Tips for Running a
Successful Cookie Business
The Five Skills
The Girl Scout Cookie Program is the largest girl-led business and financial
literacy program in the country! This unique leadership experience helps girls
develop five essential skills:
Goal Setting: as she sets sales goals and develops a plan to reach them
Decision Making: as she helps her Troop decide how they will spend their cookie proceeds
Money Management: as she takes cookie orders, handling money and learning to make change
People Skills: as she learns how to talk and listen to all kinds of people while selling cookies
Business Ethics: as she is honest and responsible throughout every step of the cookie sale
Important Dates
Cookie Rally
Jan. 7
Initial Order Taking Period
Jan. 14– Feb. 11
Orders Due to Troop
Feb. 12
Goal Getter Orders
Feb. 12–Apr. 9
Cookie Deliveries
Mar. 3–11
Girl Delivery &
Money Collection
Mar. 3–Apr. 9
Booth Sales
Mar. 10–Apr. 9
Marketing Ideas. . .
CHECK OUT OUR PINTEREST AND
THE RESOURCE SECTION ON THE “Cookies+”
PAGE OF OUR WEBSITE FOR FUN
COOKIE SALE IDEAS!
Today, cookie sales...
Tomorrow, anything!
2017 Cookie Program
Family Guide
Digital Cookie
• Email family and friends near and far to ask
them to support your cookie business!
Exciting Contests, Events, & Programs
• Cookie Troop 100: A fun challenge put together by GSUSA as a way for girls nationwide to celebrate 100 years of
Girl Scouts selling cookies, play along January 3rd through April 30th.
• Walkabout Week: Decorate anything with wheels between March 26th and April 1st and sell cookies door-to-door!
• One Tough Cookie: Super troops that complete a list of fun cookie program-related tasks can receive the “One
Tough Cookie” patch. Tasks must be completed by April 21st.
• Cookie Rookie: New to the Cookie Program? Help your girls go from cookie rookies, to cookie experts! Available on
our website, these six sessions of programming will tell girls how the sale works, how to set a goal, easy ways to ask
a customer to buy, and much more!
• Cookie Captain: A way for older girl troops (C, S, A) to mentor younger girl troops (D, B) who may be selling
cookies for the first time, all while earning service hours.
• Cookie Business Badges: Check out your Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting to see all the Cookie Business Badges you
can earn! Girl Scouts will hone their skills and gain understanding of the business world.
Ask your troop leader or SUCM for more information about all these fun contests, events, and programs!
Booth Sales
• Hold a booth sale—even if you don’t sell during
the initial order period—and try making a recipe
to sample using the cookies!
• Bling Your Booth—make posters, decorations
and t-shirts highilghting what you’re rasing money
for by selling cookies!
Walkabout Week
• From March 26th–April 1st, decorate your car,
wagon, bike, etc., and sell cookies door-to-door
around your neighborhood! Post a picture on the
GSHNJ Facebook page during your walkabout and
receive an exclusive Walkabout patch!
Social Media
• Girls 13+ can use Facebook to let friends and
family know they are selling cookies!
www.gshnj.org • 908-518-4400
[email protected]
Guidelines
New & Returning for 2017
• Girls must be registered members of GSHNJ and our
council no later than 1/11/17 to participate in the Cookie
Program.
NEW S’mores Cookie
Gluten-free Cookie
Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey
Product Programs Parent/Guardian
Girl Scout S’moresTM are here! These crunchy graham
sandwich cookies with a layering of creamy chocolate
and marshmallowy filling are sure to please. Each
cookie features a beautifully embossed image
of one of the five Girls’ Choice Outdoor Badges,
custom-designed, exclusively for Girl Scouts!
The gluten-free Toffee-tastic cookie is BACK, and is
now on the order card!
FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY/
PERMISSION TO SELL FORM
• Parents/Guardians are financially responsible for all
products on their girl's order card. Payments are due to
the Troop according to the deadline.
• Girls 13 and older can use social media such as
Facebook and Twitter to let friends and family know
they are selling cookies. Girl Scouts should abide by
the terms and use for those sites (including parental
permission and age requirements).
• Permission slips signed by the Parent/Guardian are
required for girls to participate in the Cookie Program
and given to leader by 1/13/17.
• All cookie orders are final. We’re sorry, but we
cannot accept returns.
Troop Proceeds
•
•
•
•
No artificial colors
No high-fructose corn syrup
No preservatives
No partially hydrogenated oils
These specialty cookies sell for $5 per box.
Gift of Caring
Troops Earn Proceeds Per Box
Number of boxes
sold per participating girl
(The total
number of boxes
sold divided by the
number of
participating girls in
the Troop):
With
Incentives: Daisy
through
Ambassador
(Girls receive
individual
incentives AND the
Troop Proceeds
stated below):
Incentive OPT OUT:
Cadettes,
Seniors &
Ambassadors
ONLY
(Troop unanimously
votes to take extra
Troop Proceeds and
receives NO incentives):
Up to 79 boxes
65¢
70¢
80 - 99
boxes
70¢
75¢
100+
boxes
75¢
80¢
See order card for info on
how you can earn even
more proceeds!
This specialty-ingredient, s’mores-inspired cookie was
created with emerging consumer preferences in mind:
Cookies sell for
$4/box, except
Toffee-tastic &
S’mores, which
are $5/box
Do you know someone who would like
to support Girl Scouting, but isn’t able
to indulge in our cookies? They can
purchase GSHNJ’s “Gift of Caring” cookies! Girls simply
indicate in the appropriate column on the order card the
number of boxes ordered towards Gift of Caring.
This year, GSHNJ is partnering with Operation Jersey
Cares to distribute our collected Gifts of Caring. All
donations of cookies will go to U.S. military troops
and veterans.
Sell 24+ boxes of Gift of Caring cookies and earn
the patch pictured above!
• Due to the cost of the cookie production, Toffeetastic cookies are sold for $5 per box.
• Toffee-tastic cookies are available in limited quantities
on the DOC.
Digital Order Card
Digital Order Card (DOC) is back! Girls will be able to
have their friends and family from near and far order
online and have them shipped directly to them. New
this year, friends and family can now get their
cookies delivered locally by clicking “Girl Delivery”
during the initial order period.
Parents will receive an email—starting in early January—
welcoming them to the Digital Cookie site. Parents will
follow the guidelines and set up their girl’s account.
From there, girls (with their parent’s help!) will be able to
create a custom website featuring their goals, updates
on their achievements, and even a picture or video of
themselves. Girls earn the DOC Cookie Techie patch for
selling at least 12 boxes online and a cookie note set for
selling at least 36 boxes online.
• Customers can donate cookies to
Operation Jersey Cares.
• Minimum order: Cookies ordered through DOC have a
minimum order of 4 boxes. If customers are looking to
donate cookies, there is no minimum order.
Permission Form
My Girl Scout __________________________________
a member of Troop # ____________________________
has my permission to participate in the 2017
Spring Cookie Program. I agree to accept payment
responsibility for all products she receives and to see
that she has adult supervision at all times.
I understand all products must be paid for by the end
of the sale. Please see your Troop Cookie Manager for
your Troop's payment schedule.
I agree to the following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
My Girl Scout is currently a registered member.
No cookie orders taken prior to 1/14/17.
Cookies sell for $4/box.
Toffee-tastic & S’mores cookies sell for $5/box.
Be responsible for all products ordered.
Understand that all orders cannot be returned.
Be responsible for all money collected.
Give money to the Troop Cookie Manager on time.
Understand that all unpaid accounts will be pursued
for collection through a collection agency or an attorney. I also understand that I will be responsible for all collection expenses, attorneys’ fees and costs incurred by GSHNJ in collecting unpaid accounts.
Sign the GS Internet Safety Pledge (available from
the GSHNJ website) for marketing online.
Exciting Incentives
Parent/Guardian Signature: _______________________
• 100+ initial order boxes earns
the 100 Years Patch Pin
Address: ______________________________________
• 160+ initial order boxes earns
the owl love journal
• 500+ boxes goes to FabFest—a fun day
at camp on June 4, 2017
• See order card for fun new STEM and
outdoor incentives!
Date: _________________________________________
______________________________________________
Primary Phone: _________________________________
Email: ________________________________________