What Can A Cookie Buy?
The Experience of a Lifetime.
Girl Scouts of the USA is the premier leadership organization for girls. The $700 million Girl Scout Cookie Program is the largest girl-led business in the country and generates immeasurable benefits for girls, their councils and communities nationwide. Girls set cookie goals to support their chosen activities for the year, to fund community service and leadership projects, to attend summer camp, to travel to destinations near and far and to provide events for girls in their community.
Why Girl Scout Cookies?
The activity of selling cookies is directly related to our purpose of helping all girls realize their full potential and become strong, confident, and resourceful citizens.
- Girl Scouts learn life skills and are able to realize their goals—and they have fun!
Girl Scout Junior Troop 20959 in Tennessee marketing their cookies to customers.
- Customers get a great product and get to support girls in their own community.
- All of the proceeds support Girl Scouting in the local community.
Learning Life Skills
Through the Girl Scout Cookie Program girls develop five essential skills:
- Goal setting
- Decision making
- Money management
- People skills
- Business ethics
Many successful business women today say they got their start selling Girl Scout Cookies:
"When I was a girl I pulled a wagon behind me as I walked from door to door delivering my Girl Scout cookies. This annual ritual helped teach me the basics of running a successful business. The two lessons that stayed with me were that all business income is not personal profit (I had to turn in all my money) and that if I eat my own merchandise then I'm obliged to pay for it!"
—Laura F., Worcester, Mass.1
'Where did she learn the skills to rise to successfully manage $14 billion worth of assets?'
"I have to credit two early experiences. One is Girl Scouts. It was a huge part of my life growing up in Queens. It was an opportunity to learn selling through Girl Scout cookies. I always vied for the top selling awards. I remember having a troop leader have confidence in me that I could go off and lead a group of girls to start the campfire or whatever."
—Barbara J. Krumsiek, Chairwoman and CEO of the investment firm Calvert Group, Ltd.2
GS Junior Troop 18071 in California taking a break from setting goals and creating a marketing plan.
During cookie activities, girls are members of a team working towards a common goal, with each girl striving to do her best. Every local troop/group is encouraged to set realistic goals, such as planning field trips and community service projects, to accomplish during the year. The money earned from cookie activities helps the troop/group achieve its goals.
Many Girl Scout councils make provisions for individual members to participate in the Girl Scout Cookie Program as well. However, proceeds earned are not the property of individual girls—they are distributed according to a council plan to benefit all girls involved in Girl Scouting.
So when your local Girl Scouts come calling with this year's best-selling cookies, remember you're saying hello to tomorrow's business leaders.
Making It Count
All of the proceeds—every penny—from a local council's cookie activities remains in the area where the cookies are sold. This revenue is used to benefit girls, some of it directly by remaining in the Girl Scout troop/group treasury and some of it indirectly by subsidizing the cost of providing the Girl Scout program in the local area.
Money from Girl Scout Cookies helps local councils:
- Recruit and train volunteer adults to work with girls.
- Provide the financial assistance needed to make Girl Scouting available for all girls.
- Improve and maintain camp and other activity sites.
- Keep event/camp fees for all members to a minimum.
- Sponsor special events and projects.
Each local council sets the price per box, based on its needs and knowledge of the local market. The price per box may vary from one council to another and from one year to the next. Today's prices reflect the current cost of purchasing cookies from a licensed baker, the increased cost of ingredients, and the realities of providing Girl Scout activities in an ever-changing economic environment. Amounts going to girls are set by the council's board of directors. The cookie vendors pay a licensing fee to Girl Scouts of the USA per box produced, which in turn returns to local councils in the form of assistance and resources from GSUSA.
For the safety and security of the girls who are selling cookies, Girl Scout Cookies are not available for purchase online.