Marketing Money eBudde Paperwork Policies
If you have any questions not addressed here or in your Volunteer Guide to a Successful Cookie Season (the purple book), please email: cookies@girlscouts-ssc.org
General Program
Where can I buy "Daisy Go Rounds" cookies? (01-26-10)
Girl Scouts of the USA has authorized two bakers for each council to choose from to contract with for their cookie sale -- the one that we work with is Little Brownie Bakers. Although very similar, each baker has it's own set of cookie offerings and cookie names. "Daisy Go Rounds" is one of the cookie names from the other baker. It is no doubt delicious, but is not available in our council.
What if the cookie sale falls during our area's spring break? (01-26-10)
There are several spring break schedules throughout our Silver Sage Council. In determining the cookie program schedule it was not possible to avoid landing on spring break for several areas. We trust that you will be able to plan ahead to coordinate your troop's cookie program activities to accomodate any planned absences of key people.
Can we return cookies? (02-03-10)
We can accept the return of cookies for unopened cases only. Please work with your Service Unit Cookie Managers on an ongoing basis to manage your inventory, move extra inventory among troops, and do your best to minimize returns.
Marketing
What are the rules about Internet Use? (01-23-10)
Use of the Internet for marketing your cookie program has some strict guidelines to ensure the safety of our girls. These guidelines are summarized on pages 4 & 5 of the Family Guide. For details, review the complete Safety-Wise Update related to product sales.
Can we advertise our sale on sites such as Craig’s List? (01-23-10)
Please avoid the use of “auction” sites (e.g., Craig’s List and eBay) to market your cookie sales. #1: This takes away from one of the key aspects of the cookie program which is the connection girls make with their customers. #2: Sites such as these contain a lot of other information and materials that are not necessarily compatible with the goals and spirit of Girl Scouting.
What are Bundles? (01-23-10)
Cookie Bundling is a research-based marketing strategy offered by Little Brownie Bakers as a way to encourage customers to purchase multiple boxes of cookies. Girls can use this sales strategy when going door to door or at booth sales. Girls can tie up the bundles with ribbon and offer specially made cards (“Thank You”, “I Love You”, Happy Birthday”) that make bundles a great gift item. Bundles are not discounted – it is simply an optional marketing strategy. For more information about bundling, visit the LBB site at: www.littlebrownie.com/cookies/index.html.
How do we get more door hangers and/or information cards? (01-23-10)
We have a limited supply remaining, so please check with your Service Unit Cookie Manager or local Girl Scout office. You can print more from the Cookie Resources page.
Money
Money Collection (02-03-10)
One of the changes this year is that girls will collect money when taking orders rather than when delivering the order. We are aware that there will be instances where this might not apply, such as when girls are getting commitments over the phone or via email. In these cases, it is the adult’s responsibility to ensure that payment is received.
We are aware that because the new money collection process is new, it is a transition that is a little bit challenging. We want to applaud those parents and leaders who are doing a great job in calmly explaining to customers that it is the official council process. If you are encountering parents or customers who are receiving mixed messages, please explain that you are following the Girl Scouts of Silver Sage council process, and apologize if they are hearing conflicting messages. It is not our policy to “police” our parents and volunteers, so we expect everyone to do their best to transition to this new policy as gracefully as possible.
What if my customer does not have the money right now? (01-23-10)
If any of your potential customers do not have the money to pay up front, we recommend that you take their name and contact information and connect with them at a later date to take their order.
When should I turn in money? (01-23-10)
Parents, it really helps your Troop Leaders and Cookie Managers manage the money if you turn it in often and not wait until you have piles and piles. Contact your Troop Cookie Manager to determine the best way for you to deliver money to them.
Does our troop have to pay for our cookie orders before we can place our troop’s initial order? (02-03-10)
No. We encourage frequent deposits to keep your money management in order, but we are not making this a condition in any way for your troop’s initial order, and you do NOT need to pay in advance for troop booth orders.
Who enters the troop bank information? (01-23-10)
Troop Cookie Managers enter that as part of the “Update Troop Settings” task on page 17 of the Volunteer Guide to a Successful Cookie Season.
How will bounced checks be handled? (01-23-10)
The process will be the same as last year where council staff will manage the collections process for bounced checks. We will be assessing this process to determine if we want to make any changes for next year.
eBudde
Can I continue to make changes to the Girls List in eBudde? (01-23-10)
Absolutely. See page 17 of your Volunteer Guide to a Successful Cookie Season. Remember though to submit a Change of Membership form to the council office so that we can make the change in the master membership database.
Our PGA (per girl average) does not seem to be calculating correctly. (01-23-10)
A great way to check this is to review the “Sales Report” and look at “# Girls Selling” in combination with “Total Pkgs Received”. From this information you can see how eBudde is calculating PGA. If you need to update the “# Girls Selling”, you can do that in Troop Settings -- refer to page 17 of your Volunteer Guide (the purple book).
What do I do if I can’t remember my eBudde password? (01-23-10)
On the eBudde login screen, there is a message that instructs you in the steps to follow if you have forgotten your password.
What do I do if I am having performance issues with eBudde? (01-23-10)
Please review the eBudde system requirements.
Paperwork
What happened to the Troop and Parent Receipt/Responsibility Contracts? (01-23-10)
In an effort to reduce paperwork, the content of these contracts has been incorporated into the "Troop Cookie Manager Contract" and the "Girl Scout Cookie Program Parent Contract", respectively.
Policies
Five-Girl Troop Minimum (01-23-10)
Although it is a requirement to have at least 5 girls to officially operate as a “troop”, we are relaxing this requirement in cases where girls have a strong desire to sell cookies but the troop does not meet this requirement. We assume that in parallel with cookie sales, troop leaders are working with their Service Unit Directors in making every effort to recruit to reach the 5-girl minimum.
Adult-to-Girl Ratio (01-23-10)
Regardless of how few girls are in your troop, leaders must meet our most basic safety requirement of adult supervision. There must always be (at least) 2 adults supervising girls (even if there are only 2 girls). These 2 adults must be registered members of Girl Scouts, have completed a successful background check, and have completed the Appointment Process. Additional supervising adults are required for travel, camp, and when groups exceed certain size levels. Please review the Adult-to-Girl Ratio information in the Safety & Risk Management section of your Volunteer Essentials Handbook.
Background Checks (01-23-10)
In addition to the “ratio” supervising adults, all adults participating in troop activities who will be handling money or providing transportation must also have successfully completed a background check.
If you have any questions about any of these or other Safety-Wise or council policies, please contact your Service Unit Director or Jill Barbour at 377-2011 x116 or jbarbour@girlscouts-ssc.org.