We did it! Thanks to your outstanding efforts, we can say goodbye to another successful Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys Cookie Program. Read on for our Annual Cookie Survey, Final Sales Results, Information On Our 2023 Snacks & Magazines Program, and Important Reminders to Download Reports as Smart Cookies Access Will End During the Summer.
In this edition:
Up Next
- The Final 2023 Edition of The Cookie Press
- Cookie Program Volunteer Survey
- Snacks & Magazines Mascot and “Go Day”
What’s Trending
Reminders
- Distributing Rewards to Girl Scouts
- Reports to Download in Smart Cookies by July 15
- Forward to Families: Save Smart Cookies Customer Info
For Service Unit Cookie Managers
The Final 2023 Edition of The Cookie Press
This will be our final post of The Cookie Press this season as we bid a fond farewell to our sweet friend and 2023 Cookie Program mascot, Clicker the Dolphin, and also begin planning and work for the 2024 Cookie Program.
Speaking of 2024, troops can earn an additional $.10/package sold in the 2024 Cookie Program by meeting the target per girl average (PGA) and qualifying as an Early Bird troop (psst—Juliettes can too!). You can renew your membership for the next Girl Scout year and become an Early Bird now through June 30!
Cookie Program Volunteer Survey
Now that the dust has settled, it’s time to reflect on the 2023 Cookie Program. Your input and perspective are appreciated as we start to shape next year’s sale. Please complete the survey by June 8. We value your feedback.
Snacks & Magazines Program Mascot and “Go Day”
Announcing our 2023 Snacks & Magazines Program dates! The first day of the sale, which we also call “Go Day,” is Monday, September 25 with the sale ending later in October. We’ll share more information over the summer including the delicious new snack items and those magical rewards as we move into the fall. We hope your troop will join our 2023 Snacks & Magazines mascot Olive the Ocelot on her adventures starting in September!
2024 Cookie Program Sales Results
It was our third season of offering a philanthropic reward option for Girl Scouts through our LemonAID program, and once again, the donations are making an inpact in our communities. Our Girl Scouts donated over $6,400 to the Wildlife Rehab Center. Check out all the news on the final numbers in our 2023 Cookie Program-By the Numbers end-of-season wrap-up post.
From first-time cookie sellers who sold their first packages of Girl Scout Cookies, to those who sold thousands, we applaud the outstanding success of all River Valleys Girl Scouts who flexed all kinds of creativity and innovation during the entire 2023 Cookie Program.
2024 Cookie Mascot
Are you excited to welcome the adorable axolotl into our cookie mascot club? What’s her name? What day can we start selling cookies? What else is new this year? We know you all have many questions. We’ll be putting all those ingredients together this summer and will share a sneak peek coming this fall.
Raspberry Rally Update
Earlier this cookie season, we gave you the opportunity to provide feedback on your experience with the online-only Raspberry Rally Girl Scout Cookie. This feedback was provided to Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA). We wanted to share an update from them on this cookie. Raspberry Rally Girl Scout Cookies will not be available next season for purchase in-person or online. No online-only cookie will be offered, and no new cookie flavor will be introduced in 2024.
Distributing Rewards to Girl Scouts
Your Service Unit cookie manager will connect with you when the rewards are ready to be picked up. Before you pick up your items, log into Smart Cookies, go to Reports > Current > Recognition Order Summary by Troop, and print a copy of this report to verify the counts of each item with your Service Unit.
Initial Order Patch and Online Rewards:
The initial order “Seas the Go Day” patch and Online rewards will not appear in your reports. Your Service Unit cookie manager will have a packing list for these items. The initial order patches are given to each Girl Scout selling at the time of the initial order. Your Service Unit cookie manager will have a packing list, by individual, for the “Cookie Techie” online patch, the “Magic Sand,” and the USB Seashell Lights. Take a photo of this packing list with your Smartphone (or jot down the information for your records) to note the Girl Scouts that receive these items.
Verify Reward Counts with Families
Log into Smart Cookies, and select Current from the Reports section and print a copy of the Recognition Order Summary by Girl Report to distribute items to everyone. Please set up a date/time schedule and inform families of the opportunity to pick up their items. Verify the items with the parent/guardian to ensure everyone receives their correct rewards.
Pro Tip: Have the parent/guardian sign your copy of the Recognition Order Summary Report to acknowledge they have received all items.
For Girl Scouts who earned the Cookie Combo Personalized patch after sending 15 emails during the Snacks & Magazines Program and who sold 350+ packages of cookies this season, these patches will be sent directly to those Girl Scouts by August.
Cookie Reports to Download in Smart Cookies by July 15
This is your final reminder to download and save these Smart Cookies reports for your troop records by July 15. Here are some suggested reports to download:
- Troop Balance Summary
- Girl Cookie Totals Summary
- Girl Cookie Order Detail Summary
- Track Cookie Share
- Girl Balance Summary
- Recognition Order Summary by Girl
Forward to Families: Save Smart Cookies Customer Info
Here’s the latest information to copy, paste, and forward to the families in your troop:
- Access to Smart Cookies will be closing on July 15 for the summer. Customer contacts that families entered in their accounts will not roll over into the next Cookie Program year. You can log into Smart Cookies and export a list of contacts to save for the 2024 Cookie Program.
- To export contacts,
- go to My Orders,
- Select My Contacts.
- Select the “Export” button. It is located at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen.
- You can also print a report featuring information on the customers that ordered from a Girl Scout’s online sales link, which includes the cookie varieties.
- Go to My Orders
- Select Manage My Orders
- Select Print Report for a full listing of online customer orders.
- To export contacts,
Reward Issue Reports
Thank you for taking the time to carefully count all the cookie reward items in your Service Unit reward shipments and verify the totals against the packing slips. If there are issues with the totals received, report the issue to us using our Cookie Rewards Issues Form. We’ll work to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. However, we ask that all reward issues be reported to us no later than June 15.
Reports to Download in Smart Cookies by July 15
While you’re reminding troops to download their reports, don’t forget to also download your Service Unit cookie reports from Smart Cookies by July 15. We encourage you to save these reports:
- Recognition Order by Troop
- Troop Balance Summary
- Troop Initial Order
Service Unit Proceeds
Congratulations to the nearly 100 Service Units that will receive Service Unit proceeds this year! The proceeds have been transferred by ACH to the Service Unit bank account as of the end of May. If your Service Unit earned the proceeds, an email has been sent to the Service Unit cookie manager with the information on the proceed amount.
Note: A Girl Scout was considered participating if they had sales of 30 or more packages allocated to them. The participation rate was based on Girl Scouts in the Service Unit as of January 31, 2023.