2014 Troop Cookie Manager Training

Cover

Girl Scout Cookie Program

• The Girl Scout Cookie Program helps girls develop 5 business and leadership skills:– Goal setting– Decision making– Money management– People skills– Business ethics

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Resources

• Glossary• Online Resources

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Troop Timeline and Checklist

• November – January: Pre-sale activities.• Jan. 17: Troop initial order, delivery day

appointment, and ACH banking information due in eBudde by 11:59 p.m.

• Feb. 1: Delivery day.• Feb. 2: Cookie program begins at 9:00 a.m.

– Walkabout and standabout sales permitted.

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Troop Timeline and Checklist

• Feb. 3: Cookie cupboards open only to new orders and full case exchanges.

• Feb. 7: Booth sales begin. • Mar. 9: Booth sales end.

– Last day to pick up new orders at cookie cupboards.

• Mar. 16: Cookie program ends.

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Troop Timeline and Checklist

• Mar. 19: Finalized troop data and girl rewards orders due in eBudde by 11:59 p.m. – Funds for final payment must be in troop bank

account by end-of-business day.

• May – June: Reward distribution.

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Troop Cookie Manager Role• Maintain regular communication

with SUCC and Troop Leader.• Inform/train girls and adults.• Coordinate troop cookie inventory.• Coordinate troop’s booth sales with SUCC.• Maintain accurate records of inventory/money

transactions by collecting signed receipts.• Collect money and deposit frequently.• Order and distribute girl rewards.

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Managing Your Time and Troop Inventory

• Identify your availability; set expectations with parents/guardians.

• Don’t allow parents/guardians to pick up cookies directly from the cookie cupboard.

• Be cautious of how many cookies are picked up at one time by a parent/guardian.

• Ask parents/guardians to submit payment for cookies previously picked up before giving them additional cookies.

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Cookie Details & Start Date

• Start date: Sunday, Feb. 2 at 9:00 a.m.

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Our cookie lineup will be:• Thin Mints • Samoas All cookies sell for $4 a box• Tagalongs • Trefoils• Do-si-dos • Savannah Smiles

Super Six

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Participation Policy

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• Registered with a signed participation agreement.

• Troops must have a registered adult cookie manager who completes training and a background check.

• Girls with unpaid outstanding balances may only participate in booth sales.

• Troops with outstanding balances or pending financial paperwork are not allowed to participate until cleared.

SafetyGirls should:• Have adult supervision at all times.• Sell only until 8 p.m.• Never enter a customer’s house.• Use only their first names.

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Online Marketing• Girls may email, text, and use Cookie Club (our

secure website) to inform and take orders.• Girls who are 13 or older may use social

networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to promote sales.

• Girls may not send blast emails, post online ads, post on Facebook groups, or on any websites open to the public or collect payment online, such as Craigslist, eBay, or PayPal.

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Exchange & Return Policy• All troops may exchange cookies for other

varieties at cupboards beginning Mon., Feb. 3.• Cookies may not be returned to Council.• Exception: Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador

troops may return up to 60 boxes.– No transfers in and cookies may not be from initial

order. – Mixed level troops may not return.

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• Cash donations received are to be designated for Operation Thin Mint®(OTM).– OTM donations are considered charitable

contributions.• Troops and girls should never ask

for donations for their troop.• Many companies will match charitable

donations.

Cookie Program Donations

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Disregard of Policies

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Disregard of any cookie program policies may result in the following:• Warning that the behavior does not fit into

Girl Scout standards. • Troop: lose highest proceed rate and/or lose

“opt-out” privilege if an older girl troop.• Girl: lose highest reward earned and/or

cannot check out or return cookies.• Lose remainder of booth sales.

Standabouts• Lemonade-style stands in front of residences

on private property.– Standabouts at apartment

complexes must be approved by apartment management.

– Residences on public property must be approved/coordinated as a booth site.

• Standabouts are permitted beginning the first day of the sale – Sunday, Feb. 2.

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WalkaboutsWalkabouts (door-to-door sales):• A mobile cookie sale where girls

(accompanied by adults) sell in residential areas or on public (non- commercial) property.

• Walkabouts are prohibited on private property.

• Organized by a troop or individual girls with adults.

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Walkabout Rocker Patch“Every day is a walkabout day!”

Walkabout throughout the cookie program and earn a Walkabout rocker patch.

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Goal Achiever Rocker Patch

• Girls who set a personal goal (at least 12 boxes to meet the participation requirement) earn a Goal Achiever rocker patch.

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• The first Girl Scout walking about selling cookies to stop by a “Mystery House” during the 2014 cookie program will win a special prize!– Girls should not ask customers if they

are the Mystery House.– Girls should leave a door hanger with contact

information.

Mystery House Contest

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Customers order nearly twice as many cookies online!

Girls can boost their sales and reach their goals with the help of Cookie Club to ask for orders online.

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Direct customers to booth sales!

Customers can use our mobile or online app to a find booth sale nearby: sdgirlscouts.org/cookies.

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Booth Sale Recorder

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Track your troop’s booth sales in eBudde and assign box credits to girls right from your smartphone or your computer with eBudde’s Booth Sales Recorder.

Booth Sale Policies

Booth Sales: Friday, Feb. 7-Sunday, Mar. 9• All booth locations must be coordinated by

service units. Do not contact stores directly.• For safety, two adults must be present at each

booth sale (one registered and background checked).

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Booth Sale Policies

• NEW! One-to-one booth sales– Girls currently in 6th grade or above may sell at

booth sites with a one-to-one (1:1) girl to adult ratio with her legal guardian who is registered and background checked.

1:11:1Page 12

Booth Sale PoliciesMilitary and older girl sites: Available via online

lottery in eBudde Booth Scheduler, Monday, Jan. 27 – Wednesday, Jan. 29.

• Military sites - Any troop may participate; however, one person with a military ID must be present throughout the booth sale shift.

• Older girl sites - Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors will have the first opportunity to sign up for these sites

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Booth Sale Policies

• Girls must be present at all booth sales. • Only approach customers on their way out of

the business.• Cash donations are to be designated for OTM.• Arrive no earlier than 10 minutes

before your shift.• Start packing up 10-15 minutes before

your shift ends.Pages 13

Booth Sale Policies

• In the event of a problem: – Remember to act respectfully and abide by the

Girl Scout Law as a representative of Girl Scouts.– Compare eBudde confirmations.– Under no circumstance should store management

be involved in troop/girl conflicts. Locations have the right to cancel all remaining booth sales.

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Cash, Checks and Credit Cards• Girls collect payment only when cookies are

delivered.• Do not accept online payments.• Recommendation: Do not accept checks.• Credit cards are only accepted at booth sales.• TCMs and adults should always count

cookies/money together and sign a M-3 receipt.

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Girl Payments and Parent/Guardian Responsibility

• Parents/guardians should submit payments regularly, within 5-7 days of receipt.

• Payments should be submitted in original form.

• Parents/guardians are responsible for all cookies received and signed for.

• Parents/guardians are responsible for all payments collected until turned into the TCM.

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Unfortunate Situations

• Girl Scouts does not take financial responsibility for losses due to:– Theft– Robbery– Fire– Counterfeit bills– Returned checks

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Troop Monies and Responsibility

• Deposit all payments into the troop account promptly and frequently.

• DO NOT track troop deposits in eBudde.• Troops must pay for all cookies received,

including unsold cookies.• TCMs are financially responsible for

all troop product inventory and payments collected.

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Payment Reminders

• The FIRST payment is due– Tuesday, February 18

• The first payment is $1 per box of troop inventory as of 11:59 p.m. on– Sunday, February 9

• The final payment is due– Wednesday, March 19

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Troop Proceeds• Proceeds belong to the troop, not to individual

girls.• Based on per girl average. • Older girl options:

1. The troop can receive the same girl reward items and troop proceeds as younger girls.

2. The troop can choose to opt-out of girl rewards below the 525-box level (including OTM rewards) to receive an additional $.10/box.

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Council Proceeds and Payments• All cookie proceeds stay in San Diego and Imperial

counties to benefit local Girl Scouts.• All council proceed payments are made via ACH debit.

– First payment due Tues. Feb. 18– Final payment due Weds. Mar. 19

• What if my troop does not have the funds available to make the scheduled payments?– Contact Product Sales reconciliation@sdgirlscouts.org

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• Girls earn individual rewards in addition to the troop proceeds.

• Items are cumulative.• Rewards for up to 425 boxes are distributed by

your SUCC in May/June.• Rewards for 525+ boxes are mailed to girls’ homes. • Registration letters for 525+ box events will be

mailed in April.• 525+ reward adjustments must be made at least 3

weeks before the event.

2014 Rewards

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Troop Booth Sign Reward

• Troop that follow their initial order recommendation and place their order by Friday, January 17 will receive one exclusive sign for their cookie booths.

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Operation Thin Mint®

• Since 2002, we have sent more than 2.2 million boxes of cookies to military troops around the world.

• Girls invite customers to donate a charitable contribution to Operation Thin Mint®.

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Operation Thin Mint® Sendoff

Saturday, May 3, 2014 - Aboard the USS Midway

FREE EVENT!!

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Troop Family Cookie Party (Training)

• Materials list• Training goals

– Explain cookie program benefits.– Convey basic facts and policies.– Provide important dates and deadlines.– Distribute materials.– Collect signed Participation Agreements.

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Troop Training & Cookie Ordering• Use the training outline to train girls and

parent/guardians.• How many cookies should a troop order?

– See the customized letter from your SUCC.– Troops/groups are advised to place initial orders

based on their previous year’s sales.

• Plan ahead! Place an initial order with enough starting inventory to stock your troop through Monday, Feb. 10.

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Booth Scheduling Basics

• Live booth lotteries– All troops will have an equal opportunity to sign

up for booth sites within their service unit boundaries.

– Maximum of 9 booth sites.– Prepare for the lottery!

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Getting Started in eBudde

• Info you will need for setup• Banking information• Troop Roster

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eBudde

• Due to new security features in the eBudde system, all previous TCMs are considered new users this year. – Password: 641Samoas!! (case sensitive)

• Users can reset their passwords.

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eBudde: Introduction to Tabs

• Informational– Dashboard, Contacts.

• Before the Sale– Settings, Girls, Init. Order, Delivery.

• During the Sale– Girl Orders, Booth Sites, Transactions.

• After the Sale– Rewards, Deposits, Sales Report, Reports.

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eBudde: Contacts Tab

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eBudde: Settings Tab

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eBudde: Girls Tab• Troops and girls will be uploaded by December

13.– Girls can be deleted from the list until the initial

order is submitted.

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Determining the Initial Order

• Your troop initial order recommendation is based on a percentage of total physical boxes the troop sold last year.

• Orders must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 17.– The system will be locked to initial orders after

that time.

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Initial Order

• Plan Ahead!– Cookie cupboards traditionally run out of cookies

the first weekend of booth sales. Place an initial order with enough starting inventory to stock your troop through Monday, Feb. 10.

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eBudde: Initial Order Tab

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Video icon indicates instructional video is available online.

eBudde: Delivery Tab

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Delivery Day – Saturday, Feb. 1• Bring eBudde delivery confirmation with you.• For safety reasons, children and pets

are NOT allowed at the warehouse.• Count all cookies before signing for them.

– TCMs are financially responsible for all cookies until receipts are signed upon distribution to girls.

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Delivery Day – Parent/Guardian Distribution

• Be cautious as to how many cookies are picked up at one time.

• Count cookies together.• Complete M-3 receipts and have both you and

parent/guardian sign.• Distribute order cards.

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M-3 Receipts

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eBudde: Girl Orders Tab

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Booth Scheduler Timeline

• Feb. 3, 7:00 p.m.– All sites are viewable in eBudde.

Verify troop signups from lotteries, contact SUCC regarding any issues.

• Feb. 5, 7:00 p.m.– eBudde Booth Scheduler opens.

Troops are allowed a total of 12 sites (including live and MOG lottery signups).

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eBudde: Booth Sites Tab

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Cancel your reservation if you are unable to attend!

eBudde: Booth Sale Recorder

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Cookie Cupboards

• All orders placed after Jan. 17 will be done via the cupboard website.

• Beginning Monday, Feb. 3:Orders/exchanges must be in full cases, of the same variety.

• Tuesday, Feb. 18 – Sunday, Mar. 9: Orders/exchanges may be in mixed cases, of mixed varieties.

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Cupboard Website

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Tips for Handling Unsold Cookies• Tell the SUCC immediately!• Sign up for additional booth sale opportunities

or go on a troop walkabout.• Post on the “Exchange Cookies with Others”

page.• Troop-to-troop transfers.

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eBudde: Transactions tab

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eBudde: Rewards Tab

All troops must submit orders for patches-even troops opting out of rewards.

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Reward orders are due by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, Mar. 19

Outstanding Balances

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Troops may be reimbursed up to $400/girl for parent/guardian outstanding balances.

eBudde: Deposits Tab

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Do not enter troop bank deposits in the Deposits Tab.

Wrap-Up Week Checklist

• Wrap-up week: Monday, Mar. 10 – Sunday, Mar. 16– Sell the last of your cookies.– Transfer extra cookies to troops who need them.– Collect all money from parents/guardians.– Finalize your troop’s sale.

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eBudde: Sales Report

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Questions?

Celebrating 100 years of Girl Scouting.

Have a wonderful 2014 Cookie Program!