Read on for Cookie Booths, Gluten-free Cookie Exceptions, Juliette Deposit Slips, Smart Cookies Access, Troop Cookie Manager Training & Responsibility Form, Troop Cookie Manager Guidebook, Council Cookie Rallies, Family Business Meeting.
In this edition:
Up Next
Reminders
- Smart Cookies Volunteer Access
- Troop Cookie Manager Training & Responsibility Form
- Troop Cookie Manager Guidebook
- Cookie Family Business Meeting
- Council-Sponsored Cookie Rally from Home
For Service Unit Cookie Managers
- Additional Troop & Girl Cookie Supplies
- Troop Cookie Responsibility Forms
- Juliette Girl Scouts and Deposit Slip
It’s time to shift gears from baking holiday cookies to ordering those famous Girl Scout Cookies! January will heat up with cookie activities, from picking up your cookie supplies, to completing training, the Family Cookie Meeting, and the Initial Order. Rest assured; we’ll keep reminding you of those important January deadlines right here. We are ready to rock 2023 with the best cookie volunteers in the country!
Cookie Booth 4-1-1
Cookie booths not only increase public awareness of Girl Scouts, they are also a whole lot of fun! Girl Scouts put those famous five skills into action as they participate in booth activities: goal-setting, decision-making, money management, people skills, and business ethics. Check out your Cookie Booth & Sales Kit in your cookie materials for the full scoop on booths. Plus, use the Smart Cookies Guide to review the step-by-step instructions on all things related to cookie booths.
The Cookie Booth Lottery opens for selections on Sunday, January 8 at 7:00 am. There are lots of updates to make sure you feel prepared. Here are the top three key updates:
#1 – Cookie Booth Lottery and First-come, First-served (FCFS) Council-Secured Booth Schedule
The selection schedule is now available for both the lottery and first-come, first-served (FCFS) Council-secured booths. Just like all dates this season, this is subject to change. Any changes will be announced here in The Cookie Press. The current schedule as of January 5 is below:
| DATE | EVENT | ACTION |
| Jan 8 | Booth Lottery Opens for selections | Troops select up to 10 booths to enter into the lottery. |
| Jan 15 | Deadline to enter lottery selections by 11:00 am (CST) | Make sure you have entered your lottery selections by this time. |
| Jan 15 | Lottery runs at 12:00 pm (CST) | Troops are awarded 1 win from their list of selections. |
| Jan 18 | FCFS Round 1 opens at 7:00 pm (CST). | Choose 2 new booths. |
| Jan 19 | FCFS Round 2 opens at 7:00 pm (CST). | Choose 3 new booths. |
| Jan 20 | FCFS Round 3 opens at 7:00 pm (CST). | Choose 5 new booths. |
| Jan 23 | FCFS Round 4 opens at 7:00 pm (CST). | Choose 8 new booths. |
| Jan 31 | FCFS Round 5 opens at 7:00 pm (CST). | Choose 10 new booths. |
| Feb 1 | FCFS cap is lifted. | Troops may select any new booths still available. |
For each round of first-come, first-served (FCFS) booths, the selections will close at 4:00 pm (CST) before the following round opens at 7:00 pm (CST).
Example: Round 1 opens at 7:00 pm (CST) on January 18, and closes at 4:00 pm on January 19. We will upload any newly secured booths between 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm (CST) which will be reflected in the next round of FCFS booths.
#2 – Council-Secured Booth Partners Status
If there is a specific council-secured location you are curious about, first check the Cookie Booth Locations-Do Not Contact List on our Cookie Booths Sales webpage. If the location is not on the “do not contact” list, feel free to reach out to us and we can let you know the status. Most of our council partners, including Cub Foods, Malls, Chuck & Don’s, GNC, JoAnn, Goodwill, and Dunkin Donuts are happy to have us back again this year.
Curious about the status with Walmart and Sam’s Club? Because these locations are managed nationally, we have to wait a bit longer to get the final approval. Most Sam’s Club locations will be included in time for the booth lottery. However, we will not have Walmart’s available for choices in the lottery. Rest assured, we are working to secure Walmart as quickly as we can. We will keep you updated on our progress right here in The Cookie Press.
We will also have the opportunity to sell at the Minnesota Wild games this year, with three hockey games being added to the lottery as “premium booths.” To encourage fairness, troops can only win an opportunity at these highest sales per hour booth locations.
# 3 – Troop-Secured Booth Requests
Is your troop interested in setting up a booth with a business in your area? Booths that are arranged by the troop leader are called “troop-secured booths.” Now that you have access to Smart Cookies, you can log in and start entering troop-secured Cookie Booth requests. We will begin reviewing these requests on or before our first round of FCFS booths on January 18, to get as many approved before the initial cookie order deadline on January 22. Once the first group of requests has been reviewed, you can expect your booth approval to be processed within three business days.
Gluten-Free Cookie Exception Requests
Troops that did not participate in the pre-order are limited to two cases of the gluten-free Caramel Chocolate Chip for their initial order. Troops had the opportunity to participate in our first-ever pre-order for the gluten-free Caramel Chocolate Chip cookies in the fall of 2022. For troops that participated in the pre-order, we’ll be reaching out to you to remind you of your order next week.
Want more than two cases of gluten-free cookies? Follow these two important steps:
- By January 22: Complete the Gluten-free Cookie Exception Form to notify us of your request.
- By January 22 at 11:59 pm: In Smart Cookies, as part of your initial cookie order, enter the total number of cases of gluten-free cookies you wish to receive. This date and time is the deadline for the initial cookie order.
During the week of January 23, we will email you to confirm the request was successful or alert you if it cannot be filled.
Note: Troops that order more than two cases of gluten-free cookies that did not participate in the pre-order or complete the form to report an exception, your order will be reduced to a total of two cases.
Juliette Numbers and Deposit Tickets
Deposit slips, each with a unique Juliette number, will be mailed to participating Juliette Mentors prior to Go Day (February 17). Juliette Girl Scouts have a unique, six-digit number that is used as a troop number to access Smart Cookies. Juliettes do not have bank accounts, rather, they use special deposit slips encoded with their Juliette number to deposit all cookie money into the Girl Scouts River Valleys Wells Fargo bank account.
Smart Cookies Volunteer Access
After the holiday break, you may finally find yourself with time to get started in Smart Cookies. Each troop has two contacts added to the system, the troop leader and the troop cookie manager. To add additional Smart Cookies users, contact us with your troop number and the name of the volunteer.
Once you log in, don’t forget to:
- Enter your troop banking information
- Confirm your Girl Scouts’ information
- Enter the number of Girl Scouts selling
You can find step-by-step instructions for completing these tasks in our Smart Cookies Guide for Volunteers on Cookie Central. All registered Girl Scouts are added directly to Smart Cookies by Girl Scouts River Valleys. If you notice a Girl Scout is not in Smart Cookies and she is a current, registered member, please contact us.
Troop Cookie Manager Training & Responsibility Forms
Your Service Unit cookie manager will connect with you about annual Cookie Program training options and to pick up cookie supplies. One option is to complete River Valleys’ Online Troop Cookie Manager Training, which features all the info you need to get started in guiding your troop through the cookie season. Feel free to reference it at any time you need a refresher on program elements during the season too!
All troop cookie managers must complete the online Troop Cookie Responsibility Form by February 1. The form will ask for your Service Unit manager’s or cookie manager’s email address. A copy of the completed form will be emailed to both you and the manager email provided.
Troop Cookie Manager Guidebook
The Troop Cookie Manager Guidebook is available on our Troop Cookie Manager Resources page and on Cookie Central. This is your ultimate guide to the cookie season-it’s a must-read before the sale begins. It includes an overview of your duties, tips on engaging Girl Scouts in sale and managing the cookies, key dates, cookie finances, a quick guide to Smart Cookies, and more important information that you will need throughout the program.
Council-Sponsored Virtual Cookie Rally
Girl Scouts River Valleys is hosting a virtual Cookie Rally on February 7 from 6:30 – 7:30 pm (CST). It’s free and registration is not required! However, if you would like to receive pre-event emails with activity sheets, please RSVP!
The rally will be streamed on both our Girl Scouts River Valleys Facebook page and our Youtube channel. For Girl Scouts that can’t attend, a recording of the event will be available on both of these sites.
Family Cookie Business Meeting
Get your Family Cookie Meeting on your troop calendar before January gets too busy. Whether you’re holding it in person or virtually, this meeting is a great time to set personal and troop goals, and for parents/guardians to agree on roles and responsibilities. Don’t forget to use the Troop Family Cookie Business Meeting Tip Sheet, to make preparing for and leading the meeting as easy as eating a sleeve of Thin Mints!
Additional Cookie Supplies
Cookie supplies have been shipped to Service Units. Complete the Cookie Materials Request Form if you need additional items for registered troops or Girl Scouts that plan on selling,
Troop Cookie Responsibility Forms
As you direct your Troops to their Cookie training options, remind them to also complete the online Troop Cookie Responsibility Form. These forms are due by February 1.
Juliette Girl Scouts and Deposit Slips
Juliette Girl Scouts have been added to Smart Cookies. You will be notified if any new Juliettes are added into the system during the season in your Service Unit. Juliettes use specially encoded deposit slips to deposit Cookie money into the Girl Scouts River Valleys Wells Fargo bank account. Deposit slips encoded with the unique Juliette number will be mailed to Juliette Mentors of participating Juliettes prior to Cookie Go Day.
