Cookies NOW!
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The Cookie program has changed to direct sales in 2012! We're excited about this change as a council and know that volunteers who are directing their girl programs, as well as customers, have a lot of questions. See below for more information!
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FAQs - Download the full list of FAQs
- What is Cookies NOW! and how does it work?
- Why are we doing Cookies Now!?
- How long will the Cookie Program last?
- How will troops know how many cookies to order?
- Can Troops get more cookies?
- Will troops be able to return cookies from their starting inventory (initial order)?
- Do troops or parents have to pay for the cookies up front?
- Will girls still have order cards?
- I am very nervous about ordering 100% of the 2011 sales. Tell me more.
- I do not think troops or parents should be financially responsible for the cookies!
- How do I store all these "pre-ordered" cookies?
- How much does a package of cookies cost?
- What are troop proceeds for a box of cookies?
- What is cookie dough?
- What if the girls in our troop aren't interested in earning recognitions?
- Can customers order cookies online?
- How are cookie orders entered?
- Are the recognitions cumulative?
- Why are the Cookie Program deadlines so important?
- What is a Cookie Booth?
- Can I use the traditional order cards?
1) What is Cookies Now! and how does it work?
Cookies Now! is the exciting new format for the 2012 Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa Cookie Program. From the very first day of the program, girls will have packages of cookies ON HAND to sell door to door, at Cookie Booths, and to family and friends. Girl scouts exchange cookies and payments in one easy step! No more taking orders, waiting weeks, and then returning for the delivery and collecting money. The Cookies Now! program condenses all that work into one simple step.
2) Why are we doing Cookies NOW!?
- Volunteers, parents, and customers have asked us to simplify the cookies program logistics for years.
- All Girl Scout councils that border Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa will be conducting a Direct Cookie Sale for the 2011/2012 Girl Scout year. Our girls must have the same opportunity.
The Direct Sale format will:
- be less time consuming for customers, girls, parents, and volunteers
- reduce order and delivery to one easy step
- require less due dates and paperwork
- give girls opportunities to sell more cookies and earn more proceeds for troop activities
- allow girls to earn Recognitions and Cookie Dough through the entire program
- give Girl Scout cookies IN HAND for customers immediate gratification and more sales!
3) How long with the Cookie Program last?
The Cookie Program will run January 13 – March 4, 2012.
4) How will troops know how many cookies to order?
Following best practices used by other Girl Scout councils who already have a Cookies Now! format, we recommend that troops order 100% of their total previous year’s cookies sales. Statistics show council’s who go to a Direct Sale format sell 6-8% MORE cookies than they do in a traditional door-to-door sale.
We recommend that NEW troops order 100% of their area’s average cookie sales.
How to place the order and how much to order will be covered in the council sponsored trainings.
5) Can troops get more cookies?
Yes! Based on other councils’ experiences, we anticipate a very high volume of reorders during the first two weeks. Cookie Cupboards will be open during the entire sale and will be very accessible for troops and/or parents to pick up more cookies.
6) Will troops be able to return cookies from their starting inventory (initial order)?
No, any cookies that are ordered at the initial order will be the troops’ financial responsibility just as it has been in previous years.
7) Do troops or parents have to pay for the cookies up front?
No, all cookie orders and any cookies picked up from a Cookie Cupboard will be tracked in our online ordering system and the troop will pay to the council their balance due.
8) Will girls still have order cards?
Yes. Girls can use order cards to:
track sales (girls can use this information to contact customers for reorders);
take customer’s order when they don’t have the variety of cookies available the customer desires in hand. Then girls may pick up cookies from the Cookie Cupboard to fill customers orders;
post at their parents workplaces (if permitted);
troops can track what cookies were given to each girl.
9) I am very nervous about ordering 100% of the 2011 sales.
The Cookies Now! format really makes it that much easier to sell cookies. A typical troop will sell 6-8% MORE cookies than last y ear by moving to a Direct Cookie Sale format. When customers see the product they are 90% more likely to purchase the product and customers are more likely to make multiple purchases instead of just ordering once.
If you feel your troop isn’t ready to order 100% of the 2011 sales, no problem. The Direct Sale format makes your cookie sale very flexible with a variety of ways to sell cookies. Ordering 100% of the 2011 sales is just a suggestion to get your troop started. Here are some other sales options:
- Take orders (like your girls have in past years). Set a date for girls to turn their orders into the Troop Cookie Manager (maybe the 2nd & 4th week of the program), enter a Planned Order into Snap, then go pick up what you need from a Cookie Cupboard.
- Troop Leaders may think going to the Cookie Cupboard every week is too time consuming. Ask parents to volunteer for cookie pick-up each week. Each week a designated parent will go to the Cookie Cupboard to pick up the troops ordered cookies.
- Allow parents to come to the Cookie Cupboard to get cookies. Troop Cookie Managers and Troop Leaders can put a Planned Order into Snap with the girls name in the order reference, and a parent can pick the cookies up. Please make sure parents know their Girl Scouts 5 digit troop number. (Cookies will not be given to parents that do not have a Planned Order.)
- Set up a Cookie Booth for your troop.
10) I do not think troops or parents should be financially responsible for the cookies!
The 2012 Cookie Program is no different financially than cookie programs in the past. The only difference in the program is cookies are available the entire cookie program instead of having to take orders for them. Cookies have ALWAYS been the financial responsibility of the troop once they are ordered. Once a Girl Scout sells the cookies, they are financially responsible to collect the money owed from the customer and turn it into Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa. The Direct Cookie Sale format actually puts less financial responsibility on parents because girls will collect money the same day they sell the cookies. girls will not have to go back to deliver cookies which created a lag time between when cookies were sold and when money was collected.
If a troop or parent is not comfortable pre-ordering cookies please do not be discouraged. Girls can still take cookie orders beginning January 13th , turn their order into their Troop Cookie Manager who will put a Planned Order into the Cookie Cupboard so that the parent can pick the cookies up; this will have to be decided by the troop.
11) How do I store all these “pre-ordered” cookies?
Storage should not be any more of an issue than it has been in the past. Once the troops initial order is delivered troops should disperse the cookies to their Girl Scouts ASAP. Troops should not be storing any additional cookies. Girl Scouts will want to have cookies in hand to go out and sell.
12) How much does a package of cookies cost?
$3.50 a package and Girl Scouts will have the cookies in hand!
13) What are troop proceeds for a box of cookies?
There are different levels of proceeds that a troop can earn.
A troop will earn $0.40 per package and each girl in the troop will earn Recognitions and Cookie Dough. If the troop reaches the per girl selling average of 168 packages, then the troop will earn $0.45 per package and each girl in the troop will earn Recognitions and Cookie Dough.
Cookie Dough is an earned award and added value to the Girl Scout’s family and to be used only for Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa (GSGI) sponsored activities. Cookie Dough can be shared within a household.
15) What if the girls in our troop aren’t interested in earning the Recognitions?
Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador (C, S, A) troops can opt-out of Recognitions. An C, S, A troop will earn a minimum of $0.40 per package. If they opt-out of Recognitions, the troop will earn $0.45 per package. If they then reach the 168 per girl selling average, the troop will earn $0.50 per package.
16) Can customers order cookies online?
Yes. Girl Scouts can log onto the ABC Bakers Catch Goals at www.abcsmartcookies.com . Girl Scouts will send an E-Card to their friends and family members that has a Cookie Order Card attached. Customers can select what cookies they would like to order and send it back to the Girl Scout via e-mail. All online cookie orders are printed out by the girl/parent and turned into their Troop Cookie Manager. The girl is responsible to get the cookies and give them to the customer. All cookies are paid for at the time of delivery so no monetary transactions take place online.
17) How are cookie orders entered?
All orders are entered online by the Troop Leader or the Troop Cookie Manager via ABC Snap.
18) Are the Recognitions cumulative?
Yes, girls earn all of the Recognitions at each level of attained sales throughout the program.
19) Why are the Cookie Program deadlines so important?
For GSGI, over 1,500 volunteers coordinate the efforts of 11,000 girls selling over 1 million packages of Girl Scout cookies. The process, online ordering of product and recognitions and the delivery of cookies to 160 sites in 67 of the 99 counties that make up GSGI requires precise coordination. It is imperative that all adults respect the deadlines to keep the process moving.
A Cookie Booth is where girls sell cookies to customers at a store, business, or set up a cookie drive through or via a cookie caravan in a neighborhood. Cookie Booths can be run during the entire Cookie Program – January 13th – March 4th. Troop Cookie Managers or Troop Leaders sign a troop up for a Cookie Booth. Two girls and two adults are required for a troop to hold a Cookie Booth. There are Troop Cookie Booths and there are GSGI-sponsored Cookie Booths. Please ask your Troop Cookie Manager for details.
Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa is very happy to work with each Troop and what works best for them. Some troops are several miles away from their nearest Cookie Cupboard and will want to order MORE than 100% in their initial orders. Other troops live 5 minutes from a Cookie Cupboard and prefer to only order 50% f their 2011 initial orders, and then pick up any additional cookies they may need throughout the program at the Cookie Cupboard. This is one of the main reasons we went to the Direct Sale format, to make the Cookie Program as easy as possible for each Troop.
21) Can I use the traditional order cards?
Yes. Use of the traditional order cards can begin January 7.