2. Troop Cookie Coordinator
• Responsibilities
– Receive and distribute materials, products & recognitions to
girls and parents
– Train girls and parents about safety and procedures
– Use SNAP to track cookies in and out of troop
– Use SNAP to track cookies checked out to each girl
– Deposit $.35 per box sold to the troop bank account and the
rest to the council
– Data enter deposits made to the council account in SNAP
– Turn in Final Cookie Report and required documentation to SU
Cookie Manager
• Establish a schedule!
3. FORMS
Girl Items (Paper materials, one per girl):
• Coin Envelope
• Girl Order Card
• Parent Permission Form (3 carbon copy)
Troop Items on CD:
• 2011 Troop Cookie Manual – Instruction book and policy guide for the sale
• Product Sales Collection Form – For use when a parent owes a debt
• Booth Sale Success Resources – For use at booth sales
• Booth Report Form – a report to track success at each booth for future planning
• Cookie Videos – For use to help train girls and parents
• Girl Training Resources – Age appropriate learning activities to guide your troop
• Girl Scout Dough Information Sheet – How to use Girl Scout Dough
• Girl Scout Dough Activity Form – Form for reimbursement of Girl Scout Dough
• Special Option Use Form – Form for Special Option Use of Girl Scout Dough
Troop Items on Paper:
• The Cookie Volunteer Toolkit – A One-of-a-kind volunteer newspaper full of useful
information. Complete with window poster, cookie flyer, goal chart and training
games.
• Receipt Book – Use these to record cookie exchanges to/from girls and parents and
payments they make
4. Important Info
• Cookie Sale start Wednesday, 1/19/11
• Girls/parents may not even take orders before
1/19/11
• Booth Sales start Saturday, 1/22/11
• Make sure girls are registered for 2011 and
have parent permission forms on file before
participating
• http://www.gsctx.org/?nd=cookie_resources
• www.abcsmartcookies.com
• www.abcsnap.com
6. The Cookies
Thin Mints Shortbread
Peanut Butter Sandwich Lemonades
Caramel deLites Thanks-A-Lot
Peanut Butter Patties new this year Shout Outs!
7. Shout Outs!
New Cookie With a Big Voice
• Girl Scouting gives girls the courage,
confidence and character to speak up for
lasting change and make the world a better
place!
• Girl Scouting promotes healthy lifestyles
including a well-balanced diet and plenty of
exercise.
• Our new cookie is sensibly sweet!
Zero trans fat grams per serving
No hydrogenated oils
No artificial colors
No artificial preservatives
No high fructose corn syrup
9. – Pilot project to showcase sustainability efforts
and how Girl Scouts are making the world a
better place
– Will save 150 tons of paperboard - and
countless trees!
– Estimated equivalent of 35,000 gallons of
gasoline saved (source: EPA Waste
Reduction Model)
– Smaller case = more cookies on truck and
estimated savings of 2,600 gallons of diesel
fuel
– Positive story to build excitement and support
for cookie sales and Girl Scouting (ABC and
GSUSA to provide press releases)
The Benefits
10. • Mentors for Daisy Troops
– SUCM will match troops
• Friends and Family Only
Recommended
• Up to two booths per Daisy
– Max one hour per booth per girl
– Max two Daisies per booth
• Encourage Manageable Goals
• Extra Resources
– Smart Cookies in the Daisy Flower Garden-
online
Girl Scout Daisies!
11. Before the Sale
Troop Coordinator
• Set up Snap
– Enter complete contact info for troop
– Enter girls (first and last name, as they registered)
• Train girls and parents
– Training materials for every girl age level at
http://www.abcsmartcookies.com and on the Troop CD
– Training outline on page 7 of the Troop Cookie Manual
• Give girls/parents permission forms and guidance on what
to order
• Be sure girls/parents know that they cannot take
orders or start selling until January 19, 2011
12. Initial Order
• snap: On-line ordering system (user guide online)
• Parent Permission Forms
– Girls will turn in to troop
– Troop uses each girl’s goals, as indicated on Parent
Permission Form, to place an initial order on snap
• Be sure this goal is reasonable; the troop can always get more
cookies. Sometimes it may be necessary to order fewer than the
girl has set as her goal. As she sells her initial allotment, the
troop can give her more cookies from the troop cupboard.
– Troop will turn 2 carbon copies of each girl’s form to the SUCM
on or by Dec 3 (initial order deadline)
• Initial Orders are due in snap 12/03/2010
13. Initial Order
Delivery and Distribution
• SUCM will contact you with a
delivery date and time
• Check and Count!
• Be sure you sign a receipt, and
receive a copy of the receipt for
your records! Keep all receipts!
• Receive Council Deposit slips from
your Service Unit Cookie Manager
• Distribute to parents
• Check and count!
• Be sure you complete a receipt
every time you distribute cookies to
a girl/parent. You both should sign
the receipt, and each receive a
copy. Keep all receipts for your
records!
14. Goals!
Girls that set goals learn valuable life
lessons and are motivated to sell more
cookies.
ABC has a page on their website to help
girls set, track and achieve their goals. It
can be found in the CookiEZone at
www.abcsmartcookies.com
Plus – every girl that is registered on the
My Goals Page in CookiEZone will be
entered to win a fabulous prize bag from
the Girl Scouts of Central Texas!
15. To get to the CookiEZone goals page, go to Abcsmartcookies.com and
click on the Girls Icon at the top. This will take you to CookiEZone. Once
you have reached CookiEZone, you can select the age level of your troop.
16. Once you have selected the age level of your troop, you will be
asked to create a log in or log in. ABC does not save e-mail
addresses from the girls who join CookiEZone. Each girl will use
their first name and CookiEZone ID to log in.
17. After girls have logged in, they can click on My Goals and then click Set Goals to
set goals and personalize their goal chart. The girls will then receive a goal chart
that will help them keep track of their goals.
Girls should log on to
CookiEZone
throughout the sale
to update their goal
charts by clicking
Update My Progress.
When girls have
reached their goals,
they can print a
certificate!
18. During the Sale
Troop Coordinator
• Track cookies in and out of troop
– Track in Snap
– Use receipts to document all transactions
• Deposit $.35 cents per box sold to the troop bank account and
remainder to the Council account using the Council Deposit
slips you received from your SUCM.
– Ask bank to VALIDATE all deposits (stamp the slips or provide a
receipt to verify the funds were deposited)
– Enter Council deposits into snap
• Pick up extra cookies as needed
– Schedule pick up with SU Cookie Manager
– Turn in deposits on dates directed
• Support girls and parents as needed
• Stay in touch with SU Cookie Manager
19. Transfers
• Troop to Girl or Girl to Troop
– May transfer in boxes
– Use receipts and document in Snap
• Troop to Troop
– Full Cases only
– Service Unit Manager must be aware of the
transfer
– Use receipts
– Service Unit will enter into SNAP
20. During the Sale: The Girls
• Door to door anywhere in CTX council!
• Booths ONLY in your Service Unit
• Minimum of 2 adults and 2 girls per booth!
• Safety always! Buddy system always!
• No checks for more than $100 and do not
accept cash bills larger than a $20.00
• Checks payable to GSCTX
• Deposit all checks to council!
21. During the Sale:
Girls and Online Product Promotion
• 411 on Online Marketing
– on GSCTX Web-site
• Internet Safety Pledge (online only)
• Girl Friendly Web Safety Site:
– http://lmk.girlscouts.org/
– www.abcsmartcookies.com
22. Online Promotion
Basic Do’s and Dont’s
• Girls MAY market cookies and collect orders…
– Using a parent’s e-mail, a group e-mail, or e-mail masking software provided by the
bakery (www.abcsmartcookies.com)
– IF they are 13 or older, girls may use social networking sites to collect
orders (their own site or their parent’s site)
• Girls may NOT
– Use the internet to market cookies without parental permission
– Violate terms of use of any website
– Exchange money online (no PayPal, E-Bay, etc)
– Give personal contact information to customers that are not family
– Use the internet to collect orders from outside of their own zip code,
unless the customers are family/personally known
– Use their parent’s social networking site to market cookies if they are
under the age of 13
Complete, updated rules online at http://www.gsctx.org/?
nd=cookie_resources
23. Cookie Caravans!
Believe it or not, there are towns out there without
Girl Scouts. That means they don’t have anyone to
sell them Girl Scout Cookies! This year, we are trying
to change that! The Cookie Caravan Program is a new
program that sets your troop up with a booth sale in
a town without Girl Scouts!
Interested?
Contact
Products@gsctx.org
by December 3rd
to
sign up!
24. Troop Bonus
Each troop is eligible to earn a Troop Bonus ranging from $1.08 per case to
$2.40 per case. This bonus is paid to troops who fulfill all of the necessary
requirements, which are:
• Troop Coordinator attended training.
• Turned in and completed all forms and reports on time.
• Deposited the “amount due to council” from the Final Report into the
council account, and provided proof of deposits totaling this amount with
their Final Report.
• Total final returns must be equal to or less than 5%. Bonuses are paid on a
sliding scale based on returns. The scale is as follows:
3% or less total returns = $2.40 per case
Greater than 3% but equal to or less than 4% = $1.44 per
case
Greater than 4% but equal to or less than 5% = $1.08 per case
Greater than 5% = No bonus
NOTE: Troops that earned a bonus may pick up bonus checks from their
Service Unit Treasurer or Service Unit Director, when (and only if) they turn
in their Troop Financial Report.
25. Returns
• Your Service Unit’s Goal: 1% or fewer returns
– Service Units get a bonus if the whole service unit returns
less than 1%
– Council gets to return 1% of cookies to bakery, penalty free
• Due to your SUCM by March 4th
(final report deadline)
NOTE: your SUCM will have to enter your return into snap; the final report
you submit should indicate any returns your troop has
– Return full cases only (12 boxes per case)
– Cases may be mixed flavors (6 Thin Mint, 6 Lemonades)
– Write troop number on cases
26. “Opting Out” of Prizes
•Cadette/Senior/Ambassador troops only
•Troops choose this option in Snap when they place
the recognition order
•Troops must decide unanimously!
•If there is ONE Daisy/Brownie/Junior in the troop, the
troop may NOT opt out
•If the troop elects to opt out, they will earn .05 cents
extra per box as well as GS Dough and patches
•Council will include the extra nickel per box with your
bonus check after the sale is over; do not withhold the
additional .05 when making deposits
27. Final Reports
• Finish all transfers/returns/deposits in snap by March
4
• Place Troop Recognition Order in snap by March 4
• Run “Troop Balance Summary” in snap and print three
copies: one for troop, one for service unit and one for
council.
• Attach one copy of each validated council deposit slip
to each copy of Troop Balance Summary
• Troop Balance Summary + Council Deposit Slips =
Troop Final Report.
• Turn in two copies of final report to Service Unit
Cookie Manager by March 4, 2011
28. Special Circumstances
• Unpaid funds (a parent hasn’t
turned in money or cookies)
– Complete a Product Sales Collection Form
–available online and on Troop CD
– Add to final report
• Lost/Stolen Cookies or Money
– File a police report
– Add to final report
30. Special Events &
Opportunities
• Council Recognition
Ceremonies
–Combination of Gold/Silver
Award Ceremony, Volunteer
Recognition Ceremony &
Cookie Celebration
31. Girls who sell 1,000+
boxes of cookies will
earn a Day Trip for
Two to:
Main Event,
Austin’s Park,
Schlitterbahn,
Six Flags Fiesta Texas
or
Six Flags Over Texas!
32. Girls that sell 2,000+
boxes of cookies will
be able to Discover,
Connect and Take
Action as they plan
their own adventure!
33. Operation Cookie
• Instructions for participating in manual and
online
• Letter templates online: one card per box of
cookies
• Cookie Packing events in Possibilities
• Promotional fliers available online
34. Opportunity Knocking
• “After Sale” for Cadettes/Seniors/Ambassadors
that are saving for destinations trips or
educational troop travel only
• Participants sell returned cookies from March 14
to April 11.
• Participating troops get $1.50 per box!
• More information at http://www.gsctx.org/?
nd=cookie_resources
35. Cookie Captains• Girls earn service and leadership hours
by mentoring & helping at cookie
events
• Information can be found online
• Girls that fulfill 25 service hours get
their Community Service Bars for
Contributions to Girl Scouting!
• In second year of program, girls earn
leadership hours and get Age Level
Leadership Pins!
36. Support
• Contact SU Cookie Manager
– e-mail
– phone
– Availability
– Cupboard Hours
• Girl Scouts of Central Texas’ Product Sales Dept.
– products@gsctx.org
– (800)733-0011
some really exciting introduction…
Welcome!
Thank you!
Without you this wouldn’t be possible!
As the Troop Cookie Coordinator you play a crucial role in the success of your troop, service unit, and the council as a whole. The responsibilities you are taking on include:
Read list
Lastly, you should establish an availability schedule from the beginning. Be sure to let parents know when it is acceptable and when it is not acceptable to contact you, and by what means they should and should not contact you. For example, is it okay if they call you at 11pm on Sunday evening? Or, can they just show up at your home on Friday night? Explaining your expectations to your parents will help get your troop’s success off to a great start.
We have worked very hard to help ensure you have all of the forms and resources you need to have a successful sale at your disposal.
Your Service Unit Cookie Manager has the forms that are necessary to have in paper form. These include money envelopes, girl order cards, and parent permission forms for each girl. It is vital that you turn in the top 2 copies of the parent permission form to your Service Unit Cookie Manager by no later than December 3rd. If you have girls that add late to the cookie sale, continue to turn in the top 2 copies of each form to your Service Unit Cookie Manager.
Your Service Unit Cookie Manager has also received a CD for each of you. On this CD are forms that will aid you throughout the sale. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the resources avalaible.
Your Service Unit Cookie Manager will also supply you with receipt books to record all transactions in and out of the troop.
The Cookie Sale begins on Wednesday, January 19th. Girls may begin selling to friends, family, and neighbors on this date. Girls/parents may NOT take advance orders before January 19th.
Booth sales may not be held until Saturday, January 22. This gives girls the opportunity to sell to their friends and family in advance. All booths must be set up through your Service Unit. Individual troops may not set up booths on their own.
Girls must be a registered Girl Scout for the 2010-2011 membership year. If a girl is not registered, she may NOT participate in the Cookie Program. It is your responsibility as a Troop Cookie Coordinator to ensure that all girls in your troop that wish to participate in the Cookie Program be registered members.
Along with the forms and Troop CD you will receive, the Girl Scouts of Central Texas website is also a great resource. New documents are posted daily as they are requested or needed. If you cannot find what you’re looking for on your Troop CD, check the website.
Additionally the ABC website contains activities, games, and volunteer resources that you can take advantage of.
Lastly, Girl Scouts of Central Texas uses an online cookie tracking system developed by ABC Bakers called SNAP. Each of you will be responsible for tracking your troop cookies in SNAP. Be sure to add this website to your favorites, as you will visit it often.
The theme for the 2011 Cookie Program is Count Me In – The Future Is My Business.
This year’s mascot is Sage the Owl
The cookie line-up this year includes:
Thin Mints, Caramel deLites, Peanut Butter Patties, Shortbread, Peanut Butter Sandwich, Lemonades, Thanks-A-Lot, and new this year – Shout Outs!
Shout Outs are the new cookie with a big voice.
Read the rest of the slide.
If it’s a premium cookie, it has to be in a carton
who says?
Thanks-A-Lot will be in new eco-friendly packaging this year.
Read the slide.
Girl Scout Daisies succeed during the Cookie Program for a number of reasons:
First of all, they’re cute, and most people find it very difficult to turn them down.
There are a few guidelines that Daisy troops must follow.
First, it’s important for Daisies to be matched with mentors that can help them “learn the ropes”. Most of the mentors for Daisy troops will be Cookie Captains. Your Service Unit Cookie Manager will match Cookie Captains with the Daisy troops in your service unit. The Cookie Captains will help you teach your Daisies about product knowledge, safety, and manageable goals among other topics. If there are no Cookie Captains in or around your service unit, Daisy troops should be matched with Cadette, Seniors, or Ambassadors that have experience selling cookies.
It’s recommended that Daisies sell to friends and family only.
Daisies may only participate in 2 booth sales each. Each booth session must be a maximum of one hour.
Please encourage manageable goals for Daisies. We don’t want them to “burn-out”. It should be a fun and exciting program.
A fun activity to participate in with a Daisy troop is to read the book “Smart Cookies in the Daisy Flower Garden” that is posted on the Cookie Resources page of the Girl Scouts of Central Texas website. It discusses basic cookie selling issues every Daisy should know.
Before the sale, the Troop Cookie Coordinator should set up all of the troop details in SNAP. We’ll cover exactly how to do this shortly.
It’s very important that each troop enters the complete contact information for the troop. Secondly, the Troop Cookie coordinator should enter each girl that is going to participate in the cookie program using her first and last name as she is registered.
The Troop Cookie Coordinator should train the girls and parents in their troop. The abc smart cookie website, Troop CD, and Girl Scouts of Central Texas website contain helpful resources for training girls and parents. Also, there is a training outline detailed on Page 7 of the Troop Cookie Manual. The Troop Cookie Manual is located on the Troop CD.
During your girl and parent training you should give guidance on what girls should order. At the bottom of the parent permission form is a goal/order space for each girl.
Be sure to discuss with parents and girls that they may not take orders or start selling until Wednesday, January 19.
The Troop Cookie Coordinator should enter the troop’s initial order into snap by no later than December 3rd. The Troop Cookie Coordinator should also turn in the top 2 copies of each parent permission form to the Service Unit Cookie Manager on or by December 3rd. It is extremely important to ensure that every girl that is participating in the Cookie Program is a registere member of Girl Scouts.
Troops can base their initial order off of what parents and girls have written as their goals on each parent permission form. Sometimes it is necessary to order less than the girl has set has her goal. Be sure to order a reasonable amount of cookies for each girl. Just because a girl’s goal is 2,000 boxes, doesn’t mean you have to order 2,000 boxes for that girl during with your initial order. It’s probably a good idea to start out small. Your troop can get additional cookies from your Service Unit Cupboard. As girls and parents turn in money for cookies the girl has sold, the troop can give the girl additional cookies to help her reach her goal.
Once your initial order is placed, your Service Unit Cookie Manager will review your order. If the Service Unit Cookie Manager sees any problems with your order, they will contact you.
Delivery and Distribution of your Troop’s initial order.
Your Service Unit will contact you with a delivery date, location, and time. Your Service Unit Cookie Manager does not have control over the date that delivery occurs. If you cannot pick up your order at the time and date requested, please find someone from your troop that can. Explain all of the necessary guidelines to whomever will be picking up your troop’s initial order.
Check and count your order. Be sure you are receiving what you ordered. Ensure the cookies you are receiving are not damaged. You should sign a receipt indicating exactly what you are receiving. You should receive a copy of this receipt at the time of pick-up. Keep all of your receipts for your records.
You can now distribute cookies to the girls and parents in your troop. Again, be sure you check and count carefully. Complete a receipt for every transaction. The Troop Cookie Coordinator and parent should each sign every receipt. Provide the parent with a copy of the receipt, and keep a copy for your records!
During the Sale –
The Troop Cookie Coordinator should track cookies in and out of the troop using receipts and entering those receipts into SNAP.
Any time a parent – picks up additional cookies, returns cookies, or turns in money to the troop, a receipt should be completed. Always keep a copy for your records and provide the parent with a copy for their records.
You should enter these receipts into snap.
You should make at least 1 deposit weekly to the Council account. Deposit 35 cents per box sold to the troop bank account and the remainder (3 dolllars and 15 cents) to the council bank account using the Council deposit slips provided to you by your Service Unit Cookie Manager. Ask the bank to VALIDATE all deposits you make. This means they should either stamp the deposit slip or provide a receipt to verify the funds were deposited. Ensure that the amount you wrote on the deposit slip is the amount that was validated by the bank. Data enter the deposits to the council account in snap. DO NOT enter deposits made to the troop account into snap.
During the sale, your troop may need additional cookies. Schedule a time a date to pick up additional cookies for your troop with your Service Unit Cookie Manager. When you pick up additional cookies, you should sign and receive a copy of a receipt. The Service Unit Cookie Manager will enter this transaction into SNAP.
During the sale you should also support girls and parents as needed and stay in touch with the Service Unit Cookie Manager. If your troop is having problems selling certain flavors of cookies, let your Service Unit Cookie Manager know. They may be able to help you as long as you let them know well in advance and not wait until the week the sale ends.
If a girl and parent pick up additional cookies, you should complete a Troop to Girl transfer in SNAP.
If a girl and parent return cookies, you should complete a Girl to Troop transfer in SNAP.
SNAP also has a girl money tracking system that is optional for each troop to use. If you choose to use it, every time a girl or parent turns in money, you can enter this into snap. If utilized, this feature provides the balace due for each girl based on the number of cookies she has checked-out and returned, and the amount of money she has paid.
All transactions involving individual girls can be done in boxes – they do not have to be entire cases.
Troops can transfer to other troops within their Service unit. These transfers must be done as whole cases. The Service Unit Cookie Manager should be aware of these transactions. Be sure to complete receipts for these transactions as well. The Service Unit Cookie Manager will enter these into SNAP.
During the Sale the girls can sell door to door anywhere in the Girl Scouts of Central Texas Council
Girls can participate in booths within their own service unit only, with 2 exceptions:
Council Booths and Cookie Caravan Booths – we’ll discuss these in more detail shortly
There is a minimum of 2 adults and 2 girls per booth – this is a Safety-Wise rule – no exception!!!
It is extremely important that booths are conducted in a safe manner. Girls should use the buddy system always if they must go to the restroom or go inside the location for any reason.
Girls should not accept checks for more than $100 or cash bills larger than $20 bills.
Checks should be made payable to GSCTX.
When making deposits, the Troop Cookie Coordinator should deposit ALL checks to the Council account and use the cash received to deposit into the troop bank account. The council bank accounts have security for all insufficient funds checks where the troop bank accounts do not.
During the sale girls can promote and market online. The 411 on Online Marketing can be found online detailing exactly what girls can and cannot do to promote and market the sale online. Any girls that choose to promote and market online, with the permission of their parent, must complete the Internet Safety Pledge and turn it into their Troop Cookie Coordinator. There are also additional websites promoting online safety that provide information and tools for online marketing.
The Basic Do’s and Don’ts
Read rest of slide.
Troop Bonuses
Troops already receive a profit of 35 cents per box sold
Read slide
