Girl Scout cookies are coming!

Why not go beyond selling cookies with your troop and make this a badge cookie year? Check out our Cookie Business Badges on the Girl Scout Badge Explorer for your age level and help girls build their financial skills and increase their business savvy as they reach for the stars (and their cookie goal) this cookie season!

The Financial Literacy badges help reinforce these necessary life skills! Brownies can Meet My Customers as they take Brownie Elf on a pretend shopping trip. Juniors get to explore ideas for a business they’d like to run someday as they become a Cookie CEO,\. Cadettes Think Big as they come up with big ideas for the future, while Seniors make plans for after high school in My Portfolio and Ambassadors delve into using money wisely and establishing Good Credit!

It’s never too early to explore the business world!

For many girls the cookie sale is their first experience…

Talking to customers. People skills are important for life in general, and Girl Scouts helps girls build them in age-appropriate ways. For example, a kindergarten girl can call Great Aunt Edna to ask if she’ll buy some Samoas, or a 12th grader could approach a business to see if they’ll support our troops overseas by donating cases to Operation Cookie. 

Exploring marketing ideas. Girls learn ways to encourage customers to buy more, such as sales techniques like bundling (“buy 5 boxes for $20”), up-selling (“buy a second box to freeze”), and how to draw customers in with fun booth decorations, wearing cookie costumes, and the all-important sales pitch!

Setting (and reaching!) goals. Learning how to make a plan and work together to overcome obstacles and accomplish a goal is the key to success in life, not just at Girl Scouts. So go ahead, girls. Calculate how many boxes of cookies you need to cover the cost of your COSI overnight, the end of year camp-out, AND earn the cow neck pillow. You’re developing skills that will take you far!

Running their own business. That’s right, the cookie business is the largest girl-run business in the world! We’ve got future CEOs, government officials, Band Booster presidents, and personal finance gurus knocking on doors and honing their skills as they sell Thin Mints.

Not quite ready to tackle a Cookie Business badge with your troop? Check out the Cookie Activity pin. It lets the whole world know the wearer is a real-life Cookie Boss!

All girls who participate in the Girl Scout Cookie Program are eligible to earn the annual Cookie Activity pin. The pin recognizes the benefits and 5 skills girls learn and practice during the sale, and a differently colored pin can be earned each year.

Is your troop ready to become real-life Cookie Bosses? Gather your girls and start planning!