It’s that time of year again! The time of goal-setting, resolution-making, and (most importantly) Girl Scout Cookies!

The Girl Scout Cookie Program is an awesome skill-building, money-earning opportunity for Girl Scouts. And the more adults involved in your troop’s sale, the more successful it can be! So, how can you help your girl’s troop during cookie season this year? There are so many opportunities!

Register and Get Background Checked

The first, and potentially most impactful, way to assist your girl’s troop is by signing up as a troop assistant and getting background checked. It’s a painless process that can be completed 100% online, and ensures that you can work with the girls and attend cookie booths.

To register, log into MyGS and find your name. Underneath it, click on Add a Role, select Troop Assistant, and continue the process! The background check will automatically be triggered. Make sure to check the email account associated with your MyGS, as you’ll get a few reminder emails if anything is incomplete!

If you have any questions as you’re signing up, don’t hesitate to contact the Customer Care Team at 888.350.5090 or customerservice@gswo.org! They’re happy to help.

Help Them Set Goals

Another way to help your girl’s troop during the Cookie Program is to help them set (and achieve!) their goals! Troops should have an overall goal, but individual Girl Scouts should set personal goals as well!

If her troop hasn’t set a goal yet this year, as the Troop Cookie Manager what they’re working toward. Once the girls know what they’ll be doing with their cookie proceeds, it’s much easier to stay motivated (and it’s a great selling tool!).

Once your girl has set her own personal goal, help her track her progress throughout the Cookie Program. Use a chart as a visual reminder of how much she’s accomplished!

Sign Her Up for Digital Cookie

Did you know that girls who sign up for Digital Cookie on average sell more than twice as many boxes as girls who don’t?

Sign up your girl for Digital Cookie and help her set those goals, send emails, share her digital cookie link, and even help her make a video! Not only will this help her reach her goal, but they’re also really useful communications and marketing skills that she can utilize in the future!

Offer to Help Your Troop Cookie Manager

If your troop has a Troop Cookie Manager, offer to help them with cookie tasks!

If you’re creative, you can volunteer to make signs for booth sales. Or, if you’re in business, you can speak to your girl’s troop about what it takes to be a business owner and help them earn their Cookie Business or Financial Literacy badges!

No Troop Cookie Manager in your girl’s troop? Sign up to be one! We’ve found that troops are much more successful and enjoyable when the Troop Cookie Manager role is not filled by the Troop Leader. So offer a helping hand by keeping the Cookie Program organized for your troop.

Be a Champion for Your Girl

As her parent or caregiver, you’re your girl’s biggest cheerleader and supporter. Continue that enthusiasm with the Girl Scout Cookie Program!

She looks to the adults in her life for guidance and support. If you’re excited about her cookie sales, she’ll be excited, too!

Try helping her make a sign that you can post in the front yard that says Girl Scout Cookies are available here. Let the entire neighborhood know! Or make a goal thermometer on a sheet and hang it on the porch to let the neighborhood know what her goal is and what progress she has made.

Safety First!

As always, the safety of our Girl Scouts is the highest priority.

Remember that she shouldn’t go out without adult supervision, regardless of her age. It’s also helpful to have a plan in place for safeguarding the money she is earning. Don’t walk around with large amounts of money, don’t keep it at home or school, and make sure it’s with an adult volunteer.

Familiarize yourself with the Product Sales Program Safety Procedures in Volunteer Essentials (it begins on page 47 in the 2018 edition) and read through the Cookie Book for additional tips.

The Girl Scout Cookie Program is an exciting time for any Girl Scout, and it’s all the more enjoyable when parents and caregivers get involved!

Have any questions about how to get involved with your girl’s troop or what procedures you should follow? Contact the Customer Care Team at 888.350.5090 or customerservice@gswo.org!