Key Program Resources

When you sell Girl Scout Cookies, you practice-goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics—as you learn to think like an entrepreneur. You can earn badges and pins each year you run your own Girl Scout Cookie business. Then explore your own business idea by earning an Entrepreneur badge.

Daisy

Brownie

Junior Cookie Business Financial Literacy Cookie Entrepreneur Family Entrepreneur

Cadette

Senior

Ambassador

Check off the boxes as you complete each activity with your family— you can earn a different pin each year!

1. Get information. First set your sales goals using your past goals and achievements for reference. Then set a learning goal—a new skill you want to gain or something you want to learn as you run your cookie business. Share your goals with your family and identify how they can best support you.

2. Find a mentor. All along your cookie business journey, you’ve asked your family and friends for help, but now is the time to go beyond and find the right mentor to take you to the next level and achieve your learning goal. Ask your family to think of ways to find the right mentor. Use the Maximizing Mentorship: A Girl Scouts Guide found at girlscouts.org/mentor to learn how to take charge of your experience while being safe.

YEAR 1

YEAR 2

My sales goal is __________________ packages

My learning goal is ______________________________________________________________________________________________

By running your own cookie business you’ve learned how to set financial goals and reach them. Now it’s time to put that learning into action. Earn the On My Own or Good Credit badge to enhance your moneymanagement skills. Share your plan and knowledge with your family and ask them for feedback. Do they think your plan is realistic? What’s good and what might be improved?

Ask your family how they’ve seen you grow by Ask your family how they’ve seen you grow by participating in the Girl Scout Cookie Program, participating in the Girl Scout Cookie Program, then make a list of their responses. Use this list then make a list of their responses. Use this list to create a presentation, activity, or video to to create a presentation, activity, or video to share with younger Girl Scouts to inspire them share with younger Girl Scouts to inspire them as they run their own cookie businesses. Part of as they run their own cookie businesses. Part of developing people skills is sharing your learning developing people skills is sharing your learning with others and becoming a mentor yourself! with others and becoming a mentor yourself!

Business ethics are a set of moral principles that Business ethics are a set of moral principles that guide the way a business behaves. Talk with your guide the way a business behaves. Talk with your family about a large company or organization family about a large company or organization that you support or use frequently. What does it that you support or use frequently. What does it seem to already know or think about its business seem to already know or think about its business ethics, if anything? After your conversation, do an ethics, if anything? After your conversation, do an online search to learn more about the company’s online search to learn more about the company’s business ethics and principles. How do you feel business ethics and principles. How do you feel about its ethics, and how do they relate to or about its ethics, and how do they relate to or differ from the Girl Scout Promise and Law? Which differ from the Girl Scout Promise and Law? Which business ethics will you carry from your Girl Scout business ethics will you carry from your Girl Scout Cookie business into your future? Cookie business into your future?

Your Girl Scout’s experiences as a cookie Your Girl Scout’s experiences as a cookie entrepreneur are about to help her in the next entrepreneur are about to help her in the next exciting steps of her life. You’ll see her skills exciting steps of her life. You’ll see her skills grow as she sets a learning goal for herself, finds grow as she sets a learning goal for herself, finds a mentor, and thinks about her future while a mentor, and thinks about her future while passing knowledge on to other Girl Scouts. Look passing knowledge on to other Girl Scouts. Look for ways to encourage her to: for ways to encourage her to: n n Embrace challenges Embrace challenges as she sets her sights as she sets her sights on her future and earns either the On My on her future and earns either the On My

Own or Good Credit badge. Share your own Own or Good Credit badge. Share your own budget and credit experiences with her, budget and credit experiences with her, and encourage her to ask others about their and encourage her to ask others about their experiences. experiences. n n Adapt to change Adapt to change as she focuses on a as she focuses on a learning goal. First ask her to think about her learning goal. First ask her to think about her strengths before she focuses on areas that strengths before she focuses on areas that she wants to grow in and develop. she wants to grow in and develop. n n Take healthy risks Take healthy risks as she seeks a mentor. as she seeks a mentor.

Asking for help can be intimidating, and even Asking for help can be intimidating, and even frustrating—some potential mentors will say frustrating—some potential mentors will say no or not respond. Encourage her to keep no or not respond. Encourage her to keep trying. Mentors will play a key role in her trying. Mentors will play a key role in her future. And learning to advocate for herself future. And learning to advocate for herself now will serve her for the rest of her life. now will serve her for the rest of her life.

Check with your troop leader about how your girl can get each pin, Check with your troop leader about how your girl can get each pin, or head to girlscoutshop.comor head to girlscoutshop.com to purchase it. to purchase it.

The Girl Scout Cookie Program® offers girls unique opportunities to engage in online marketing and sales as they learn about ecommerce and how to think like entrepreneurs.

Follow these four steps as you run your cookie business, and take your marketing efforts to the next level by going online using your Digital Cookie® or Smart Cookie website and social media platforms.

Safety tip: Girls of all ages should partner with their parents or guardians to develop a plan to safely market their business online. Although your parent/guardian should do the posting for you if you’re under age 13, all girls should have a hands-on role in marketing their cookie business.

Safety tip: Make sure your marketing materials don’t reveal your personal contact information (like your address, school, or last name) or your cookie booth location.

1.As you set goals for your cookie business, think about how digital marketing can help you meet them. Imagine customers in your community who may not know a Girl Scout. Expand your reach by sharing your secure Digital Cookie or Smart Cookie link to reach them. Be sure to:

• Be honest. Yes, the Girl Scout Law also applies to your sales technique! From your Digital Cookie or Smart Cookie site to your digital marketing campaigns, be honest, straightforward, and approachable as you write about your cookie business. • Create a sense of urgency. After all, Girl Scout Cookie season only comes around once a year! Countdowns to the last dates to order are a great motivator for driving sales. Use language that will encourage potential customers to buy from you right now. • Make an impression. Use clear, eye-catching photos in your marketing materials. This may include pictures of the different cookies you’re selling, yourself in your Girl Scout uniform, or something tied to your goal. If you plan to use your cookie earnings to go camping, tell your customers about it to show that the cookie program powers amazing girl-led adventures! • Highlight special features or products. Share the top-selling cookies in your lineup or any special varieties. Do you have a new flavor available for purchase?

How about a gluten-free option? Do your customers know that Thin Mints are made with vegan ingredients? • Use a clear and prominent call to action. Share your goal and exactly what your customer can do to help you achieve it.

Earn one of the Cookie Business badges to help you discover new skills. Each badge has digital marketing skills built right in.

My First Cookie Business Cookie Goal Setter My Cookie Customers Cookie Decision Maker My Cookie Team Cookie Collaborator

My Cookie Venture Cookie Market Researcher Cookie Innovator My Cookie Network Cookie Boss My Cookie Business Resume Cookie Influencer

3.Use digital marketing to expand your network and grow your people skills. Try some of the following strategies:

• Think of your favorite brands, and then check out their websites and social media accounts. What do they do to create a relationship with their customers on Facebook or Instagram? What can you do to safely build a relationship with your online customers? • Use platforms that potential customers could be on. Think about your target customers and where they’re most active online. • Engage your customers through email marketing. Send an email through

Digital Cookie or Smart Cookie to inspire potential customers to buy Girl Scout

Cookies and help you achieve your goals. • Turn loyal customers into brand advocates. Existing customers can be your • secret sales weapon, especially with word-of-mouth marketing in digital spaces. Avoid spam emails. Spam is an email that has been sent to someone without Safety tip: To protect your personal identity, never • their permission. Always get permission to add someone to your email list. Use marketing to inspire, educate, entertain, and entice your prospective customers. Share how you’ll use your cookie proceeds, let people know about all directly message people you don’t know online or through social platforms. Andthe skills you’re learning through the cookie program, and have fun while you’re at remember to always use yourit! Get creative in your communications—consider writing a poem or recording a secure sales link for orders. video to educate and convince potential customers to buy from you. • Show off customer testimonials. Collect and share testimonials from your customers through social media. This shows potential customers that buying cookies from you is a great investment.

Make sure to ask if you can share their words! • Say thank you! Impress customers with a custom thank-you message via email or social media. As your customer base expands beyond friends and family, find ways to maintain personalization while following Girl Scouts’

Safety Activity Checkpoints for Computer and Internet Use. Safety tip: To protect your personal identity, never directly message people you don’t know online or through social platforms. And remember to always use your secure sales link for orders.

4.Practice business ethics by safely marketing online. Before you get started, review the below safety standards. When in doubt, revisit these resources.

• You and your supervising parent/guardian must read, agree to, and abide by the Girl Scout Internet Safety Pledge, the

Digital Cookie Pledge, and the Supplemental Safety Tips for Online Marketing before engaging in online marketing and sales efforts through the cookie program. • Review Girl Scouts’ Safety Activity Checkpoints for Computer and Internet Use and Cookie and Product Sales on your council’s website.