2012 Cookie Program FAQs - Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa
2012 Cookie Program FAQs - Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa
2012 Cookie Program FAQs - Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa
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<strong>2012</strong> <strong>Cookie</strong> <strong>Program</strong> <strong>FAQs</strong><br />
W h a t is <strong>Cookie</strong>s Now! and how does it work?<br />
<strong>Cookie</strong>s Now! is the exciting new format for the <strong>2012</strong> <strong>Girl</strong> <strong>Scouts</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Greater</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Cookie</strong><br />
<strong>Program</strong>. From the very first day <strong>of</strong> the program, girls will have packages <strong>of</strong> cookies ON HAND<br />
to sell door to door, at <strong>Cookie</strong> Booths, and to family and friends. <strong>Girl</strong> scouts exchange cookies<br />
and payments in one easy step! No more taking orders, waiting weeks, and then returning for<br />
the delivery and collecting money. The <strong>Cookie</strong>s Now! program condenses all that work into<br />
one simple step.<br />
W h y are we doing <strong>Cookie</strong>s Now!?<br />
• Volunteers, parents, and customers have asked us to simplify the cookies program<br />
logistics for years.<br />
• All <strong>Girl</strong> Scout councils that border <strong>Girl</strong> <strong>Scouts</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Greater</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> will be conducting a<br />
Direct <strong>Cookie</strong> Sale for the 2011/<strong>2012</strong> <strong>Girl</strong> Scout year. Our girls must have the same<br />
opportunity.<br />
The Direct Sale format will:<br />
• be less time consuming for customers, girls, parents, and volunteers<br />
• reduce order and delivery to one easy step<br />
• require less due dates and paperwork<br />
• give girls opportunities to sell more cookies and earn more proceeds for troop<br />
activities<br />
• allow girls to earn Recognitions and <strong>Cookie</strong> Dough through the entire program<br />
• give <strong>Girl</strong> Scout cookies IN HAND for customers immediate gratification and more<br />
sales!<br />
H o w long with the <strong>Cookie</strong> <strong>Program</strong> last?<br />
The <strong>Cookie</strong> <strong>Program</strong> will run January 13 th – March 4 th , <strong>2012</strong>.<br />
H o w will troops know how many cookies to order?<br />
Following best practices used by other <strong>Girl</strong> Scout councils who already have a <strong>Cookie</strong>s Now!<br />
format, we recommend that troops order 100% <strong>of</strong> their total previous year’s cookies sales.<br />
Statistics show council’s who go to a Direct Sale format sell 6-8% MORE cookies than they do<br />
in a traditional door-to-door sale.<br />
We recommend that NEW troops order 100% <strong>of</strong> their area’s average cookie sales.<br />
How to place the order and how much to order will be covered in the council sponsored<br />
trainings.<br />
C a n troops get more cookies?<br />
Yes! Based on other councils’ experiences, we anticipate a very high volume <strong>of</strong> reorders<br />
during the first two weeks. <strong>Cookie</strong> Cupboards will be open during the entire sale and will be<br />
very accessible for troops and/or parents to pick up more cookies.<br />
W ill troops be able to return cookies from their starting<br />
inventory (initial order)?<br />
No, any cookies that are ordered at the initial order will be the troops’ financial responsibility<br />
just as it has been in previous years.
D o troops or parents have to pay for the cookies up front?<br />
No, all cookie orders and any cookies picked up from a <strong>Cookie</strong> Cupboard will be tracked in our<br />
online ordering system and the troop will pay to the council their balance due.<br />
W ill girls still have order cards?<br />
Yes. <strong>Girl</strong>s can use order cards to:<br />
track sales (girls can use this information to contact customers for reorders);<br />
take customer’s order when they don’t have the variety <strong>of</strong> cookies available the<br />
customer desires in hand. Then girls may pick up cookies from the <strong>Cookie</strong> Cupboard<br />
to fill customers orders;<br />
post at their parents workplaces (if permitted);<br />
troops can track what cookies were given to each girl.<br />
I am very nervous about ordering 100% <strong>of</strong> the 2011 sales.<br />
The <strong>Cookie</strong>s Now! format really makes it that much easier to sell cookies. A typical troop will<br />
sell 6-8% MORE cookies than last y ear by moving to a Direct <strong>Cookie</strong> Sale format. When<br />
customers see the product they are 90% more likely to purchase the product and customers<br />
are more likely to make multiple purchases instead <strong>of</strong> just ordering once.<br />
If you feel your troop isn’t ready to order 100% <strong>of</strong> the 2011 sales, no problem. The Direct Sale<br />
format makes your cookie sale very flexible with a variety <strong>of</strong> ways to sell cookies. Ordering<br />
100% <strong>of</strong> the 2011 sales is just a suggestion to get your troop started. Here are some other<br />
sales options:<br />
• Take orders (like your girls have in past years). Set a date for girls to turn their orders<br />
into the Troop <strong>Cookie</strong> Manager (maybe the 2 nd & 4 th week <strong>of</strong> the program), enter a<br />
Planned Order into Snap, then go pick up what you need from a <strong>Cookie</strong> Cupboard.<br />
• Troop Leaders may think going to the <strong>Cookie</strong> Cupboard every week is too time<br />
consuming. Ask parents to volunteer for cookie pick-up each week. Each week a<br />
designated parent will go to the <strong>Cookie</strong> Cupboard to pick up the troops ordered<br />
cookies.<br />
• Allow parents to come to the <strong>Cookie</strong> Cupboard to get cookies. Troop <strong>Cookie</strong><br />
Managers and Troop Leaders can put a Planned Order into Snap with the girls name in<br />
the order reference, and a parent can pick the cookies up. Please make sure parents<br />
know their <strong>Girl</strong> <strong>Scouts</strong> 5 digit troop number. (<strong>Cookie</strong>s will not be given to parents that<br />
do not have a Planned Order.)<br />
• Set up a <strong>Cookie</strong> Booth for your troop.<br />
I do not think troops or parents should be financially responsible<br />
for the cookies!<br />
The <strong>2012</strong> <strong>Cookie</strong> <strong>Program</strong> is no different financially than cookie programs in the past. The<br />
only difference in the program is cookies are available the entire cookie program instead<br />
<strong>of</strong> having to take orders for them. <strong>Cookie</strong>s have ALWAYS been the financial responsibility<br />
<strong>of</strong> the troop once they are ordered. Once a <strong>Girl</strong> Scout sells the cookies, they are financially<br />
responsible to collect the money owed from the customer and turn it into <strong>Girl</strong> <strong>Scouts</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Greater</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong>. The Direct <strong>Cookie</strong> Sale format actually puts less financial responsibility on<br />
parents because girls will collect money the same day they sell the cookies. girls will not<br />
have to go back to deliver cookies which created a lag time between when cookies were<br />
sold and when money was collected.<br />
If a troop or parent is not comfortable pre-ordering cookies please do not be discouraged.<br />
<strong>Girl</strong>s can still take cookie orders beginning January 13 th , turn their order into their Troop
<strong>Cookie</strong> Manager who will put a Planned Order into the <strong>Cookie</strong> Cupboard so that the parent<br />
can pick the cookies up; this will have to be decided by the troop.<br />
H o w do I store all these “pre-ordered” cookies?<br />
Storage should not be any more <strong>of</strong> an issue than it has been in the past. Once the troops<br />
initial order is delivered troops should disperse the cookies to their <strong>Girl</strong> <strong>Scouts</strong> ASAP.<br />
Troops should not be storing any additional cookies. <strong>Girl</strong> <strong>Scouts</strong> will want to have cookies<br />
in hand to go out and sell.<br />
H o w much does a package <strong>of</strong> cookies cost?<br />
$3.50 a package and <strong>Girl</strong> <strong>Scouts</strong> will have the cookies in hand!<br />
W h a t are troop proceeds for a box <strong>of</strong> cookies?<br />
There are different levels <strong>of</strong> proceeds that a troop can earn.<br />
A troop will earn $0.40 per package and each girl in the troop will earn Recognitions and<br />
<strong>Cookie</strong> Dough. If the troop reaches the per girl selling average <strong>of</strong> 168 packages, then the<br />
troop will earn $0.45 per package and each girl in the troop will earn Recognitions and<br />
<strong>Cookie</strong> Dough.<br />
W h a t is <strong>Cookie</strong> Dough?<br />
<strong>Cookie</strong> Dough is an earned award and added value to the <strong>Girl</strong> Scout’s family and to be<br />
used only for <strong>Girl</strong> <strong>Scouts</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Greater</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> (GSGI) sponsored activities. <strong>Cookie</strong> Dough can<br />
be shared within a household.<br />
W h a t if the girls in our troop aren’t interested in earning the<br />
R e c o g n itions?<br />
Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador (C, S, A) troops can opt-out <strong>of</strong> Recognitions. An C, S, A<br />
troop will earn a minimum <strong>of</strong> $0.40 per package. If they opt-out <strong>of</strong> Recognitions, the troop<br />
will earn $0.45 per package. If they then reach the 168 per girl selling average, the troop will<br />
earn $0.50 per package.<br />
C a n customers order cookies online?<br />
Yes. <strong>Girl</strong> <strong>Scouts</strong> can log onto the ABC Bakers Catch Goals at www.abcsmartcookies.com .<br />
<strong>Girl</strong> <strong>Scouts</strong> will send an E-Card to their friends and family members that has a <strong>Cookie</strong><br />
Order Card attached. Customers can select what cookies they would like to order and<br />
send it back to the <strong>Girl</strong> Scout via e-mail. All online cookie orders are printed out by the<br />
girl/parent and turned into their Troop <strong>Cookie</strong> Manager. The girl is responsible to get the<br />
cookies and give them to the customer. All cookies are paid for at the time <strong>of</strong> delivery so<br />
no monetary transactions take place online.<br />
H o w are cookie orders entered?<br />
All orders are entered online by the Troop Leader or the Troop <strong>Cookie</strong> Manager via ABC<br />
Snap.<br />
A r e the Recognitions cumulative?<br />
Yes, girls earn all <strong>of</strong> the Recognitions at each level <strong>of</strong> attained sales throughout the<br />
program.<br />
W h y are the <strong>Cookie</strong> <strong>Program</strong> deadlines so important?
For GSGI, over 1,500 volunteers coordinate the efforts <strong>of</strong> 11,000 girls selling over 1 million<br />
packages <strong>of</strong> <strong>Girl</strong> Scout cookies. The process, online ordering <strong>of</strong> product and recognitions<br />
and the delivery <strong>of</strong> cookies to 160 sites in 67 <strong>of</strong> the 99 counties that make up GSGI<br />
requires precise coordination. It is imperative that all adults respect the deadlines to keep<br />
the process moving.<br />
W h a t is a <strong>Cookie</strong> Booth?<br />
A <strong>Cookie</strong> Booth is where girls sell cookies to customers at a store, business, or set up a<br />
cookie drive through or via a cookie caravan in a neighborhood. <strong>Cookie</strong> Booths can be run<br />
during the entire <strong>Cookie</strong> <strong>Program</strong> – January 13 th – March 4 th . Troop <strong>Cookie</strong> Managers or<br />
Troop Leaders sign a troop up for a <strong>Cookie</strong> Booth. Two girls and two adults are required<br />
for a troop to hold a <strong>Cookie</strong> Booth. There are Troop <strong>Cookie</strong> Booths and there are GSGIsponsored<br />
<strong>Cookie</strong> Booths. Please ask your Troop <strong>Cookie</strong> Manager for details.<br />
<strong>Girl</strong> <strong>Scouts</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Greater</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> is very happy to work with each Troop and what works best<br />
for them. Some troops are several miles away from their nearest <strong>Cookie</strong> Cupboard<br />
and will want to order MORE than 100% in their initial orders. Other troops live 5<br />
minutes from a <strong>Cookie</strong> Cupboard and prefer to only order 50% f their 2011 initial<br />
orders, and then pick up any additional cookies they may need throughout the<br />
program at the <strong>Cookie</strong> Cupboard. This is one <strong>of</strong> the main reasons we went to the Direct<br />
Sale format, to make the <strong>Cookie</strong> <strong>Program</strong> as easy as possible for each Troop.