Girl Scouts River Valleys Volunteers

Resources for River Valleys' Volunteers

The Cookie Press: Edition 3

Read on for Family Cookie Business Meeting, Council-Sponsored Virtual Cookie Rally, Troop & Girl Materials, Online Troop Training Available Now, Last TCP of the year, Smart Cookies Registration Links, Initial Order Cookie Calculator, Service Unit Cookie Guidebook Available Now, Last Call for Cookie Rally Orders, Troop Materials Shipment, New SUM-SUCM Q&A Session Recording

In this edition:

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Reminders

For Service Unit Cookie Managers

 

 

The Family Cookie Business Meeting allows leaders to provide a foundation of understanding and agreement for both volunteers and families and is recommended to host this meeting in the month of January. This meeting can be held in person, virtually, or both. If you don’t already have one, request your free Troop Zoom Account to hold a virtual meeting. Use the Troop Family Cookie Business Meeting Activity Plan and resources from Cookie Central to help you prep and run the meeting. Send out invites now, so families can circle this important date on their calendars.

Girl Scouts River Valleys is hosting a virtual Cookie Rally again this year on Tuesday, February 7 from 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm (CST). We want to kick off the Cookie Program by bringing Girl Scouts together to get excited and ready.

  • What: This event will be streamed on Girl Scouts River Valleys Facebook and YouTube channels. Girl Scouts can learn about goal-setting for cookie season, learn more about our LemonAID philanthropic program partner, win some very dolp-fun prizes, play cookie & dolphin trivia, see what’s available in Girl Scouts River Valleys Shops, and more!
    • Service Units are still welcome to hold their own event if they would like, and Girl Scouts can attend one or both rallies.
  • Who: All current River Valleys Girl Scout members are welcome! Not a member, yet? Join today!
  • When: Tuesday, February 7 from 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm (CST)
  • Where: The comfort of your own home and Girl Scouts River Valleys Facebook or YouTube pages.
  • How do I sign up? Girl Scouts who complete the Girl Scouts River Valleys Cookie Rally Interest Form will receive a reminder email featuring the rally activities, but registration is not required to view this free event.

Can’t make it? Don’t worry! You can view the recording of the event later on the Girl Scouts River Valleys Facebook or YouTube pages.

Troop & Girl Scout Cookie Materials

Troop Cookie materials will be shipping to Service Units the week of December 26. Your Service Unit cookie manager will be in touch to coordinate picking up your troop supplies. There will be opportunities to order additional Girl Scouts sales items later, so stay tuned for more details in a future Cookie Press post.

If you want to get a head start reviewing your resources, our Troop Cookie Manager Guidebook is available now on Cookie Central! It has been updated for the 2023 season and is packed to the brim with all things cookies. Along with your Troop Cookie Companion, you’ll use the guidebook for a deeper dive into all the details of the Cookie Program. You can download and print a copy, or simply access it online, to always ensure you are reviewing the most current information. It’s a must-read to guarantee you have all the details you need to fulfill your important cookie duties.

Online Troop Cookie Training Available Now!

Online Troop Cookie Manager Training is now available via Cookie Central! If you are a new troop cookie manager, don’t forget to also review our Troop Cookie Basics Video first. This will help orient you to your role and responsibilities before learning more about the details of this year’s Cookie Program.

The Cookie Press Returns in January

We’ll be pausing Cookie Press blog posts for the rest of the month, with the next post going live on Thursday, January 5. Review the past posts for your reference, and feel free to contact us if you have any questions before then! As always, we are here to support you and answer any questions you may have.

 

Smart Cookies Registration Links & Important First StepsDolphin

Volunteers will receive their links to access Smart Cookies, the online cookie management system, the week of December 19. You’ll receive the email invitation from noreply@abcsmartcookies.com. Girl Scouts River Valleys will add two troop contacts to the system: the troop leader and the troop cookie manager. Troops can only have two contacts in the system but can add multiple users. Troop contacts receive emails from Smart Cookies and have access to all functions. Troop users do not receive emails but will have access to all functions. To add additional troop users or change contacts, you must reach out to us at girlscouts@girlscoutsrv.org.

Once you’ve registered, complete these important first steps:

  1. Complete your volunteer profile.
  2. Enter troop banking information and the number of Girl Scouts selling
  3. Confirm your Girl Scouts’ information

All the information you need to navigate Smart Cookies is included in our Smart Cookies Guide for Volunteers available via Cookie Central. Rest assured, when important Smart Cookies tasks are on the horizon this cookie season, we’ll keep you up to date right here!

Initial Order Cookie Calculator

If your troop is planning to participate in in-person cookie sales or plans to hold cookie booths starting on Cookie Go Day, you’ll want to start thinking about your initial cookie order. Girl Scouts River Valleys’ Cookie Calculator will provide your troop with a recommendation for your initial order by cookie variety. If your troop participated in the last Cookie Program, the recommendation will take into account your troop’s 2021 2022 PGA (per girl average) from your total troop sales.

If your troop did not participate in 2022, the recommendation will be based on the PGA from your troop’s Girl Scout Grade Level.

Please note: the Cookie Calculator will provide a recommendation based on the number of packages by variety. The initial cookie order in Smart Cookies is made in cases. There are 12 packages in each case of cookies. For troops that place an initial order based on the River Valleys recommended total case count, all Girl Scouts selling in the troop will receive our exclusive “Seas the (Go) Day” patch. Troops do not need to follow the variety of recommendations to earn the patch, only the total case count.

Cookie season is almost here, and our shops are filled with a fabulous assortment of cookie products. Find fun and exciting add-ons to help promote your troop’s cookie sale. View the Cookie Merchandise Flyer to preview some new shop items available for the 2023 Cookie Program. Always be sure to check Shop Locations & Hours before visiting, as weather can also impact business hours.

 

For Service Unit Cookie Managers

Service Unit Cookie Manager Guidebook & Online Training Available Now

Our annual Service Unit Cookie Manager Guidebook has now been updated for the 2022 2023 season and is available via Cookie Central. Along with the handy Service Unit Cookie Notebook, you’ll use this guidebook to dive deeper into your role in supporting troops through their program participation. You can download a copy or simply review the electronic version that will always have the most current cookie info for your role.

Just a reminder that, if you were not able to attend one of our virtual Service Unit Cookie Manager training sessions, our self-serve Service Unit Cookie Manager Online Training is now available.

Reminder: You must have attended a virtual training session or completed the online training as a part of your Service Unit level role. Plus, one of the requirements to earn the annual Service Unit proceeds is to have at least one Service Unit volunteer complete cookie training by February 1.

Last Call for Cookie Rally Orders

If you’re hosting a Girl Scout Cookie Rally, this is the last chance to order your cookies and rewards kits. No late orders will be accepted, so be sure to place your order by Wednesday, December 21.

Troop Materials Shipping the Week of December 26

Reminder that Girl Scout Cookie print materials and supplies for troops and Girl Scouts will ship the week of December 26. You’ll distribute items to each participating troop. The items include cookie order cards, rewards fliers, receipt books, Cookie Booth & Sales kits, copies of the Troop Cookie Companion, Family Guides, and money envelopes. You’ll also receive an 8-pack sampler of cookies for use at your troop training, plus Trefoils sample packages for each troop.

 

 

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