THE GIRL SCOUT COOKIE SALE

Everybody loves Girl Scout cookies. They practically sell themselves -- as long as there's a Girl Scout standing behind the sweet treat… that's where you come in. Whether you're a leader, a volunteer, or a girl, one of the privileges of your membership in Girl Scouts is to participate in the Girl Scout Cookie Sale, the nation's premier entrepreneurship program for girls.

Girl Scout cookies cost only $4 per each sweet and delicious box. For each box sold, 60 cents is placed in a troop/group or Juliette Service Unit fund. Cookie money may be used toward an adventure trip, outdoor or educational experience for you and your sister Girl Scouts. The cost of the cookie and packaging are paid to the baker and ALL of the remaining profit remains in the council to support every Girl Scout member. Money is invested in council program delivery, Camp Greene Wood, Camp River Trails and financial assistance.

For 2008 Awards Information, click HERE.

Let us help you MAKE IT A HITt with your 2008 Girl Scout cookie sales. Special recognitions have been added this year to give all girls incentive in setting their goals.

• Girl recognitions are earned on a cumulative basis. For example, a girl selling 500 or more boxes of cookies will receive the I-Pod Shuffle PLUS all the other recognitions offered below the 500 level.
• Troops in grades 6 through 12 now have the opportunity to choose an additional $.05 per box profit in lieu of recognitions listed on the order sheets. Order taking, Polar Bear and Spring Booth sales will apply to the $.05 per box option. Troops should discuss the two options and decide, as a group, which one to choose. Once the decision is made by the troop, the troop manager must indicate the choice on the Troop Information page in the Online Order Entry System.
• All girls selling 300 or more boxes of cookies will qualify for a special drawing. Prizes from the drawing include a large plush Bichon Frise dog, a Cookie Director's chair and a Cookie Director camp chair.
• Girls participating in the recognition program who sell 600 or more boxes of cookies are in for a special treat — an overnight at The Great Wolf Lodge in Wisconsin Dells! The overnight is scheduled for May 3 - 4, 2008 and will include transportation, accommodations, meals, water park, a t-shirt, $20 in "Wolf Bucks" and an educational "Wolf Walk."

The Nation's Premier Entrepreneurship Program for Girls

While selling cookies, you learn successful business methods and practical entrepreneurial skills. These skills include:

• Leadership Development
• Ethical Decision-Making
• Presentation Skills
• Working as Part of a Team
• Setting Goals
• Developing Plans for Reaching those Goals
• Interpersonal Communication
• Customer Service
• Financial Literacy
• Money Management

DELIVERY DAY! Click here for pick-up tips!

Brownie, Junior and Teen Girl Scouts sell cookies as a program activity to earn money and as a service to the entire council. Daisy Girl Scouts do not participate in this program activity. All money from the Girl Scout Cookie Program goes to support Girl Scouting in Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana - Lisle Service Center.

Leaders usually select cookie program managers before the end of September. But if your troop has just organized, you are still eligible to participate in the spring cookie booth sales. Contact Christine Keyser, program manager. Posters are available to help you market your booth sales. Ask your booth sale merchant to post this information ahead of time so people know when you'll be selling cookies at that location.

Costumes are a great way to promote sales in your cookie booth. If you wish to reserve a costume, use the Requisition for Loan Equipment.

• Cookie Costume Use (ONLY AVAILABLE DURING BOOTH SALES)

Girl Scout cookies make sweet gifts! Think of those businesses and organizations that might benefit by purchasing cookies by the case: real estate and title companies; car dealerships; hotels; furniture and appliance stores; even blood banks.

To access the order entry system, click here.

The following cookie program resources are also available:

• 2008 Goal Achiever Patch Form
• Troop Manager Guidelines and Procedures
• Service Unit Guidelines and Procedures
• Municipal Solicitation Guidelines
• 2008 Cookie Program Highlights
• Troop Manager Schedule of Events
• Service Unit Schedule of Events
• Cookie Cupboard Sites
• Windshield Card/Delivery Instructions
• Delivery Sites and Procedures
• Program Sales Permission Slip
• 2008 Spring Booth Sale schedule
• 2008 Truckload Sale schedule NEW

To learn more about the Girl Scout Cookie Program - the nation's largest entrepreneurial program for girls, click here.