sales unless indicated.
Patches and Rockers • • •
Every girl who sells a minimum of 12 boxes of cookies will receive a theme patch. Girls will receive Achievement Rockers in 100 box increments. Girls receive ONE Rocker~ Rockers are not cumulative.
85+ Boxes~ Plush Red Panda This year’s theme animal is the Plush Red Panda. Girls who sell 85+ boxes of cookies throughout the sale will receive the Panda. This includes Walkabout, direct sales, and booth sale cookies.
200+ Boxes During Walkabout Period~ Patch and Paid Membership Girls who sell 200+ boxes of cookies between January 26th (first day of sale) and February 6th (last day before official start of booth sales) will receive a special Walkabout patch and have their 2014-2015 Girl Scout membership paid for them. Girls will receive a coupon along with a detachable commemorative certificate to be used during Early Bird registration. The 200+ boxes must be sold and paid for through direct sales; booth sales during Super Bowl Weekend count towards the girl’s overall sales, but do NOT count towards Walkabout. Refer to the “Walkabout Period and Report” section of this guide for Troop Cookie Coordinator instructions.
300+ Boxes~ Two Movie Tickets New this year~ A reward for reaching 300+ boxes throughout the sale! The movie tickets will be for a theatre in YOUR area! Imagine if EVERY girl in your troop sells 300+ boxes~ Troop outing at no troop cost! Girls will also receive the Plush Red Panda and Walkabout patch/ membership (if earned). The 300+ boxes include Walkabout, direct sales, and booth sale cookies.
400+ Boxes~ Admission to a Glow Party New this year~ A reward for reaching 400+ boxes through mid-sale! Girls who sell 400+ boxes of cookies between January 26th (first day of sale) and February 16th (mid-way through the sale) will receive an invitation to attend an awesome GLOW PARTY designed especially for them, complete with sparkle and bling! The Glow Party will be held at Cal State University San Bernardino on February 20th. Girls will also receive the Plush Red Panda, Walkabout patch/ membership (if earned), and movie tickets. The 400+ boxes for the Glow Party include Walkabout and direct sales only. The 400+ boxes must be sold and paid for to qualify; booth sale cookies count towards the girl’s overall sales, but do NOT count towards Glow Party. Refer to the “Glow Party and Report” section of this guide for Troop Cookie Coordinator instructions.
500+ Boxes~ Scooter or MP3 Player Back by popular demand~ A reward for selling 500+ boxes! Girls who sell 500+ boxes of cookies throughout the sale through direct sales AND booth sales, will receive their choice of a custom-designed Girl Scout Scooter or a MP3 Player with Girl Scout Logo. Girls will also receive the Plush Red Panda, Walkabout patch/ membership (if earned), movie tickets, and Glow Party (if earned).
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750+ Boxes~ Cali Girl Goes to Hollywood Girls who sell 750+ boxes of cookies throughout the sale through direct sales AND booth sales, will be invited to attend an all expenses paid trip to Universal Studios for themselves and an adult chaperone. The trip will include: two VIP, one day tickets, bus, awards luncheon, front of the line passes and character interactions for girl AND adult of your choice. The adult must be 18 years or older and if not registered as a Girl Scout, must pay the $15 registration fee in order to attend. Check in will take place at all 4 regional offices based on where the troop is registered. Girls will also receive the Plush Red Panda, Walkabout patch/ membership (if earned), movie tickets, Glow Party (if earned), and choice of Scooter/ MP3 Player.
1250+ Boxes~ Google Chromebook (Laptop Computer) Girls who sell 1250+ boxes of cookies throughout the sale through direct sales AND booth sales, will receive the latest version of the Google Chromebook. It includes the newest technology and programs which will help the girls succeed at school, business, and play. Girls will also receive the Plush Red Panda, Walkabout patch/ membership (if earned), movie tickets, Glow Party (if earned), choice of Scooter/ MP3 Player, and Universal Studios Trip.
2000+ Boxes~ Girls Unite V.I.P. Program at Disneyland Girls who sell 2000+ boxes of cookies throughout the sale through direct sales AND booth sales, will attend a special behind-the-scenes V.I.P. program called “Girls Unite” at the “Happiest Place on Earth,” Disneyland! This is a “girls only event~ only daisies bring an adult. Participants will enjoy a 2-day extravaganza at Disney’s California Adventure and Disneyland, take part in a 3-hour animation course taught by Disney Animators, enjoy seated viewing of Fantasmic while enjoying a delicious dessert assortment, have breakfast with Minnie and Friends at an all-you-can-eat buffet, receive a Disney gift card for food and goodies, stay overnight at the Disneyland hotel – now that is doing Disney the VIP way! Girls will also receive the Plush Red Panda, Walkabout patch/ membership (if earned), movie tickets, Glow Party (if earned), choice of Scooter/ MP3 Player, Universal Studios Trip, and Google Chrome Laptop.
3000+ Boxes~ Santa Barbara Caverns Adventure Girls who sell 3000+ boxes of cookies throughout the sale through direct sales AND booth sales, will have an amazing opportunity to bring an adult and explore the unbelievable Santa Barbara Caverns. The trip will include 3 days and 2 nights exploring some of California’s most beautiful coastline in beautiful Santa Barbara, travel via coach bus to the coast, hotel, meals, kayak through caverns, zip-line through the canopy, and horseback ride along the water’s edge. Girls will also receive the Plush Red Panda, Walkabout patch/ membership (if earned), movie tickets, Glow Party (if earned), choice of Scooter/ MP3 Player, Universal Studios Trip, Google Chrome Laptop, and Girls Unite V.I.P. trip.
4000+ Boxes~ National Girl Scout Headquarters in NEW YORK CITY Girls who sell 4000+ boxes of cookies throughout the sale through direct sales AND booth sales, will visit “The Big Apple” with an adult chaperone of their choice. Included in the trip will be 4 days and 3 nights, include airfare, hotel, a Broadway play, the Metropolitan museum, Statue of Liberty, the 911 Memorial, tour of our National Girl Scout Headquarters with coffee with our National CEO Anna Maria Chavez, and visit to Macy’s, our Girl scout conference center and great hall. Girls will also receive the Plush Red Panda, Walkabout patch/ membership (if earned), movie tickets, Glow Party (if earned), choice of Scooter/ MP3 Player, Universal Studios Trip, Google Chrome Laptop, Girls Unite V.I.P. trip, and Santa Barbara Caverns trip.
Cookie Dough The more you sell, the more you receive! Cookie Dough comes in the form of a Girl Scout “Credit Card” which can be used for a variety of Girl Scout opportunities. Refer to “Cookie Dough Cards” at the end of this Guide. You begin earning Cookie Dough at 300 boxes of cookies sold!!! Cookie Dough Cookie Dough Cookie Dough Boxes Sold Boxes Sold Boxes Sold Earned Earned Earned 300-349 $40.00 550-559 $90.00 900-999 $300.00 350-399 $50.00 600-699 $100.00 1,000-1,249 $400.00 400-449 $60.00 700-749 $125.00 1,250-1,999 $450.00 450-499 $70.00 750-799 $150.00 2000+ $500.00 500-549 $80.00 800-899 $200.00 Cookie Dough is NOT cumulative
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“PGA” Rewards = “Per Girl Average” To determine if your Troop qualifies to earn the PGA Troop Rewards, you will need to determine your Troop’s per girl average. To do this, divide the total number of boxes that your troop has sold, by the number of girls in your troop who are participating in the Cookie Sale. Example: 5250 boxes sold ÷ 15 girls in troop participating in sale = 350 Per Girl Average
PGA Troop Rewards 350+ PGA~ Troop Backpacks Troops whose PGA reaches 350+ boxes, every girl in your troop who participated in the Cookie Sale will receive matching Troop Backpacks with Girl Scout logo on it. These backpacks will be perfect for day trips with your troop. The girls who are not participating in the sale will not be added into the PGA calculations and will not receive PGA rewards.
600+ PGA~ Brunch with the GSSGC Board and CEO Troops whose PGA reaches 600+ boxes, every girl in your troop who participated in the Cookie Sale will be invited to share their accomplishments, marketing strategies, and entrepreneurial plans with the Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer, Regional Advisory Teams and the Executive council Team at a special brunch, just for them. Girls will also receive troop backpacks. The girls who are not participating in the sale will not be added into the PGA calculations and will not receive PGA rewards. This is a very special event that will also highlight the hard working leaders (2 per troop that qualify) who mentored their girls to this amazing level.
Troop Proceeds Troops earn $0.70 for every box sold. Troops also earn additional proceeds through the Progressive Proceeds Plan (P.P.P.). Refer to “P.P.P. ~ Progressive Proceeds Plan” for details. The cookie sale earnings belong to the entire troop, not the individual Girl Scout. Individual Girl Scouts earn rewards; troops earn proceeds. Unless you have an approved “Extended Troop Trip” (ETT) application on file with Council, Or are submitting specific programming needs, Troops may NOT partition funds for use by individual girls. Regardless of the amount of cookies that a girl sells, the proceeds earned for the Troop belong to the Troop, and are to be used for the entire troop. Troops are NOT allowed to do percentage splits (70% to girl, 30% to Troop), or per box calculations ($0.45 to girl, $0.25 to Troop) unless qualified to partition funds.
Partitioning Funds Partitioning funds refers to fundraising proceeds (Fall Product Sale, Cookie Program and miscellaneous fundraisers) that are set aside for the girl who earned the funds. Only older girls (bridging Juniors and above) are allowed to partition funds and those funds may only be used for travel or programming IE silver and Gold awards as is councils discretion to approve. Troops must have an approved Extended Troop Trip (ETT) form on file or programming plans spelled out in order to partition funds. Unless proper paperwork is submitted and approved by Council, troops may NOT partition funds for use by individual girls. Regardless of the amount of cookies that a girl sells, the proceeds earned for the Troop belong to the Troop, and are to be used for the entire troop. Troops are NOT allowed to do percentage splits (70% to girl, 30% to Troop), or per box calculations ($0.45 to girl, $0.25 to Troop) unless qualified to partition funds. If a girl leaves the troop, partitioned funds will follow the girl to her new troop or to her Girl Scouts My Way Pathway fund if she is continuing on the agreed upon activity). Partitioned funds do not go directly to the girl and are considered troop funds.
Cookie Basics There are two bakers in the United States that bake Girl Scout Cookies. Each council chooses which baker they would like to use. We are proud to have our cookies baked by ABC Bakers (America’s Best Cookies, a division of Interbake Foods). San Gorgonio and Orange County Councils are the only Southern California Councils using ABC Bakers. Although they have different names for them, both bakers bake the classic five varieties (Thin Mints, Caramel deLites, Peanut Butter Patties, Peanut Butter Sandwiches and Shortbread), but have the option of three additional varieties. The recipes of the two bakers for the classic five cookies are similar, but not exact.
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Sales Materials You will receive the following items to help with their sale:
Item(s) • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Quantity 1 Form per Troop 1 Form per Troop 1 Form per Troop 1 Box per Troop Several per Troop 1 per Troop 1 per Troop 1 per Girl 1 per Girl Several per Troop Several per Troop 1 per Troop 1 per Troop 1 per Troop 1 Set per Troop 1 per Troop
ACH Form Troop Initial Order Form Troop Product Sales Coordinator Agreement Sample Cookies Money/ Cookie Receipt Books Troop Cookie Coordinator Guide SNAP Troop User Guide Girl & Parent Information/ Permission Slips Money Envelopes Troop to Troop Transfer Forms I-Care Customer Receipts I-Care Distribution Form Girl to Girl Box Transfer Form Sister Plan Form Sales Materials Opt-Out Form
Meet the Cookies *NEW* Cranberry Citrus Crisps *NEW* Crispy cookie, made with whole grain, full of tangy cranberry bits and zesty citrus flavor. A sweet addition for the new cookie season: this crispy cookie is filled with 9 grams of whole grain! Made with real fruit, this new cookie has no high-fructose corn syrup, and no artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners.
*NEW* Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Shortbread *NEW* Chocolate Chips nestled in a bite-size, gluten free shortbread cookie. Millions of Americans have problems eating food with gluten, so ABC Bakers have created a delicious cookie just for them! Made with real chocolate chips and real butter, the Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Shortbread is premiering in a number of test markets this year. It doesn’t have any high fructose corn syrup, palm oil, or hydrogenated oils and is made in a facility that is designated gluten free. The Gluten free cookie is a pilot program and the supply is limited. We are very excited to be chosen to participate in this pilot program. When the cookies are gone they are gone, we are not able to order anymore.
How the Cookie Crumbles~ For each $4.00 box of cookies: • • • • •
Cost of cookies Girl Rewards (patches, trips, cookie dough cards) Troop Proceeds Girl Scout Properties Programming/ Membership/ Camp/ Adult Education/ Support Services
$0.99 $0.22 $0.70 $0.47 $1.61
Knowing that the baker only receives $0.99 per box and that the remaining $3.01 goes directly to Girl Scouts is an important component of the sale. Be sure that the girls are aware of this.
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This year’s lineup includes 9 cookies:
Meet the Cookies!!!
Cookie Info!!!
•
Thanks-A-Lots
•
STILL $4.00 per box
•
Citrus Crisps – a NEW Whole wheat cookie
•
STILL $48.00 per case
•
Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Shortbread
•
Nutritional Labeling on Every Box
•
Lemonades
•
NO TRANS FATS
•
Shortbreads
•
Contains no artificial preservatives
•
Thin Mints
•
Open Code Dating
•
Peanut Butter Patties
•
Freezes Well
•
Caramel deLites
•
Baked especially for Girl Scouts
•
Peanut Butter Sandwiches
Figuring Out Your Troop’s Initial Order • • • • • •
•
Troop Initial Orders will be due at the Regional Training that you attend (P.P.P. Milestone). However, the drop-dead deadline in order to pick-up at Mega Drop is December 14th. This means if order is not placed you will not have an order to pick up at Mega drop and will need to pick up at cupboard. Please consider changes in families’ lives which will affect their ability to sell this year (i.e.: new or loss of job, new baby, illness, childcare, etc.). Troops should discuss their Initial Order numbers with the girls and parents PRIOR to training so that everyone understands the commitment that the TROOP is making. As a leader, you cannot MAKE girls sell cookies or REQUIRE them to sell a certain number of boxes. The recommended order for the 2014 Cookie Sale is 80% of last year’s total number of boxes sold. Although 80% is not required, ordering less than the recommended 80% without justification will jeopardize the troop’s ability to earn additional P.P.P. bonuses based on the number of boxes sold. Please refer to “P.P.P. ~ Progressive Proceeds Plan” for details. Council’s sales history breakdown is as follows: Thin Mints = 29% Caramel deLites = 22% Peanut Butter Patties = 15% Peanut Butter Sandwiches = 11% Lemonades = 12% Shortbread = 6% Thanks-A-Lots = 3% Mango Crèmes = 2% (now the Cranberry Citrus Crisps and Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Shortbread)
•
•
NOTE:
If the Troop’s Initial Order is not received by December 14th, or your Troop is joining the sale after December 14th, you will have to wait to pick up cookies at the Burgess Cupboard on January 27th or an Outbound Cupboard on January 28th. Orders placed after December 14th will NOT be available at Mega drop. For changes in your troop’s make-up, please refer to “For Every Girl Who Has Left Your Troop…” and “For Every New Girl in Your Troop” sections for additional information. ORDER CAREFULLY~ Troops are responsible for selling AND PAYING for all cookies ordered. Cookies are NOT returnable to Council. Troop Cookie Coordinators need to know their inventory at all times.
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Adjustments to Your Initial Order For Every Girl Who Has Left Your Troop… Because sales history varies from girl to girl, when girls leave a troop between cookie sales, troops are allowed to reduce their Initial Order by the amount of cookies that they sold last year, without jeopardizing their additional per box P.P.P. bonus. Troops should check their 2013 sales records to determine the number of boxes sold for all girls who have left their troop. This number (rounded off to the nearest case) is the number of cases that can be reduced from their Initial Order. Be sure to indicate this justification on the 2014 Initial Order Worksheet.
For Every New Girl In Your Troop… It is recommended that NEW TROOPS, troops that did not participate in the 2013 sale or troops who have added girls to their troop, add an additional 10 cases per girl to your Initial Order in order to qualify for additional P.P.P. bonuses. Be sure to indicate this justification on your 2014 Initial Order Worksheet. Please refer to “Distributing Cookies to Girls” in this guide for additional Information. The recommended breakdown is as follows: • • • • • • • • •
Three Cases (36 Boxes) Thin Mints Three Cases (36 Boxes) Caramel deLites One Case (12 Boxes) Peanut Butter Patties One Case (12 Boxes) Peanut Butter Sandwiches ½ Case (6 Boxes) Shortbread ½ Case (6 Boxes) Lemonades ½ Case (6 Boxes) Thanks-A-Lots ½ Case (6 Boxes) Cranberry Citrus Crisps Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Shortbread cookies are part of a pilot program. Each troop can have a maximum of 2 cases unless approved by the regional team for additional cases. No troop is obligated to order Gluten Free cookies.
I-Care Adjustments Because I-Care donations are uncertain from year-to-year, Troops are allowed to reduce their Initial Order by the amount of I-Care donations received during the 2013 sale, without jeopardizing their P.P.P. bonuses. This includes both virtual and physical boxes, whether delivered by Council or on-own. Be sure to indicate this justification on your 2014 Initial Order Worksheet.
Parent/ Girl Training Teaching Girl Scouts and their parents about the Cookie Sale is extremely important. It is mandatory for the Troop Cookie Coordinator to schedule a Parent Meeting to discuss the Cookie Sale. Be sure to read this Guide completely prior to your meeting, so that you can communicate the sale guidelines accurately. Besides informing the girls and parents of the requirements and expectations of the sale, a main component of the meeting should be goal setting. This is one of the five key elements of programming and MUST be discussed. Troops should discuss how they intend to use their troop proceeds. The 2014 Family Guide has been designed as a tool for you to use when training parents and troops. Be sure to discuss everything in the Family Guide and make sure that both adults and girls understand that by signing the last page, they are agreeing to all of the guidelines referenced in the Guide. Tear off the signature page and keep for your reference. Return the remainder of the Guide to the family.
Pilot Sister Plan We recognize the difficulties that families encounter when they have more than one sisters selling cookies. For this reason, we are offering a pilot plan to fairly combine sister sales. Pilot Sister Plan forms will be distributed to troops during training and must be turned into the District/ Region Product Sales Manager on or before Mega Drop. EVERY troop must submit the Sister Plan form, regardless of whether they have sisters combining their sales or not.
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Note: If sisters choose not to participate in the Pilot Sister Plan, they will be working on their own to earn individual sets of awards.
To qualify for the Sister Plan • • •
The sisters must actually be related or legally share the same guardian, not just girls residing in the same household The Pilot Sister Plan form must be submitted by Mega Drop The combined totals must be a minimum of 750 boxes. All parties involved must understand and sign the guidelines
Once the Pilot Sister Plan form is submitted, the family is committed to the Plan for the 2014 Cookie Sale unless the sisters don’t reach the 750+ required combined total. When sales are combined, each set of sisters will only receive one set of rewards with the exception of patches and Walkabout. This means the sisters are all working together for one set of rewards, not multiple sets of rewards. Each girl will receive a participation patch and the total combined sales will be divided by the number of sisters to determine equal rocker bars. The Walkabout reward will be awarded to each individual girl that reaches the individual goal of 200 Boxes sold and $800 deposited by February 6th. Because it takes two or more sisters with combined sales to reach the total number of boxes sold, a new “Sisters” category will be added to the rewards category for District/ Region and Council recognitions. Participating sisters MAY qualify for top selling Sisters but may NOT qualify for top selling District/ Region or Council level Individual/ Age Level or Overall Top Seller recognitions. The Troop Cookie Coordinator should treat sisters as if they are unrelated until the end of the sale. Cookies received by parents/ guardians should be credited to the sister who is listed on the cookie receipt. When a sister works a cookie booth with another girl in the troop, the sales need to be placed in the Booth Calculator for fair distribution of sales. Cookies sold by sisters in two different troops who are working booths together, should be distributed equally between the sisters by using the 50/50 method referenced in the Booth Coordinator Duties section of this guide. During Paper Push, the District/Region Product Sales Manager will be responsible for calculating the sister totals and the transfer of any necessary cookies in SNAP. The Sister Plan will become null and void if cookies are transferred between sisters by anyone other than the District/Region Product Sales Manager.
Safety and Sales Tips • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Girls NEVER sell alone. Girls must always have an adult with them. Seniors and Ambassadors (ONLY) may sell with a buddy of their same age or older. Parents should know exactly where the girls will be selling cookies and when they will be home. Girls need to dress appropriately and be polite. Girls should wear a Girl Scout pin or other Girl Scout uniform item to be recognizable. Girls should know their personal and troop goal. Girls should know “How the Cookie Crumbles.” Never go inside someone’s home while selling cookies. Girls should stay outside the home where they can be seen from the street. Girls should never accept food or beverages while selling. Girls should leave all pets at home while selling, unless a working animal companion is necessary; i.e., seeing eye dog. Girls should not go into a yard if there is a dog or a closed gate/fence. Girls may not sell cookies door-to-door after dark. Girls should never give their last name or phone number while selling. When loading and unloading cookies, lift with your knees, do not bend at the waist.
Council policy states that a parent or other responsible adult must provide adequate supervision while girls are going door-to-door. The troop leader’s or other designated adult’s telephone number should be given for reorders or complaints. Girls should never give out their telephone number.
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Booth Lotteries The scheduling of cookie booths is done via Booth Lotteries. Each District/ Region will conduct two types of Lotteries: a “Live” Lottery and a SNAP Lottery Scramble.
Live Booth Lottery Troops attending the Live Booth Lottery will choose their booth locations based on random draw. Troops will be able to select ONE date, time, and location based on those available each time that their troop number is called. Only ONE booth may be selected during each round. Each District/ Region will conduct a maximum of fifteen rounds during the Live Booth Lottery. Troops may select a MAXIMUM of fifteen booth locations during the Live Booth Lottery.
SNAP Booth Lottery “Scramble” The SNAP Booth Lottery Scramble will be conducted through the ABC SNAP website at http://www.abcsnap.com, via the Booth Scheduler, on January 23rd. All booth locations, dates, and time slots available (as agreed upon by the store managers) will be entered into SNAP by the Booth Coordinator. Prior to the SNAP Booth Lottery Scramble, all booths that were selected by troops during the Live Booth Lottery will be booked in Booth Scheduler. Between January 19th and 9:00 pm on January 22nd, troops will be able to scroll through all remaining available booth locations and enter their preferences directly into the Booth Scheduler. Troops may select a maximum of thirty booth locations, anywhere throughout the entire Council. Troop selections must be entered into the Booth Locator prior to 9:00 pm January 22nd in order to be included in the “Scramble.” The Booth Scheduler will then assign a maximum of fifteen booth locations through a random draw. Troops may or may not receive the choices that they have requested as the Booth Scheduler makes selections at random, making this the fairest method of booth selection. Please refer to the “SNAP Troop User Guide” for details.
Scheduling Additional Booths Once the Scramble has been completed, troops may proceed to schedule their own booths in the Booth Scheduler in SNAP. All booth scheduling from this point on, will be handled exclusively through the Booth Scheduler. Refer to “SNAP Troop User Guide” for instructions. Once a booth has been completed, the troop can schedule another booth in the Booth Scheduler, as long as the total booth count doesn’t exceed thirty booths. If thirty booths are on the schedule in the Booth Scheduler, then completed booths must be deleted before additional booths can be scheduled. It is imperative that troops cancel the booths in the Booth Scheduler that they are not going to use. This is very important so that another troop looking for a booth can schedule that spot, even if at the very last minute.
Booth Limits • • •
Troops will be limited to a total of thirty (30) booths on the schedule at one time, anywhere throughout the Council. Troops may only schedule two consecutive booths at the same location(s) on any given day. No troop may dominate a booth location. Daisies cannot sell after dark. Therefore, evening booths should not be scheduled for Daisy troops. Multi-level troops can schedule evening booths but can’t schedule Daisies to work those shifts.
SNAP Password The WEBSITE for SNAP is: http://www.abcsnap.com.
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The Troop Cookie Coordinator will be emailed their troop user name and password by their Region SNAP Coordinator. Emails will be sent to the email listed on the Coordinator contract and shouldn’t be shared with anyone.
Entering Girls in SNAP This year, the girl’s names will be uploaded into SNAP directly from Personify. Names should be checked and the names that are missing need to be manually entered. Be sure to add the names EXACTLY as registered. Partway through the sale, another upload will be performed. Check for duplicates and delete the one that doesn’t match Personify. There should only be duplicates if the names that you entered do not match the names that were uploaded from Personify. All names must be reviewed and missing names added into SNAP by January 24th. Personify will upload every girl in your troop who is registered regardless of whether they are participating in the sale. If you utilize “Booth Girl” as a holding place in SNAP, be sure to name her “BOOTH SALE GIRL” or “I-CARE GIRL” or “CUPBOARD GIRL.” Once the sale has concluded, we need to be able to identify these as holding places and not actual girls, so that they don’t affect your PGA. Please refrain from using names such as “Lopez Stock” or “Cookie Crisp” as these are easily overlooked when reviewing PGA’s for rewards.
Sale Starts January 26th ~ NO Early Selling The sale starts on January 26th. Penalties for early selling will be enforced. (Loss of troop proceeds for number of cookies sold early and loss of box credit for the girl.) Girls are NOT allowed to take orders before January 26th for ANY reason! Girls ARE allowed to announce that the sale starts on January 26th and that they would like their support, but girls CANNOT accept their orders. It is considered EARLY SELLING any time that a girl accepts someone’s request for a certain quantity or certain variety of cookies, taking money for cookies, asking potential customers questions such as, “Will you buy cookies from me?” or soliciting “I Care” donations before January 26th.
Cookies & Media Girls ARE allowed to email friends and relatives before the sale, announcing that the sale begins on January 26th. Girls ARE allowed to take orders via email AFTER the sale begins. Girls ARE allowed to advertise or post an ad/notice via Facebook or other social networking site both before and during the sale. The contact person in any advertisement must be an adult (parent or leader). Never publish a girl’s contact information. Girls ARE NOT allowed to accept payment online, such as with PayPal. Cookies CANNOT be sold on Ebay. Orders CANNOT be accepted before January 26th via the computer, a pledge made by a Facebook friend, etc. When friends respond with comments such as, “Put me down for …..,” the appropriate response must be, “Thank you for your pledge, we will contact you at the start of the sale!” Parents and guardians should not use social media when feeling stressed about the amount of cookies remaining. Your Regional/ District Cookie Team is there to help. Communicate with your Troop Cookie Coordinator, who in turn will contact the team if necessary. Putting desperation emails on social media sites creates panic throughout the entire Council. These posts will be deleted. Reach out to your teams if you cannot find satisfaction with your leadership. When troops need to cancel a booth, the Troop Cookie Coordinator must cancel it through the Booth Schedule. Do not advertise that you are cancelling a booth through social media.
COCO~ Cookie Command for Girls COCO is your online "Cookie Command" center for your cookie business. COCO helps you: • Set your goal of how many packages of cookies you want to sell this year. • Make plans for how you will reach your goals. • Check how you're doing along the way. • Send eCards to your friends and family to tell them it's cookie time and ask for their support. Be sure to visit your troop's page in COCO for important messages from your troop leader. You can also see what your friends are doing and even send them cheers to help them along. Ready? Let's get started by going to http://www.abcsmartcookies.com/coco-1
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IMPORTANT: Remember, it's always best to work online with an adult.
Mega Drop All troops throughout the Council will receive their cookies on Super Saturday, January 25th. The FIRST day to sell cookies is SUNDAY, JANUARY 26th ~ NO EXCEPTIONS!!! Penalties for early selling will be enforced. Approximately sixteen to twenty troops will have their orders filled at any one time. The location and times will be provided by your Mega Drop Manager. Volunteers are needed to help at each Mega Drop location. This is a great opportunity for high school students (boys and girls) to receive community service hours. Volunteers do not have to be registered Girl Scouts. Drivers should arrive at the designated location, at their designated time (not early and not late) check in, show valid Driver’s License or Photo ID and provide troop #. NO ID = NO Cookies! All vehicles needed to pick up the order must arrive together and must stay together. Troops waiting for additional vehicles will be asked to wait until all vehicles have arrived before proceeding. All drivers will remain in their vehicles the entire time. A walker/ cookie counter walks alongside the vehicle with the troop order, stopping at each variety. Troops who want to bring an adult to verify the counting process may do so. The official walker/ cookie counter counts out loud as the cases are loaded into the vehicle. The driver will sign-off on each variety as it is loaded. Once a variety has been loaded, all troop vehicles proceed to the next variety. When a vehicle is full, the driver pulls to the side and the next vehicle moves into its place. Once the order is complete, the driver and the walker/ cookie counter sign off on the order. The driver pulls up to check out, receives a receipt for their order, any marketing materials that they have pre-ordered and their cookie order cards (no order cards will be distributed before the sale begins). Troops are responsible for all cookies on the signed receipt. The Troop Cookie Coordinator must re-count the cookies PRIOR to distributing cookies to the girls. Troops have 48 hours after picking up their cookies to report any discrepancies.
Approximate auto capacity: • • • • • •
NOTE:
Compact Car Mid-size Car Small SUV Large SUV Full size Van with seats Full size Van without seats
Approximately 23 cases Approximately 35 cases Approximately 50 to 60 cases Approximately 75 to 100 cases Approximately 150 cases Approximately 200 cases
Troops should bring their own ropes, tie-downs, and netting. Please, NO children or pets. Remove car seats and miscellaneous items that take up extra space. Troops must pick up ALL of their cookies at once, and cannot make multiple trips back and forth to pick up their order.
Distributing Cookies to Girls Girls are NOT required to sell a certain number of cookies, regardless of the number of boxes that the Troop has ordered on their behalf or the troop goals that they have set. Since cookies haven’t been sold in advance of pick-up, the parent or guardian should not pick up more cookies than they feel comfortable accepting. Be sure to get a signed receipt for ALL cookies you receive, even for ONE box, EVERY TIME. Make sure to have the parent count the number of boxes before signing the receipt, and taking possession of the cookies. Keep the white receipt copy for your records. Since cookies haven’t been sold yet, DO NOT distribute more cookies than the parent/ guardian feels comfortable accepting. It is recommended that you DO NOT distribute more than 200 boxes per girl at any one time. It’s better to have girls come back for more, rather than having them return unsold cookies later. The recommended variety breakdown for distribution is as follows: • •
Three Cases (36 Boxes) Thin Mints Three Cases (36 Boxes) Caramel deLites+
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• • • • • • •
One Case (12 Boxes) Peanut Butter Patties One Case (12 Boxes) Peanut Butter Sandwiches ½ Case (6 Boxes) Shortbread ½ Case (6 Boxes) Lemonades ½ Case (6 Boxes) Thanks-A-Lots ½ Case (6 Boxes) Cranberry Citrus Crisps Gluten Free Cookie distribution is based on what your troop orders. 2 or 3 boxes each.
The majority of the cookies that have been checked out MUST be paid BEFORE you receiving additional cookies. Girls are allowed to trade varieties with troop “stock” as needed. Make sure that the cookies that you are distributing to parents are in saleable condition. Once a parent accepts responsibility for them, they can only be returned to the troop (by the deadline) if they are NOT damaged. Cookies that have been left in the rain, left in the sun, dropped, or that have the perforated top opened when pulling them out of the cases, will NOT be exchanged. Give each girl an Order Card and envelope. Girls can use the Order Card to take orders from businesses, friends, family and neighbors. Once an order is received, she can advise the customer when she will be back to deliver their cookies because she has COOKIES NOW! Be sure to reinforce to the parent/ guardian that the deadline to return cookies to the troop is February 27th. Parents not returning cookies by this date will be held financially responsible for all cookies still in their possession. Refer to the “Returning Cookies to the Troop” section for details. Allow girls to trade varieties with troop “stock” as needed.
Cookie Storage Cookies should be stored OFF THE GROUND to prevent ants and insects from crawling into the cases. Keep cookies out of the sun and be mindful of storing them in hot places such as garages ~ No one wants to open a box of melted cookies. Keep cookies out of the rain and snow, especially during cookie booths. Even though the cookies are sealed inside ~ no one wants to buy boxes that are water stained. Be careful not to drop cases or boxes ~ No one wants to buy broken cookies. Store cookies away from strong odors such as cigarette smoke and pungent foods. Do not store cookies in your vehicle, especially for long periods of time (i.e.: between weekend cookie booths). Many parents with cookie signage on their vehicles like to keep cookies in their cars in case customers stop them while parked. However, doing so encourages theft as well as often causes cookies to melt from the heat. Remember, when you receive the cookies, they are not melted. Melted cookies cannot be sold and therefore, becomes your personal property which must be paid for. Protect the product.
Walkabout Period and Reporting Girls are allowed to go door-to-door anytime throughout the sale. However, the official Walkabout Period in which the girls receive rewards is designed to allow girls the opportunity to go door-to-door prior to the start of booth sales. Girls who sell (and pay for) 200+ boxes of cookies during the Walkabout period will receive a special Walkabout patch AND have their 2014-2015 Girl Scout registration paid for them!
Girls can walk around their neighborhood with their cookies in a wagon or cart. They can also set up a table in their own front yard, as it is considered a “lemonade stand.” Girls are NOT allowed to set up a booth or walk through any retail area such as a mall or shopping center. Setting up a table with a display of cookies inside or in front of a business is a booth and also NOT allowed during the Walkabout (this rule applies even if the business is owned by a member of the girl’s family). In order to qualify for Walkabout, girls MUST turn in a minimum of $800 (200 x $4 = $800) prior to the Walkabout deadline of February 6th. Cookies received, but not paid for, do not count towards Walkabout. Cookies must be SOLD and PAID for in order to qualify. The Troop Cookie Coordinator must deposit the funds into the troop bank account immediately upon receipt. Be sure to write a receipt and enter the payment into SNAP each time you receive cookie payments. Please refer to the “SNAP Troop User Guide” for details.
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The Troop Cookie Coordinator will need to distribute cookies to the girls, enter all payments, and then run and PRINT the Girl Balance Summary in SNAP by February 7th, to insure that girls are credited for the Walkabout patch and 2014-2015 Girl Scout Registration. The Girl Balance Deposit Summary is required regardless of whether or not you have girls who qualify for Walkabout. NOTE: Girls who have received cookies but have NOT sold or paid for them, do not qualify for Walkabout. Cookies must be SOLD and PAID for in order to qualify. Ensure that your Girl Balance Summaries are correct as there will be NO late additions to the Walkabout.
Glow Party Reporting Girls who sell and pay for 400+ boxes of cookies between January 26th and February 20th will be invited to attend a Glow Party designed specially for them, on February 27th. The 400+ boxes must be sold on-own. Booth cookies will NOT count towards the Glow Party reward. The Troop Cookie Coordinator will need to distribute cookies to the girls, enter all payments, and then run and PRINT the Girl Balance Summary in SNAP by February 20th, to insure that girls are invited to the Glow Party. The Girl Balance Summary is required regardless of whether or not you have girls who qualify for the Glow Party. NOTE:
Girls who have received cookies but have NOT sold or paid for them, do not qualify for the Glow Party. Cookies must be SOLD and PAID for in order to qualify. Ensure that your Girl Balance Summaries are correct as there will be NO late additions to the Glow Party.
DO NOT Sell Last Year’s Cookies Troops are absolutely NOT allowed to sell last year’s cookies. There will be repercussions for troops found selling old product. Why? This undermines the quality of our product. Selling a substandard, stale product does nothing to embrace our Girl Scout Mission. Starting with the 2013 sale, there is an expiration date on every box.
Permission Slips & Special Activity Forms Troops will receive a “Family Guide to Selling Cookies” for each girl. The Permission Slip inside MUST be signed by the parent/ guardian PRIOR to the girl participating in the sale in ANY way. This covers both the participation in the sale and the selling of cookie door-to-door and at cookie booths. The Troop Leader will keep the signed Permission Slip portion throughout the sale. They do not get turned into Council. Troops must also complete and submit a “Cookie Booth Special Activity Form.” Only one per sale is needed as an umbrella authorization and is due to your Membership Team 72 hours before your first booth sale.
Cookie Booth Guidelines Booth sales are a troop function. Girls are not permitted to conduct solo booth sales.
Why Booth Sales? It's Selling on the spot! The Girl Scout Cookie Program gives girls the opportunity to set up, run, and manage their own booth sales. They select times and locations for their booth sale, conduct buying/ selling transactions, handle money, build their presentation and conversation skills, keep records, set up product displays, manage inventory, and much more! Like a retail store, the money is collected on the spot and customers take their cookies with them. Everyone wins, including family adults who don’t have to help their Girl Scouts deliver the cookies and collect payment. Customers are able to enjoy their delicious purchases immediately, and girls get to interact with lots of people who buy Girl Scout Cookies, in large part to support what girls learn in this great American tradition. Make booth sales even more of a leadership development experience for your Girl Scout by helping her arrange for a tour of the business where the booth is held. Invite one of the employees to speak briefly with girls about careers in that kind of business. Almost nine out of ten people will buy Girl Scout cookies if asked. The number one reason given for not buying is not being asked! A Girl Scout cookie booth is a service to the existing customers of a business and can attract new customers to the store or office.
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Data shows the top reason people buy Girl Scout cookies is not that they love the taste (that is reason number two), but that they want to support Girl Scouting. When a business sponsors a booth sale, it is aligning itself with one of the most valued and powerful brands in the country, enhancing customer perception of its own brand.
Cookie Booth Dates In order to take advantage of potential sales during Super Bowl weekend, booths will be scheduled on February 1st and 2nd. However, the official start of Cookie Booths is February 7th and will run through the end of the sale ending on March 16th.
Scheduling Cookie Booths Cookie Booth locations are secured by the Region/ District Cookie Teams and assigned via lottery. Troops, leaders, or parents are not permitted to approach a business or organization to individually arrange a booth sale on your own, even if you know or are the manager/owner. To secure a new booth location, you must go through the Region/ District Cookie Team to secure the location. Such locations never become your troop’s exclusive booth location. Businesses do not have authorization to sell Girl Scout Cookies. The Troop Cookie Coordinator will schedule your troop’s booth locations through a “Booth Scheduler” on the cookie website. Cookie Booths are ONLY permitted at approved locations and MUST be scheduled through the Booth Scheduler. Troops are not allowed to set up a booth in an approved location if they have not scheduled the booth through the Booth Scheduler. Troops or parents are NOT permitted to set up a booth in a location that hasn’t been approved. Troops or parents are NOT permitted to set up a booth in an approved location when they notice that no one is there. IF IT’S NOT SCHEDULED THROUGH THE BOOTH SCHEDULER, THEN YOU CAN’T SET UP A BOOTH AT THAT LOCATION!
Where You Can Sell Troops are allowed to set up their booths at the store entrances/exits, per the agreement with the store manager. Troops can place signs at parking lot entrances but cannot set up their booth at the parking lot entrance, driveway, street median, or landscape. Troops or parents are NOT permitted to sell cookies out of the trunk or back of their car. (You can’t sell stereos out of the back of your car, so likewise, you can’t sell cookies out of the back of your car, or your horse trailer, or on the freeway entrances.) Occasionally a location is only available for a few days (i.e.: Sports Opening Days, Festivals, etc.). If this is the case, contact your Booth Coordinator for paperwork. Troops must adhere to all booth guidelines (i.e.: booth hours, booth limits, etc.). They may have exclusive use of the site for a MAXIMUM OF TWO booth time slots ONLY. If additional time slots are available, then they become open for other Troops to schedule. If other troops do not schedule the location prior to the available date, then the original troop can schedule the location.
If you know of a location(s) for a booth sale, contact your Booth Coordinator. Troops, leaders, or parents are not permitted to approach a business or organization to individually arrange a booth sale, even if you know the manager/ owner. Businesses do not have authorization to sell Girl Scout Cookies. If you are the owner of the business, please see “Cookie Booths at Your Own Business” for additional information.
Cookie Booths at Your Own Business This ONLY applies to leaders and parents that OWN their own business. It does NOT apply to a parent or leader who works at the business but doesn’t own it. If a leader or parent (ONLY) owns a business and wishes to have their Troop sell cookies there, they can do so under the following guidelines: • Booth coordination and scheduling will be handled through the Region/ District Cookie Team. Owning a business does not allow you to create your own booth sale hours or dates. All booth guidelines must be followed regardless of ownership. • A “Booth Sale Authorization Form” must be submitted and approved. • All Cookie Booth Guidelines and limits apply. • The location CAN be used exclusively by the troop but MUST be shared with all girls in the troop. • Girl and adult ratios apply~ Minimum of two girls and two adults must be present during booth times.
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•
Cookies CANNOT be displayed on the counter when the troop isn’t scheduled for a booth during that time, even if you own the store where they are being displayed.
Booth Hours Booths can be run during these time periods only and will be scheduled in various increments with a 3 hour maximum (dependent on store restrictions) as follows: • Monday through Friday ~ 1:00 pm through 8:00 pm • Saturday and Sunday ~ 8:00 am through 8:00 pm Daisies cannot sell after dark!
Booth Staffing A minimum of two adults and two Girl Scouts must be present at all times. One adult must be registered and cookie trained or online cookie booth trained. The other adult can be a mom, dad, grandparent, or any responsible adult over the age of eighteen. Never have more than four girls per door. Two-door stores may have a maximum of four girls on each door, if the store allows.
Booth Scheduler Bring a copy of your email confirmation from SNAP or have on-line capabilities in case you need to confirm your location with another troop. Cookie Booths are ONLY permitted at approved locations and MUST be scheduled through the Booth Scheduler in SNAP. Troops are not allowed to set up a booth in an approved location if they have not scheduled the booth through the Booth Scheduler. Troops/ parents are NOT permitted to set up a booth in a location that hasn’t been approved. Troops/ parents are NOT permitted to set up a booth in an approved location when they notice that no one is there. IF IT’S NOT SCHEDULED THROUGH THE BOOTH SCHEDULER, THEN YOU CAN’T SET UP A BOOTH AT THAT LOCATION! It is not covered by insurance if it is not scheduled in SNAP. If you have to cancel a booth sale, be sure to cancel it in the Booth Scheduler immediately so that another troop can utilize the spot. All prospective booth sale sites must be approved through the Booth Coordinator and be available to all troops in the Council.
Setting-Up and Closing Down Your Booth Begin and end on time. If you arrive early, be respectful of the troop scheduled before you, so that you don’t interfere with their sales. Likewise, be prepared to depart when your scheduled time is up. When arriving for your shift, sales PRIOR to your scheduled starting time are THEIRS; sales AFTER your scheduled starting time are YOURS! When ending your shift, sales PRIOR to your ending time are YOURS; sales AFTER your ending time are THEIRS. You can finish the sale that you are working on, but all additional sales belong to the next troop. If a customer promises to buy cookies on their way out but doesn’t leave prior to your ending time, then you forfeit the sales to the next troop. We are sisters in Girl Scouting at all times. Although it may take you time to pack up your booth, the area must be cleared so that the next troop can begin selling immediately when their time begins.
During Your Booth • • • • • • • •
Bring your own equipment and supplies. Use a table to display your cookies, and use publicity posters, troop banners, etc., for your display. Always keep boxes/cases off the ground, even when setting up or breaking down your booth. Utilize shopping carts, wagons, empty cookie boxes turned upside down, etc. NEVER GIVE COOKIE SAMPLES to customers as it is against California Health Department regulations. Girls AND adults should wear Girl Scout appropriate attire (uniform/Troop t-shirt preferable). Girl Scout membership pins should always be worn. Be conservative~ no short-shorts or visible cleavage! Siblings and pets MUST be left at home. Tag-a-longs (non-registered Girl Scouts) are not allowed at a booth sale. Girls should take their breaks away from the booth and NEVER eat at a booth. Do NOT allow girls to block store entrances or exits. Customers should be approached only upon exiting the store. Abide by store rules! Leave your area clean by bringing trash bags and taking your empty cardboard cases with you. Do not leave them at the store or in the store’s trash cans. Remember, Girl Scouts Leave No Trace!
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Collecting Money Have change available. Never ask the host business for change. Do not leave cash visible to customers. Only adults should handle the cash box. Girls can give “change” but large bills should be handled by adults. If displaying a donation container, be sure to empty it on a regular basis to prevent theft. Do not accept bills larger than $20.00.
NO Special Sales, Discounts, or Raffles Allowed The price of Girl Scout Cookies is non-negotiable. They are $4.00 per box, period. Troops cannot offer their own special promotions. The only special promotions allowed will be those that are offered Council-wide. Offering special promotions such as: buy one/get one, halfprice, discount, etc., are NOT allowed. Raffles and opportunity drawings (buy XXX and get a chance to win XXX), although creative, are also NOT allowed.
50/50 Booths (formerly known as Buddy Booths) 50/50 booths, formally known as “buddy booths,” include booth sales conducted by girls in same troop, two girls from different troops or Juliettes who take their own cookies to sell at a booth and split the sales among themselves.
When 50/50 Booths are OKAY 1.
2. 3.
When the entire stock of troop cookies are distributed to all participating girls. There aren’t any troop cookies remaining and no troop inventory. Girls are individually and financially responsible for the cookies being sold. Parents need to sign a contract with their Troop Leader/Troop Cookie Coordinator, stating they agree to this way of selling cookies. Cookies are not put in the booth calculator, because they are individual girl cookies. If an entire troop of girls has decided to stop selling at booths, and there is a girl in the troop that is still selling and trying to reach her goals. If your troop is scheduled for a booth and one girl/adult cancels last minute and no one else from your troop can work it. The sales for that girl MUST be placed into the booth calculator spreadsheet and divided equally as troop booth sales. HOWEVER~ If all troop girls have stopped selling, then the girl that is still selling as 50/50 should not be in the calculator.
When 50/50 Booths are NOT OKAY 1.
2.
When one girl from a troop is doing "buddy" selling on the side and receiving the full 50% credit for those booths, while the rest of the troop is selling together and their sales are being calculated on the booth calculator as even/equal distribution based on man hours worked. Selling with a buddy when someone from your troop is available to work the booth.
How to Work a 50/50 Booth EXAMPLE 1~ When Both Troops/ Girls have cookies 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Girl A provides all the cookies and handles the money. 100 boxes sold/ $20 Collected for I Care: Girl A must “buy” 50 boxes from Girl B by giving Girl B $210 ($200 for the cookies sold and $10 for ½ of the I Care collected). Girl B then gives 50 physical boxes from their inventory. Both troops end up with equal cash and equal amounts of cookies reduced from their inventory. 50/50 Booth Sales report is required and must be turned in to the Troop Cookie Coordinator.
EXAMPLE 2~ When only one Troop/ Girl has cookies 1. 2. 3. 4.
Girl A provides all the cookies and handles the money. 100 boxes sold/ $20 Collected for I Care. Girl A must “buy” 50 boxes from Girl B by giving Girl B $210 ($200 for the cookies sold and $10 for ½ of the I Care collected). Girl B does not have any cookies or not enough physical cookies to give to Girl A.
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5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Girl B’s Troop Cookie Coordinator will perform a troop transfer in which 4 cases (48 boxes) of cookies (because the website only allows transfers in cases) are transferred into Girl B and give Girl B the 4 cases of cookies. The additional two boxes can be handled by Girl B giving the physical boxes to Girl A (if they have physical cookies remaining); or, Girl B can account for the additional two boxes as I-Care, and Girl A reduces their I-Care boxes by two. Once the Troop Cookie Coordinator orders Girl B’s cookies, Girl B needs to deliver them to Girl A for the exchange of cookies and cash. Both girls end up with equal cash and equal amounts of cookies reduced from their inventory. 50/50 Booth Sales report is required and must be turned in to the Troop Cookie Coordinator.
Crediting Booth Sale Cookies to Girls Being “Honest and Fair” is the Girl Scout way and must be kept in mind when crediting booth cookies to girls. Booth sales held the first weekend generally have higher sales than those held on the last weekend. If booth sales are distributed individually instead of collectively, the girls selling at booths later in the sale are at a disadvantage. In addition, in the interest of “fairness”, we are teaching our girls business skills, meaning everyone works “The Store”, the cookie booth is their store front. Equal distribution insures “The Store” is operated in a professional manner. In regards to operating “The Store” no “Double time” may be “paid” to those whose parents work the most shifts. Because some booths generate a lot more sales than others, the fairest way to distribute cookies is on an average. This is accomplished through the use of a “Booth Calculator” which the Troop Cookie Coordinator uses to track sales. The Booth Scheduler calculates the per hour sales average and then applies it to the number of hours that each girl works at cookie booths. Again, honest and fair. It isn’t honest and fair to give some girls double-time (for any reason), and is therefore NOT allowed. All troops must utilize the “Booth Calculator” spreadsheet to calculate how many boxes each girl gets credit for selling. The Troop Cookie Coordinator must submit a copy of their “Booth Calculator” at the conclusion of the sale. If the Troop Cookie Coordinator is not able to access Microsoft Excel in order to use the “Booth Calculator” then a reasonable facsimile may be used. After each booth, the Troop Cookie Coordinator inputs the girls that work at the booth, the number of hours that each girl worked, and the total number of boxes that were sold. The “Booth Calculator” does the rest! Each time the data is added, the “Booth Calculator” recalculates the total number of boxes that each girl gets credit for selling. If you need to calculate the number of boxes each girl gets credit for manually, follow these guidelines. These calculations will have to be submitted at the conclusion of the sale in place of the “Booth Calculator” spreadsheet. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Add the TOTAL number of booth hours that the girls worked collectively. Add the TOTAL number of boxes sold at the booths. Divide the TOTAL number of boxes sold (#1) by the TOTAL booth hours (#2). This will give you the PER HOUR AVERAGE of boxes sold. Add the total number of hours that each girl worked at booths. This will give you the GIRL’S TOTAL BOOTH HOURS. Multiply each GIRL’S TOTAL BOOTH HOURS by the PER HOUR AVERAGE. This will give you the number of boxes each girl gets credit for.
EXAMPLE Total Booth Hours Worked Total Booth Boxes Sold PER HOUR AVERAGE
50 Hours 1000 Boxes 1000 ÷ 50 = 20
Girl 1 Worked 15 Booth Hours Girl 2 Worked 10 Booth Hours Girl 3 Worked 25 Booth Hours TOTAL
15 Hours x 20 Boxes = 300 Boxes 10 Hours x 20 Boxes = 200 Boxes 25 Hours x 20 Boxes = 500 Boxes 50 Hours 1000 Boxes
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NOTE:
If a troop has a different method of distributing booth cookies, they must put the method in writing and have all girls and parents sign that they understand and agree to the chosen method BEFORE the sale begins. This is something that needs to be done at parent/ girl training. The agreement must be turned in at paper push.
I-Care Program The I-Care program is designed for customers to purchase cookies to be sent to deployed military, food banks, homeless shelters, etc. Through the regional I-Care program, customers can choose to donate to select organizations in their immediate region. The girls accept payment for the cookies at the time the customer places the I-Care order. Many customers will donate their change from the cookies they are purchasing. This money can be used to purchase I-Care cookies. If it’s not in $4.00 increments, then the money can be combined with other customer’s donations until they have enough for a box. Every box counts! Troops will be given I-Care customer receipts to use, should a customer request one. Receipts can be duplicated as necessary. These receipts are for the customer’s records only, and do not need to be turned in at the end of the sale UNLESS the customer is designating that the cookies be delivered someplace OTHER than to the Military. The Military is our default for all I-Care donations. I-Care donations should be tracked during the sale so that you know how many boxes were purchased. However, I-Care cookies will be accounted for at the END of the sale. Please refer to the “Crediting I-Care Cookies to Girls” and “Physical vs. Virtual I-Care Cookies” sections for details.
Cookie Cupboards Cookie Cupboards will open on January 27th at Burgess and January 28th at all Outbound Cupboards, and will remain open (depending on the location) throughout most of the sale. Troops can go to ANY Council cupboard. Troops may authorize someone other than the leader to pick up cookies from any Cookie Cupboard but they must be able to provide the troop number, District/ Region name, and show a valid Driver’s License or Photo ID. NO ID = NO COOKIES!!! New troops or existing troops that miss the December 14th deadline to submit their Initial Orders will pick up their first order at Burgess on January 27th or at an Outbound Cupboard on January 28th. These orders are placed via a “Planned Order” and will be included in the first Cookie Cupboard shipment. Refer to the “SNAP Troop User Guide” for details. All Cupboards will accept walk in orders, first come first served. A maximum of 49 cases can be checked out per day, per cupboard. If you need 50 cases or more, Troops must place a Planned Order to ensure that enough cookies are delivered so that Cupboard stock is not depleted. Planned Orders must be placed in SNAP a minimum of 48 hours in advance. The only exception is the Burgess cupboard; walk in orders may be 100 cases per day at Burgess. Refer to the “SNAP Troop User Guide” for details. The Cookie Cupboard Manager will enter Cupboard orders into SNAP (usually) within 48 hours of pick-up. Be sure to check SNAP to be sure that the entry is accurate. Please do not wait until the end of the sale to ensure accuracy as that may be too late to make corrections. Be careful of picking up too many additional cookies from the Cookie Cupboards prior to February 27th, when girls are allowed to return cookies to the troop. Remember, although your initial inventory may be distributed to the girls, until they are actually SOLD, they may end up back in your inventory if returned before the deadline. Picking up too many boxes at the beginning of the sale often becomes detrimental to the Troops once cookies are returned. This is the reason for the “Mid Sale Inventory Report.” Be sure to stay in contact with your families, keeping varieties swapped out, and know what you have in inventory. It may be “out” of your troop inventory section in SNAP, but it is still money owed to Council.
Returning Cookies to the Troop Since the cookies haven’t been sold when they are distributed to the girls, the girls have a window in which they CAN return cookies to the troop. The deadline for girls to return cookies to the troop is February 27th and troops must accept them back. After February 27, the parent or guardian will become financially responsible for the cookies. This deadline still gives the Troop plenty of time to sell the returned cookies during booth sales.
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Since the Cookie Sale is a TROOP function, the cookies that are returned to the Troop become the property of the Troop and the responsibility of the ENTIRE troop to sell, not just the leader. Once cookies are returned, it’s time to re-evaluate your sales strategy (with all girls and parents/ guardians) to ensure that all cookies are sold. COOKIES CANNOT BE RETURNED TO COUNCIL. You may have returned cookies to the troop but the troops are still responsible, meaning now we all work as a team to bring success to the troop.
NO Returns to Council Once troops receive their cookies, they are NOT able to return them to Council. Troops are encouraged to utilize the Cookie Cupboards often rather than picking up large amounts at a time, so that they don’t get stuck with unsold cookies at the end of the sale. Remember, cookies may be returned to the Troop on February 27th, so be sure not to pick-up too many cases from the Cupboard.
Trades Cookies in any quantity/ variety may be traded from troop to troop at any time throughout the sale without completing any paperwork or creating a transaction in SNAP, as long as it is an even trade. Full cases of cookies may be traded at Cookie Cupboards beginning February 20th. No mixed cases will be traded at the Cupboards until March 4th. Cookies MUST be undamaged and in sellable condition. There is no paperwork necessary for Cupboard trades.
Damaged Cookies If a troop receives a damaged box of cookies, they can return them to a Cookie Cupboard for replacement. However, this is ONLY if the cookies have been received in that condition. Cookies that have been left in the rain, left in the sun, dropped, or that have the perforated top opened when pulling them out of the cases, will NOT be exchanged. If a customer claims that they received a damaged box of cookies, replace them, no questions asked, regardless of who/ where they purchased them. Take the damaged box to any GSSGC Cookie Cupboard for replacement.
Troop to Troop Transfers Full or mixed cases of cookies (in quantities of twelve boxes only) may be transferred from one troop to another troop. The troop receiving the cookies then becomes financially responsible. Troop proceeds go to the troop receiving the cookies. Keep accurate records of Troop to Troop Transfers in case of discrepancies at the end of the sale. Both troops must agree to the transfer. This can be done via a Troop to Troop Transfer form, email, text, or a hand-written note. The receiving Troop Cookie Coordinator should enter the transfer into SNAP via Troop to Troop transfer menu. Refer to the “SNAP Troop User Guide” for details. Stay in contact with your District/ Region Product Sales Manager in regards to excess inventory. They can help you with trades between troops. Your “Mid Sale Inventory Report” and “Clean-Up Inventory Report” is your tool for tracking your excess. COMMUNICATE the need for help! Any and all transfer disputes without documentation will be VOID.
Girl to Girl transfers within the troop New this year is a Girl-to-Girl transfer form. This must be filled out when a girl is gifting her boxes to another girl and the boxes given changes the girls’ rewards levels. This form has been created because far too often, the end of the sale cookie box shuffle can affect a girl’s rewards and the families are unaware that this is going on. This form will insure all parties involved with the box transfers are aware, agree, and that rewards are being affected by the transfer. This form is due at Paper Push.
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If a Girl Transfers Out during the Sale If a girl chooses to leave your troop during the sale, the cookies must be paid for and/ or the new troop must be willing to except the transfer of unsold cookies into her troop. Funds or proceeds never follow a girl as troop proceeds belong to the troop and never become the property of an individual Girl Scout.
Mid Sale Inventory Report Halfway through the sale, troops MUST submit an inventory of their unsold cookies. The purpose of this form is to ensure that troops have enough resources available to sell the remainder of their cookies. Prior to the “Mid-Sale Inventory Report” being due, all girls should be contacted to see how many boxes of unsold cookies each girl has. These boxes must be included in the inventory. Instruct parents that February 27th is their last opportunity to return any unsold cookies to the troop. Cookies must be in good and sellable condition. The “Mid-Sale Inventory Report” must be completed and returned to your District/ Region Product Sales Manager by February 15th. The form can be scanned and emailed, mailed, or hand-delivered. DO NOT FAX to your Council/ Region office. Forms are available online. Ensure that you have adequate booth sales remaining to sell your entire inventory. If you need additional booth sales, this is the time to schedule them in SNAP. Communicate problems early. This form will help you spot any problems and ask for help as needed. DO NOT wait until the end of the sale to ask for assistance. Troops who do not submit their “Mid-Sale Inventory Report” by the February 16th deadline will be restricted from picking up additional cookies from the cupboard or submitting Bad Debt at the end of the sale. NOTE:
Indicating that your Troop needs help trading or transferring cookies does NOT relieve your Troop’s responsibility to sell the cookies that you chose to order/ pick-up. Your Team will give you suggestions as to how to proceed but will NOT “fix” your problem for you. With 29 days remaining in the sale, you need to rally the troops, re-group, re-evaluate, and establish a plan to sell the remainder of your cookies. This should be discussed in your Parent/ Girl Training before the sale begins.
Clean-Up Inventory Report In order to help troops with too much unsold inventory, the “Clean-Up Inventory Report” has been implemented The “Clean-Up Inventory Report” is due two weeks prior to the end of the sale and must be completed and returned to your District/ Region Product Sales Manager by February 28th. Troops should make every attempt to sell their cookies BEFORE the end of the sale as unsold cookies CANNOT be paid for with troop funds and CANNOT be sold after the sale end date. Be sure to indicate ALL unsold cookies as well as the Troop’s plan to sell them. Troops with large amounts of excess inventory will be contacted by your Team to discuss a plan to sell, trade, or transfer the remainder of the cookies. Also, be sure to indicate any problems with collecting funds from parents. NOTE:
Troops are not alleviated of financial responsibility merely for turning in a mid sale report. It is the troop’s responsibility to continually attempt to sell their cookies and empty their inventory.
Girl and Adult Code of Conduct New this year, a Code of Conduct has been included in the 2014 Family Guide. Every adult that will be working directly with a Girl Scout throughout the sale should read and must sign the Code of Conduct prior to the girl participating in the sale. Be sure to become familiar with the code for both girls and adults when facilitating behavior during the sale. Unfortunately, if the code of conduct (located at the back of the “Family Guide to Coolies”), is not upheld or in any way broken the girl’s sale will be brought to an immediate halt. Due to inappropriate behavior by overzealous families we have had to enforce policy on all people coming in contact with the cookie sale. As girl scouts we represent the mission at all times and we need to insure that we are not forgetting that we are in the public’s eye while assisting our girls reach their goals. Please note, when families assist their Girl’s selling, even if they have not signed the family guide permission slip, the signer is responsible for the behavior of all people assisting their child.
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Whistle Blowers In an attempt to be sure that all complaints during the Cookie Sale are fully substantiated honestly and fairly, the following guidelines have been implemented: • Third-party complaints will not be accepted. The person with the complaint must be the person who saw it, heard it, read it, or was directly involved in it. • You must be willing to put your complaint in writing and sign your name. • You must be willing to back up your complaints with examples. Random, vague complaints will not be accepted. • If you are going to lodge a complaint, you must be willing to face your accused. Accusers will no longer be kept confidential.
No Troop Divorces during the Sale Unfortunately, the Cookie Sale often brings both the best and the worst out in adults. The end result often means troops wanting to split. This is often because of differences of opinions regarding how the leader is running the sale, especially in the way cookies are being credited and how the proceeds will be spent. However, this dissension within the ranks can be emotional to the girls and detrimental to the troops. For these reasons, Troops MAY NOT divorce, separate, or split-up during the sale. Troops experiencing problems should contact their Membership Teams immediately. The Team will help to resolve the situation until permanent solutions can be agreed upon after the sale. As part of the “Troop Product Sales Coordinator Agreement,” the Troop Product Sales Coordinator will agree that “from Mega Drop to final Swoop & Sweep, no troop may divorce.” NOTE: If things in a troop progress to the point that they can no longer work together, then their sale will come to an immediate stop. All inventories are returned to council. This returned inventory must be in saleable condition or it will be the financial responsibility of the troop. The balance due will be debited from the troop bank account and their sale is officially finished. At that point, the situation is turned over to the Membership staff.
Cookie Finances The Troop Cookie Coordinator should go to each troop meeting once the cookies have been distributed to the girls, for additional orders and to collect money. Record all cookie and financial transactions on a receipt. If a girl fails to turn in her money, it’s not fair for the debt to be paid by troop funds. If you have trouble collecting from a girl’s parent/ guardian, let your District/ Region Cookie Manager know immediately. If money is not turned in regularly, call and remind the parent/ guardian. Do NOT give the girl more cookies until she has paid for the majority of what she has already checked out. Each girl and her family are financially responsible for the cookies they accept. Parents may NOT return cookies to the Troop after February 27th. After this date the parent/ guardian will be financially responsible for them. Communicate with the parents regularly. Utilize the “Girl Payment” section of SNAP. The “Girl Payment” section helps you establish payment history and spot bad debt immediately. Refer to the “SNAP Troop User Guide” for details. All checks and cash are to be deposited into the troop account in a timely manner. Do NOT hold onto large amounts of cash. Deposits must be made on a regular basis. Deposit the money weekly (at minimum) into the troop account during the sale. If any money is lost or stolen, file a police report and check to see if the loss is covered by your insurance. If the loss occurred in your home, you will be required to file a report with your home owner’s insurance. However, the amount is still owed to the Council and will be evaluated on a case by case basis.
Accepting Checks Although we encourage troops NOT to accept checks, accepting checks may be unavoidable: (i.e. family, businesses, etc.). Whenever possible, checks should be made payable to the parent, and the parent in turn writes a check to the troop. No personal checks are to be made payable to GSSGC. If checks are made payable to the troop, they should be made payable to “Girl Scout Troop #_____” and deposited into the troop’s account. Indicate the girl’s name in the memo section so you can trace the check. Be sure to write the signer’s Driver’s License # or State ID # on the check.
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Swoop & Sweep Swoop & Sweep is the automatic debit system used to pay for your cookies. There will be four Swoop & Sweeps throughout the sale. Swoop & Sweep payments will be as follows: • Swoop & Sweep # 1 ~ February 11th ~ 15% of total amount owed to Council at time of Sweep • Swoop & Sweep # 2 ~ February 26th ~ 30% of total amount owed to Council at time of Sweep • Swoop & Sweep # 3 ~ March 11th ~ 75% of total amount owed to Council at time of Sweep • Swoop & Sweep # 4 ~ March 22nd ~ Final balance less P.P.P. bonus Troops need to ensure that the appropriate amounts have been deposited into the troop bank account. If Troops are unable to pay the full amount due on any Swoop & Sweep date, they must send an email to the Finance Coordinator a minimum of 48 hours prior to the Swoop & Sweep withdrawal. The email must indicate the amount that they are able to pay and the reason why they are unable to cover their full payment. NOTE:
A $25.00 NSF fee will be assessed to the troop anytime their Swoop & Sweep payment is returned due to non-sufficient funds.
Money Handling Troops should deposit their cookie money into the bank on a weekly basis, at minimum. Small amounts can be kept out as petty cash/ change during cookie booths ($100-$200 maximum), but the remainder must be deposited into their Troop bank account. Be sure not to mix cookie deposits with any other deposits (i.e.: dues, registration, trip fees, etc.). Count out your deposit and complete a bank deposit slip. Girl Scouts is considered a business, so it’s ok to use the Merchant’s Window. Sort your bills with each denomination stacked together, and roll your coins. The bank can supply you with coin wrappers.
Cash Handling Fees Cash Handling Fees are a Business expense. All businesses carry various fees as a cost of doing business. The cookie sale is no different. Some banks have implemented a cash handling fee when more than a certain amount of cash is deposited over a designated time period. Generally, businesses escape this fee because cash is not a huge commodity any longer. For Girl Scout troops depositing large sums of cash during cookie season, this has become their cost of doing business. Your troop may incur a cash handling fee for depositing over $5,000 in a 30 day period. That fee is different from bank to bank but can be .10 for every hundred dollars deposited or a percentage there after. Any fees incurred during the sale will NOT be covered or reimbursed by Council. How can you avoid a cash handling fee? Have parents pay your troop with a money order or check to be deposited in your troop bank account; buy a money order after each booth sale to be deposited in your troop bank account; have parents use their credit card on a mobile payment swiper to pay the troop.
Mobile Payment Program/ Credit Card Swipers Credit/debit card swipers offer a safe alternative to cash. The Mobile Payments Program is designed to allow Troop Cookie Coordinators, Troop Leaders, parents and guardians to utilize a council monitored program with PayAnywhere which allows them to accept credit card payments during the product sale. ALL transactions must be completed by “swiping the card” in order for council to absorb the standard fees. The User must follow the set up process as directed and outlined by GSSGC, such as email settings and terminal names. The set up process is to assist in tracking and support for the User. Please follow ALL set up instructions in the user guide. The User must provide the Troop Leader/Coordinator with documentation of their credit card sales in order to receive credit for their sales as payment to the troop. The User can send an email to them self for every transaction, and these can be printed or forwarded via email to the leader for payment verification. A screenshot of sales reports can also be accepted when date ranges are confirmed correct by the Leader/Coordinator. It is the responsibility of the User to keep track of sales assigned to different girls within the SAME troop. If the User is using more than one troop account, it is their responsibility to ensure they switch accounts accordingly before processing a sale. Sales that are mistakenly credited to the wrong troop cannot be reassigned by council.
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All funds from mobile payment transactions are deposited directly to the Council account, and NOT to any personal account or troop account. If the user keys in any card number to process a transaction, the user (Troop), will be responsible for the resulting $0.19 transaction fee. Any unpaid fees due will be considered a “Bad Debt” and result in withholding of rewards and inability to participate in the future sales until debt is cleared. Swipers must be returned to your Regional/ District Team at the sale-end paper-push. The contracted User may be charged $50 for unreturned swipers. Any unpaid fees due will be considered a “Bad Debt” and result in withholding of rewards and inability to participate in the future sales until debt is cleared
Bank Statements To ensure that all funds are deposited properly into Troop bank accounts, ALL troops will be required to submit copies of their bank statements or on-line bank print-outs showing cookie deposits. Bank statements will be due during the final Paper Push. The deposits made should equal the total number of boxes that the troop checked out, multiplied by $4.00 each. Highlight all cookie deposits on the statements prior to the Paper Push. Deposit receipts will not be accepted. EXAMPLE: If the troop checked out 1,200 boxes (100 cases), then the deposits should equal $4,800 less PayAnywhere payments (1,200 x $4.00 = $4,800 less PayAnywhere). Any discrepancies to the deposits must be noted during Paper Push.
Handling NSF Checks If a check fails to clear the bank and is returned as Non-Sufficient Funds (NSF), it is the troop’s responsibility to make every effort to collect from the customer. If the troop is unable to collect on a non-sufficient funds (NSF) check, a “Documentation of Unpaid Monies Report” must be submitted. Contact your District/ Region Product Sales Manager to complete this process. NSF checks must be made payable to the troop and have the signer’s Driver’s License # or State ID # on the check. Collection efforts cannot be made without this information. If Council receives a NSF check from the Troop, the Leader will be contacted immediately. Arrangements must be made with the Council Finance Department for payment. There will be a $20 charge added to the amount of the NSF check and will be added to the next Swoop & Sweep and will not be counted as part of what is due to council for cookies. This is a non-negotiable fee. DO NOT USE TROOP PROFIT TO PAY COUNCIL
Financial Delinquencies Volunteers handling funds are legally accountable for forwarding proceeds from the sale of cookies. Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council reserves the right to take any legal action it deems necessary. If there is an outstanding debt by the troop, the leader’s position may be in jeopardy. The Finance Department will approve all troops or individuals to be in good standing with the Council. If a Troop or individual is found not to be in good standing they will not be allowed to participate in the cookie sale until their situation has been cleared. There are three types of delinquencies and ways of handling the delinquency. Call the Council Finance Department if there are questions. • If the Troop Leader, and therefore the Troop, is delinquent, the entire Troop may not participate in product sales unless there is a new Troop Leader. If there is a new Troop Leader, the former Troop Leader who was responsible for the delinquency may not participate. • If the Troop Cookie Coordinator, not the Troop Leader, is delinquent, then the Troop Cookie Coordinator may not participate in product sales. The troop may participate provided they have a different Troop Cookie Coordinator. • If a parent/ guardian is delinquent, the girl’s participation is limited to troop booth sales where the product and the money do not become the responsibility of the delinquent parent/ guardian. In addition, troops who fail to submit their Troop Financial Report (TFR) for the previous year will not be allowed to sell until their TFR is submitted and approved by the Financial Department. NOTE:
Troops with outstanding debt may have their proceeds withheld until an audit is performed. This is to be determined on a case by case basis.
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Documentation of Unpaid Monies Report Documentation of any payments that parents still owe the troop by the end of the sale MUST be documented as Bad Debt. TROOPS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PAY BAD DEBT OUT OF TROOP FUNDS. DO NOT USE TROOP PROCEEDS TO PAY UNCOLLECTED DEBT All efforts should be made to collect the debt before submitting it to Council. The Troop Cookie Coordinator should call the family and discuss the problem. He/ she should arrange for payment if possible and alert the Troop Leader and her District/ Region Product Sales Manager. If the troop is unable to collect the debt immediately, the District/ Region Product Sales Manager will arrange a meeting to complete a “Documentation of Unpaid Monies Report”. This report must be completed in the presence of the District/ Region Product Sales Manager. ALL documentation of bad debt (with the exception of NSF checks that the troop is not aware of prior to the end of the sale), MUST be submitted by the Paper Push. Troops that fail to submit bad debt will be held financially responsible. When filling out your “Documentation of Unpaid Monies Report” be sure to print legibly and complete all information requested. Your “attempts to collect” should be as specific as possible. Include dates, conversations, meetings, emails, texts, and/or notes.
Troops MUST bring the following: • • • • •
NOTE:
Signed Girl Permission Slip giving the girl permission to participate in the sale. Receipts signed by a parent or guardian documenting any payments that they made. Any correspondence or communication records documenting collection attempts. NSF check returned by the bank, if applicable. Receipts signed by a parent or guardian documenting that the adult took possession of the cookies. Documentation reports are not just for the Troops with parents owing money, but also to document troops that owe money. ANYONE owing money for products must be documented.
Council will no longer accept police reports in lieu of payments. If product or money is stolen, this dollar amount must be turned in to their homeowners or car insurance agency. They are financially responsible for the debt. For this reason it is critical that you make deposits regularly and not hold onto large amounts of money. Also, DO NOT leave product in the car. Although the Troop is not obligated to pay for uncollected funds that are documented, the Troop is not eligible to keep troop profit from uncollected funds. When filling out the “Documentation of Unpaid Monies Report” the amount owed is the total dollar amount of the unpaid products~ do not deduct troop profit. For example, if a girl has not paid the troop for 25 boxes of cookies, then the amount on the “Documentation of Unpaid Monies Report” should $100 ($4.00 x 25). The Troop did not sell the cookies and are not entitled to the troop profit. The $100 in bad debt will be removed from the girl as well as the troop and placed in a bad debt holding area. This process removes the responsibility of the troop to continue their collection attempts. Council staff will follow up on delinquent accounts and if necessary, send to collections. However, if the bad debt is paid within the fiscal year (prior to September 30th), the proceeds from the bad debt will be reverse swept back into their bank account. If the bad debt is not paid prior to the end of the fiscal year, the troop proceeds will not be swept back to the troop. NOTE:
BEGINNING 2013-2014, BAD DEBT EXCEEDING $300 WILL BECOME THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE TROOP if constant and regular communication with council is not made.)
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Counterfeit Money If you receive a counterfeit bill you will need to contact your District/ Region Product Sales Manager immediately. A “Documentation of Unpaid Monies Report” must be completed for the counterfeit bill, waiving the troop’s responsibility for that dollar amount. Counterfeit bills are either turned into the police department or seized by the bank. In either case, be sure to get a receipt or seizure report in exchange for the counterfeit bill. This receipt must be attached to the “Documentation of Unpaid Monies Report”.
No Selling Cookies After the Sale Ends The Cookie Sale runs from January 26th through March 16th. The Girl Scout Cookie Sale is so successful, in part, because the cookies are only offered for 6 to 8 weeks of the year. Selling cookies after the March 16 ending date undermines the integrity of the sale. Whether these cookies are unsold or paid for and being re-sold, it is absolutely NOT allowed via booth sales or any public forum. You may continue to sell to friends and families anything unsold until April 1st. After that time there are no cookie sales allowed. Please note: the sale ends March 16th, at that point all rewards are tabulated. No sales after March 16th count towards rewards. All Rewards are calculated on cookies that the girls sold DURING the sale, not on cookies still waiting to be sold.
WuFoo Form WuFoo is a computer survey. A link for a WuFoo form will be forwarded to you during the sale and will be used to gather contact information for top sellers. A separate WuFoo form will need to be completed for EACH girl in your troop who sells 750+ boxes of cookies. The deadline to submit the WuFoo forms is March 18th.
Crediting I-Care Cookies to Girls I-Care cookies should be handled the same way as any other cookies sold, when giving girls credit for the sale. The only difference is that the customer isn’t taking the cookies home with them. If the girl personally sold the I-Care cookies, then the number of boxes that she sold should be transferred from the troop inventory to the girl, in SNAP. Be sure not to “double-dip” as you may have already transferred the cookies to her, which would result in a double-entry. The girl is responsible for paying for the I-Care cookies that she sells. If I-Care cookies are sold during booths, then the cookies should be added into the “Booth Calculator” for that day. Girls will get credit at the end of the sale when you transfer booth cookies to the girls. Money for these cookies should be deposited with your regular cookie booth deposits. Troops have three options of dispersing the I-Care cookies that they sell. Troops can: (1) return I-Care cookies from troop inventory during Paper Push; (2) deliver I-Care cookies to non-profit agencies themselves (a “Product Donation Partnership Agreement” form is required); or (3) order the I-Care cookies virtually. •
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Troops should track the number of I-Care boxes being sold, but should not actually remove them from their inventory. At the end of the sale, if the troop has cookies left in their inventory, then they can return them at Paper Push as I-Care, since they have already been paid for. If the troop doesn’t have cookies left over to fill their I-Care order, or if they don’t have enough cookies left over, then they will order them by placing a Virtual Order in the Planned Order, Cookie Share box, in SNAP. These cookies will have to be credited to the girls as listed in “Crediting ICare Cookies to Girls.” Refer to the “SNAP Troop User Guide” for instructions.
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P.P.P. ~ Progressive Proceeds Plan (Created by Volunteers for Volunteers) J The More You Do, the More You Earn! P.P.P. is a TROOP bonus program, not an individual girl program. P.P.P. Bonuses are Cumulative! The Progressive Proceeds Plan is a way to reward Troops for their participation in various aspects of the Fall and Cookie sales. P.P.P. will have a variety of Milestones which will be assigned a dollar amount. At the end of the Cookie sale, the amounts earned will be calculated, and that amount will be deducted from your final payment to Council. If you don’t qualify for one Milestone (i.e.: missed a deadline, didn’t participate in the Fall Sale, etc.) you still have many more opportunities to earn bonus funds for your troop. In order to qualify for the additional per box P.P.P. bonuses, Troops must order a minimum of 80% of the cookies that sold during the 2013+ Cookie sale (plus or minus approved Initial Order Adjustments), on their Initial Order Form. Troops that fail to maintain this number during the sale (via Troop Transfers Out) will lose their per box P.P.P. bonuses.
Closing Out Your Sale Your sale must be completed and closed out by March 18th. The following tasks must be completed: • Confirm that the total number of cookies that SNAP shows as your troop being responsible for, is correct. • Make sure that all of the cookies sold at cookie booths are entered in your “Booth Calculator” with a copy to be submitted during the Paper Push. • Transfer all of the booth cookies from your Troop inventory to the girls as per your “Booth Calculator.” Be sure to use the little white box in the bottom left corner when transferring booth cookies to the girls. Refer to the “SNAP Troop User Guide” for instructions. • Calculate all I-Care Cookies and distribute to girls. • Make sure that your Troop inventory is at zero, unless you have bad debt (see bad debt section). • Enter all of girl payments into SNAP. Girl balances due should all be zero unless you are submitting “Documentation of Unpaid Monies.” • Complete WuFoo forms for all girls who reached 750+ boxes. • Complete the “Rewards Report” in SNAP. • Deposit all remaining funds and obtain copies of bank statements or on-line print-outs.
Rewards Report in SNAP A Rewards Report from SNAP must be completed in order to receive your Troop’s rewards. Refer to the “SNAP Troop User Guide”. The Rewards Report must account for every box of cookies your troop received: • Initial Order • Cookies received at Cupboard • Troop to Troop Transfers • Cookies returned by parents Be sure that you have assigned all of the cookies in Troop Inventory to the girls before running the report. Rewards are ordered directly from reports generated from SNAP. If you have not assigned boxes of cookies to the girls by the deadline of March 18th this could cause your troops’ rewards to be delayed. Double-check your Rewards Report. You will only receive the exact number of patches and rewards listed in your totals. If the quantities are wrong, then your rewards will be wrong. NOTE: There is a maximum of 3 volunteer patches per troop given by Council. Additional patches may be purchased at Council retail shops. NO EXCEPTIONS!
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End of Sale Paper Push All troops MUST attend the Paper Push. Troops will verify their P.P.P. bonus and their final payment due to Council as per their Troop Balance Summary in SNAP and P.P.P calculations. The following items will be due during Paper Push (if applicable): • Bank Statements or on-line bank print-outs~ ALL Troops • Cookie Booth Calculator~ ALL Troops • Physical I-Care Cookies (only cookies that the troop will NOT be delivering themselves) • I-Care Distribution Form (matching the number of cookies being brought to the Paper Push) • I-Care Customer Receipts (IF customer indicated somewhere OTHER than the military) • Documentation of Unpaid Monies form with ALL supporting documents (if applicable) • Girl-To-Girl Transfer form (if applicable) • Booth Sale Box Transfer forms signed if troops do it their own way • Pilot Sister Plan forms (if applicable)
Receiving Troop Rewards If all final paperwork is received and your deposits balance with the Council’s Product Sales Department records, you will receive your Troop Rewards Report, Cookie Dough Cards, patches, and girl rewards during your District/ Region Incentive Distribution Day. Your Troop Rewards Report (signed by each parent), along with any undeliverable rewards/ Cookie Dough Cards is due during your June Membership Paper Push. If you have unclaimed rewards in your possession or if parents claim rewards were not received, your troop will become financially responsible for recreating these rewards if the report is not returned to Council. The cost of recreating the rewards will be at market value. It is important that rewards reports and unclaimed rewards are turned in at your June Membership Paper Push so that your troop is not held financially responsible for rewards. NOTE:
Troop Leaders/ Troop Cookie Coordinators are NOT allowed to sign for their entire troop’s Cookie Cards. Each individual parent/ guardian must sign for their daughter’s Cookie Dough Card and Rewards.
Southern California Council Border Treaty The four Southern California Girl Scout councils agree to train all troops and volunteers involved in the 2014 Cookie Program in accordance with these operating principles, and in compliance with GSUSA’s Safety Activity Checkpoints and Volunteer Essentials.
Guidelines • • • •
Girls must not take orders, or distribute direct cookies in hand, until their council’s respective start date. Girls must follow the start date for the council that they are members of, even if they reside in another council’s geographic domain. No early selling under any circumstances. All girls must adhere to universal rules (e.g., proper uniform, adult presence requirements).
Cross-Border Allowances Selling cross-border is allowed on an exception basis. Cross-border selling begins on the same day as the council’s start date, as above, and with these cross-border conditions: • Family: Troops can sell to family, and to family’s neighbors. •
Friends: Immediate friends are OK. The neighborhoods your friends live in cannot be defined and you are prohibited from selling product there.
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Workplace: In the parent or guardian’s immediate workplace only; no friend’s nor family’s workplaces. (e.g., Aunt Mary’s workplace is off limits).
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Cookie Dough Cards The Cookie Dough Card is designed to be earned and used by the individual girl. It is separate from troop proceeds, which are earned by the troop to support activities and projects. Cookie Dough Cards are not to be accepted for troop dues or to become part of the troop treasury. NOTE:
The parents must sign to acknowledge receipt of their daughters’ Cookie Dough Card and rewards. Please remind them of the Cookie Dough Card expiration date.
Troops that fail to return undelivered Cookie Dough Cards, rewards, and/or their signed Troop Rewards Report to their District/Region Product Sales Manager, will be unable to participate in any future money earning activities.
Cookie Dough Card Guidelines •
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Requested refunds for merchandise and camp fees paid with Cookie Dough Cards are refunded back to the Cookie Card. Cookie Dough Cards cannot be redeemed for cash. Cookie Dough Cards may be used toward the fees of any San Gorgonio Council sponsored events such as, day camp or resident camp listed in the Southern California Girl Scout Council’s Camp Brochure, Destinations, Older Girl Extended Troop Trips, Bridging Junior to Cadette Trips, or merchandise from the San Gorgonio Council Retail Shops. • In addition, High School students may use Cookie Dough to purchase their Cap & Gown and Class Ring from Jostens, ASB package, and letterman’s jackets, graduation invitations, and books at University stores for graduating seniors. See “High School Package” forms. Cookie Dough Cards may be used to purchase Girl Scout uniforms, sportswear, handbooks, Girl Scout accessories, etc., from the San Gorgonio Council Retail Shops, and via the San Gorgonio Council online system. Cookie Dough Cards cannot be used to purchase gift certificates. Cookie Dough Cards cannot be used for the annual Girl Scout Membership fee with the exception of Ambassador Girl Scouts who are graduating from High School and purchasing their Lifetime Memberships. Cookie Dough Cards cannot be used to purchase product (i.e.: cookies, nuts, or candy). Cookie Dough Cards may be replaced at a cost of $2.00.
Cookie Dough Card Use for Older Girl Troops Older Girl Troops (Cadette/ Senior/ Ambassador) are able to apply earned Cookie Dough Cards toward Council approved Extended Troop Trips. The girls are able to accrue 3 years of Cookie Dough Cards. Procedures are found in the “Extended Troop Trip Packet.”
Cookie Dough Card Use for Juniors Bridging to Cadettes Bridging Junior Girl Scout Troops may use ONE year’s Cookie Dough Cards for an approved Bridging Extended Troop Trip. • Treat the Cookie Dough Card as if it were money. Cookie Dough Cards are not transferable without written documentation from parent and girl, not from the leader. • 2014 Cookie Cards are valid through June 2015. • There will be no extensions of Cookie Dough Cards!
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