Cookie Innovator
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As an innovator, you are open to change and opportunities. You’re empowered to grow, not just personally, but also with your Girl Scout Cookie™ business. To earn this badge, you will innovate in two ways: One is by coming up with fresh ideas for your goals, something bolder and bigger than before. The other is by finding unique ways to reach your goals, connect with your customers, and sell cookies. Steps 1. Master your cookie business 2. Choose a big idea, set goals, and build a budget 3. Decide how to meet your big goals 4. Explore ethics in your cookie business 5. Sell your big dream to others Purpose When I’ve earned this badge, I will know how to set bigger goals for my cookie business and come up with ways to reach them. Cookie Innovator Cadette
Transcript of Cookie Innovator
opportunities. You’re empowered to grow, not
just personally, but also with your Girl Scout
Cookie™ business. To earn this badge, you will
innovate in two ways: One is by coming up with
fresh ideas for your goals, something bolder
and bigger than before. The other is by finding
unique ways to reach your goals, connect with
your customers, and sell cookies.
Steps 1. Master your cookie business
2. Choose a big idea, set goals, and build
a budget
4. Explore ethics in your cookie business
5. Sell your big dream to others
Purpose When I’ve earned this badge, I will know how
to set bigger goals for my cookie business and
come up with ways to reach them.
Cookie Innovator
to find the requirements.
Step 1: Master your cookie business Before you launch big ideas, get to know your business inside and
out. Find out what’s new this cookie season. What are the cookie
varieties and what do they cost? What marketing tools are available?
What resources, rewards, and troop proceeds are you excited about?
If you’ve sold cookies before, reflect on your past experience. What
successful practices might you do again? Which ones should you
change and why? Then go online to learn all you can about selling on
the Digital Cookie®/Smart Cookies® platform.
Choices—do one:
Create a business journal. Do this online or in a notebook. Look for
the “Girl Scout Cookie FAQs” at girlscouts.org/cookieprogramfaqs
to find out how to buy and sell cookies, product ingredients, and
more. Check your council website for information about cookie
entrepreneurs in your area. Write all the facts you need to know
about your business, important deadlines, and the selling points you
want to share with your customers.
Host a family meeting. Take charge of your business as a team.
Send an invite to your troop families to share information about
Girl Scout Cookies and how they can support you to reach your goals.
Organize your presentation with talking points on separate poster
boards or slides and share each as you present. You might categorize
your talk into topics like new cookies, the flavors and costs, Digital
Cookie/Smart Cookies, troop proceeds, and ways they can support
you to reach your goals. Find the “Cadette Cookie Program Family
Meeting Guide” at girlscouts.org/cadettecookiefamilyguide to help
you plan it. This is also a great way to kick off earning the Cadette
Cookie Entrepreneur Family pin.
Get inspired by cookie entrepreneur stories. Check out “There’s
magic beyond every box—it’s her!” at girlscouts.org/cookiemagicbox
and read cookie boss stories by Girl Scouts. Search “#girlscoutcookie”
and “#gscookieboss” on social media for more inspiration. Make notes
of things you want to try and share with your team. Will these new
ideas help you iterate your cookie business?
Safety First
Find out how to keep your cookie business safe. With help
from an adult, go to girlscouts.org to find safety guidelines for
selling digitally, door-to-door, or at a cookie booth.
Before you explore, review the “Supplemental
Safety Tips for Online Marketing”
and “Digital Marketing Tips for
Cookie Entrepreneurs and Families”
customer feels about and experiences the product.
Business ethics: Guidelines and principles a business follows to help govern their conduct.
Cookie entrepreneur: When you sell Girl Scout Cookies, you set goals, talk to customers, make decisions,
make mistakes, and try again. This is all part of being an entrepreneur!
Digital Cookie/Smart Cookies: A way for customers to buy cookies online. Depending on where you live, you
will either use Digital Cookie (for Little Brownie Bakers councils) or Smart Cookies (for ABC Bakers councils)
to manage digital sales.
Digital marketing: Using technology, such as computers, smartphones, and social media, to reach your
customers.
Entrepreneur: Someone who creates something or finds a way to help people and solve problems.
Entrepreneurs often use their ideas to create a business.
Feedback: What someone thinks about your ideas or how you run your business.
Innovator: Someone who creates new products or changes something that already exists. For example, you
can innovate a new app and then use your entrepreneurial skills to turn it into a business.
Iterate: Repeatedly changing something to end up with a result you want. Entrepreneurs go through the
entrepreneurial process, a cycle that creates changes and makes improvements. You iterate your cookie
business each year as you grow new skills!
Package goal: How many packages of cookies you and your troop plan to sell.
Pitch: What you tell your customers to get them excited about buying cookies from you.
Troop goal: What you plan to do with the money your troop earns selling cookies.
Troop proceeds: How much your troop will get for each package sold, based on your council and budget.
Words to Know
Cookie Innovator | 3
improve your ideas and the decisions you make as
a cookie entrepreneur.
ack 3. Select changes to make 4. M
ake ch
an ge
Step 2: Choose a big idea, set goals, and build a budget As a Girl Scout Cadette, it’s time to dream big with your cookie goals
and create plans that stretch beyond the year ahead. As a group,
decide how you’ll use your cookie proceeds. It can be to support
troop activities, field trips, bigger travel adventures, or Take Action
projects. For your big idea, go beyond what you’ve done before. Then
set an individual sales goal that will support your troop goal.
Choices—do one:
Team up to visualize. Break into small groups to create posters or
other presentations that show your big dreams and how you’ll use
the money. Use images to sell your idea. Find out how much your big
idea would cost. Come back together to share your ideas, then vote
on the ones you like best. Calculate how many packages of cookies
your troop needs to sell for your big idea. Is your package goal
realistic? Do you need to adjust your plans, or can you sell even more
to take your plan further?
Analyze your dreams and goals. On a white board or large paper,
create two columns with headings: dreams and reality. With your
group, brainstorm your big dreams and goals. Maybe you want to
help address hunger issues or travel the world. Those would go
under the dream column. Which goals are you confident you can
make happen? Are there any in the dreams column that can move
to reality? Perhaps to address hunger issues, you can start by
learning more about ways to contribute to community members who
are hungry by planning a food drive with your local food pantry,
religious organization, or even at your school. Or to travel the world,
you start by planning a trip to another state. Are there any goals
that can move to next year or the year after? Figure out what your
goals will cost and vote on your priorities. Then set your budget and
calculate your package goal.
Project your future. Make a big idea plan for each Girl Scout
level—Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador. For inspiration, go online
to find out what older Girl Scouts have done with their cookie
money. Calculate the cost for each year so you’ll have a budget to
work toward. Can you put money aside now for future big ideas?
Remember plans can change! Plans are never supposed to be perfect
or final, so don’t be afraid to iterate your idea. Then decide which
goals you can accomplish this year and how much you need to set
aside. Set your budget and calculate your package goal.
Cookie Innovator | 5
Step 3: Decide how to meet your big goals Now that you know your goals and how much money you need to
earn, decide on the tactics you will use. How will your cookie booths
attract customers? How will you use digital marketing to reach new
customers? Will you sell door-to-door or to friends and family? How
will you go beyond your close network to reach your big goals? How
will you inspire people to support you?
Choices—do one:
Brainstorm strategies with your team. Write down all your options
for how you will reach your goals. What sales methods will you use?
Will you use Digital Cookie/Smart Cookies, host cookie booths, or
go door-to-door? Do you plan on selling at any events? Decide on
the ideas that make the most sense for your group and make a plan
to move forward. Assign responsibilities for each task and create
deadlines. How will you update each other to stay on track?
Talk to a sales person. As a team, brainstorm sales strategies.
What sales methods will you use? Will you use Digital Cookie/Smart
Cookies, host cookie booths, or go door-to-door? Do you plan on
selling at any events? Come up with some team strategy ideas and
take them to someone with sales expertise. Ask them to share their
strategies and then use their feedback to refine your plan. Assign
responsibilities to each team member and create deadlines.
Use SWOT to shape your strategies. SWOT is an acronym for
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. With your
team, do a SWOT analysis on your past cookie sales experience. For
example:
S: What were the strengths of your previous cookie sales
strategies? What did you accomplish well?
W: What were the weaknesses? Did you have the resources to pull
them off?
O: What opportunities did you seize upon? Was there an event or
situation that helped your cookie business?
T: Were there situations that made your cookie business more
challenging? How did you handle them?
Then iterate your cookie business strategies based on this analysis.
Reflect on any new strengths or opportunities you have this year and
how you can use them to grow your business. Assign responsibilities
for each task and create deadlines.
S W
O T
Strengths Weaknesses
Opportunities Threats
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Big Goal Ideas As you and your friends think about your goals,
challenge yourselves with ideas like these:
Make plans to save money for a high-impact Silver or Gold Award
project or ambitious Take Action project.
Put cookie money aside for a troop trip across the state or
country—or even overseas.
which may require special equipment or training.
Cookie Innovator | 7
Step 4: Explore ethics in your cookie business Find out how the ethics of your cookie business are important to your big idea. Your standards and values are part of
the story you’ll want to tell your customers. Your ethics encourage loyalty from your customers and your team. What
are the strengths and beliefs behind the Girl Scout brand?
Choices—do one:
Research ethical companies online. Find the highest-rated ethical companies and read about their practices and
policies. How do they make their customer base inclusive? How do they use their values to influence the behavior
of their employees? How do they use their ethics and values to make changes in their company and/or community?
Make a list and share with your team. Decide how you can apply some of their practices to your cookie business.
Write a cookie business ethics document you all can sign.
Prepare an ethics statement using the Girl Scout Law. Apply the Girl Scout Law to your cookie business. How does
the Law help to keep you honest and responsible every step of the way? Or to use resources wisely? Use it as a guide
to write a cookie business ethics document your team can sign.
Look around your community and online. Walk into different public spaces. (Some examples might be a
playground, retail shop, community center, hospital, or grocery store.) Note if there are signs about their codes and
practices. How do their employees present themselves? What kind of code of conduct do they expect? For example,
a library probably has rules about staying quiet. A public pool might prohibit glass products. Some businesses
might have signs that say, “All are welcome here.” Check how online businesses protect their customers’ privacy.
Use what you find to write an ethics document for your team to sign.
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Ethics Reflection Write in your answers to the questions below and then share with your troop.
What are your responsibilities to your customers? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Inclusive? Considerate? Respectful?
Honest? Accessible? Safe?
Cookie Innovator | 9
10 | Cadette
Step 5: Sell your big dream to others Whether you’re using your cookie money to go on an adventure or
fund a Take Action project, you’ll have a better chance of selling
cookies if you make your dream real to customers. Find ways to
share your dream so customers feel they’re part of something bigger
than buying cookies.
Choices—do one:
Brainstorm ways to tell your story. With your team, come up
with innovative ways to reach your customers. You might create a
video using stop-action animation or share your big dream on social
media in a new way. You could tell your story in recipe cards, like
“Stargazing Adventure Cookies,” or “Take Action Brownies.” Or sell
your cookies in bundles by wrapping a ribbon around packs and
naming them after your big dreams: Silver Award package, High
Adventure snacks, and other goals.
Let others help sell your big dream. Some customers buy
cookies because they’re delicious—others are motivated to help
you achieve your goals. You might give each customer a sticker
after they’ve bought cookies to remind them to tell others. Or give
them a card to pass on to others that shows your goals and where
and when you’re selling cookies. You can also ask customers to
share your Digital Cookie/Smart Cookies link from your sales pitch
video on social media.
Talk to someone who sells big dreams. Look around your
community and find a businessperson who sells their product with a
story. It could be a person who sells homemade soups at the farmer’s
market or someone who owns a shop that sells products made by
global artisans. How do they tell their stories to inspire customers?
Get advice about how they find new customers and refine your sales
pitch. Use what you learn to inspire your story.
Earning your Business Creator
tools to get feedback and
improve your big ideas.
Cookie Innovator | 11
TM ® & © 2021 Girl Scouts of the United States of America. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical methods, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, now known or hereinafter invented, without the prior written permission of Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA), except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permissions requests, write to GSUSA at the address below or visit the www.girlscouts.org website to access permission request forms.
First published in 2021 by Girl Scouts of the United States of America 420 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10018-2798 www.girlscouts.org
12 | Cadette
*Detailed choice activities, meeting tools, and additional resources and materials can be found within the Volunteer Toolkit on my.girlscouts.org.
Find tips and ideas to help you guide your troop through this badge.
Step 1: Master your cookie business • 30–40 minutes
Materials for all choices: order cards; computers, smartphones, or tablets
Ask: How can your past experiences with Girl Scout Cookies® help you this year? Share: Before you launch big ideas, get to know your business inside and out. Find out what’s new this cookie season. Go online to learn all about selling on the Digital Cookie®/Smart Cookies® platform. If you’ve sold cookies before, reflect on your experience.
Choices—do one:
Create a business journal. Direct Cadettes to the “Girl Scout Cookie FAQs” (girlscouts.org/cookieprogramfaqs) and your council website to learn about their cookie business. In a notebook or online, they will organize cookie facts, deadlines, notes from past experiences, and ideas for their cookie business.
Host a family meeting. This can take place at the end of a troop meeting or as a stand-alone meeting. Cadettes can also host individual family meetings at home and invite extended family. Both of these options can be done in person or online. Suggest that meeting hosts organize their presentation by important talking points. Direct them to the “Cadette Cookie Program Family Meeting Guide” at girlscouts.org/cadettecookiefamilyguide for planning ideas.
Get inspired by cookie entrepreneur stories. Direct Cadettes to “There’s magic beyond every box—it’s her!” at girlscouts.org/cookiemagicbox to read cookie boss stories or have them search hashtags related to Girl Scout Cookies for more inspiration—they can try “#gscookieboss,” “#girlscoutcookie,” and others. Have these young entrepreneurs share ideas they want to try with their team.
Step 2: Choose a big idea, set goals, and build a budget • 30–40 minutes
Ask: What big goals do you have and how can your cookie business help get you there? Share: As a Girl Scout Cadette,
it’s time to dream big with your cookie goals and create plans that stretch beyond the year ahead. For your big idea, go further than what you’ve done before.
Choices—do one:
Team up to visualize. Have Cadettes work in small teams to talk about big dreams they have for the troop. Teams will create a mini-poster or online presentation to pitch the ideas to the troop (including costs). Have everyone vote on their favorite ideas, then calculate troop and individual package goals.
Materials: poster-making supplies or computers, smartphones, or tablets
Analyze your dreams and goals. On large paper or online, display two columns titled “dreams” and “reality.” As a troop, brainstorm big goals for cookie money. Classify the idea as a dream or reality. Decide if any of the dreams can move to reality. Cadettes then figure out what the goals cost and vote on their priorities. As a troop, set a budget and calculate troop and individual package goals. Once Cadettes have decided on their goals, encourage them to save their big list of dreams to revisit next year.
Materials: paper, pencils
Project your future. As a troop, brainstorm a list of big goal ideas. Cadettes can go online for inspiration, looking up what older Girl Scouts have done with their cookie money. Vote on the top ideas and divide the group into teams to research the costs. Decide which goals they will reach as Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors. Now, focusing on this year’s goals, have Cadettes set a troop budget and calculate package goals.
Materials: computers, smartphones, or tablets
Step 3: Decide how to meet your big goals • 20–30 minutes
Materials for all choices: paper and pencils; calendars
Ask: How will you reach and attract your customers? Share: Now that you know your goals and how much
CADETTE • Cookie Innovator | 1
TM ® & © 2021 Girl Scouts of the United States of America. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical methods, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, now known or hereinafter invented, without the prior written permission of Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA), except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permissions requests, write to GSUSA at the address below or visit the www.girlscouts.org website to access permission request forms.
First published in 2021 by Girl Scouts of the United States of America, 420 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10018-2798, www.girlscouts.org
money you need to earn, decide on the tactics you will use during neighborhood sales, at your cookie booths, with digital marketing, and beyond.
Choices—do one:
Brainstorm strategies with your team. As Cadettes brainstorm sales strategies, write each strategy on a separate piece of paper. From there, focus on one strategy at a time as a troop. Pass out the papers to the group and suggest that each member take a turn acting as the planning lead. Have the planning lead(s) take ideas from the group, write down tasks, and decide who will take on each task. Use a calendar to set deadlines.
Talk to a sales person. Reach out to local businesses or your network of families to connect the troop with a sales person. As Cadettes brainstorm sales strategies, write them on separate pieces of paper. Have troop members identify advantages, challenges, and required tasks for each. Encourage them to direct questions to the sales expert and ask for feedback. Then they’ll refine their plan and decide who will complete each task. Use a calendar to set deadlines.
Use SWOT to shape your strategies. Use the SWOT questions in the badge booklet to guide a discussion with the troop and help Cadettes identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to their business. This activity will help reinforce their decision-making skills as they plan out their sales strategy. Have these cookie innovators identify their sales strategies and the tasks involved. Encourage them to take advantage of their strengths when assigning tasks. Use a calendar to set deadlines.
Step 4: Explore ethics in your cookie business • 20–30 minutes
Materials for all choices: “Ethics Reflection”; computers, smartphones, or tablets; paper, pencils
Ask: What are the beliefs behind the Girl Scout brand? Share: Your standards and values are part of the story you’ll want to tell your customers. Your ethics encourage loyalty from your customers and your team. Let’s take a look at “Ethics Reflection” on page 9 to get a better understanding before we start!
Choices—do one:
Research ethical companies online. As a group, discuss how ethics are about values and standards. Divide Cadettes into research teams (utilizing breakout rooms if meeting virtually). Teams will research top-rated ethical companies using questions in the badge booklet to drive their research and then share their list of ideas with the
troop. As a group, they’ll decide on their cookie business ethics and create a document to sign.
Prepare an ethics statement using the Girl Scout Law. As a group, discuss how ethics are about values and standards. Have Cadettes identify and discuss how words from the Girl Scout Law apply to their cookie business. As a group, they’ll decide on their cookie business ethics using the Girl Scout Law as a guide and create a document to sign.
Look around your community and online. Take a walk or search online for examples of signs at a playground, library, public pool, or hospital. Discuss the purpose of each sign. Ask, “Why did the business or space display that sign? What does it say about the business?” Discuss how ethics are about values and standards. Ask Cadettes about their cookie business ethics. Have them write an ethics document.
Step 5: Sell your big dream to others • 20–30 minutes
Materials for all choices: computers, smartphones, or tablets
Ask: How will you inspire your customers? Share: You’ll have a better chance of selling cookies if you make your big dream real to customers. Find ways to share your dream so customers feel they’re part of something bigger than buying cookies.
Choices—do one:
Brainstorm ways to tell your story. Discuss the ideas suggested in the badge booklet. What other ideas do Cadettes have? Encourage them to use their resources, go online for inspiration, and create something different and fun to tell their story.
Let others help sell your big dream. Discuss the ideas suggested in the badge booklet. What additional ideas do Cadettes have for customers to pass on their story to others? Encourage them to use their resources, go online for inspiration, and come up with a fun way to inspire their customers to share their story.
Talk to someone who sells big dreams. Use the troop family network or council to connect Cadettes to someone who sells a product with a story. Invite them to the meeting to share how they inspire customers with their story and give advice on how they find new customers. Have Cadettes rework their sales pitch to include their story.
CADETTE • Cookie Innovator | 2
just personally, but also with your Girl Scout
Cookie™ business. To earn this badge, you will
innovate in two ways: One is by coming up with
fresh ideas for your goals, something bolder
and bigger than before. The other is by finding
unique ways to reach your goals, connect with
your customers, and sell cookies.
Steps 1. Master your cookie business
2. Choose a big idea, set goals, and build
a budget
4. Explore ethics in your cookie business
5. Sell your big dream to others
Purpose When I’ve earned this badge, I will know how
to set bigger goals for my cookie business and
come up with ways to reach them.
Cookie Innovator
to find the requirements.
Step 1: Master your cookie business Before you launch big ideas, get to know your business inside and
out. Find out what’s new this cookie season. What are the cookie
varieties and what do they cost? What marketing tools are available?
What resources, rewards, and troop proceeds are you excited about?
If you’ve sold cookies before, reflect on your past experience. What
successful practices might you do again? Which ones should you
change and why? Then go online to learn all you can about selling on
the Digital Cookie®/Smart Cookies® platform.
Choices—do one:
Create a business journal. Do this online or in a notebook. Look for
the “Girl Scout Cookie FAQs” at girlscouts.org/cookieprogramfaqs
to find out how to buy and sell cookies, product ingredients, and
more. Check your council website for information about cookie
entrepreneurs in your area. Write all the facts you need to know
about your business, important deadlines, and the selling points you
want to share with your customers.
Host a family meeting. Take charge of your business as a team.
Send an invite to your troop families to share information about
Girl Scout Cookies and how they can support you to reach your goals.
Organize your presentation with talking points on separate poster
boards or slides and share each as you present. You might categorize
your talk into topics like new cookies, the flavors and costs, Digital
Cookie/Smart Cookies, troop proceeds, and ways they can support
you to reach your goals. Find the “Cadette Cookie Program Family
Meeting Guide” at girlscouts.org/cadettecookiefamilyguide to help
you plan it. This is also a great way to kick off earning the Cadette
Cookie Entrepreneur Family pin.
Get inspired by cookie entrepreneur stories. Check out “There’s
magic beyond every box—it’s her!” at girlscouts.org/cookiemagicbox
and read cookie boss stories by Girl Scouts. Search “#girlscoutcookie”
and “#gscookieboss” on social media for more inspiration. Make notes
of things you want to try and share with your team. Will these new
ideas help you iterate your cookie business?
Safety First
Find out how to keep your cookie business safe. With help
from an adult, go to girlscouts.org to find safety guidelines for
selling digitally, door-to-door, or at a cookie booth.
Before you explore, review the “Supplemental
Safety Tips for Online Marketing”
and “Digital Marketing Tips for
Cookie Entrepreneurs and Families”
customer feels about and experiences the product.
Business ethics: Guidelines and principles a business follows to help govern their conduct.
Cookie entrepreneur: When you sell Girl Scout Cookies, you set goals, talk to customers, make decisions,
make mistakes, and try again. This is all part of being an entrepreneur!
Digital Cookie/Smart Cookies: A way for customers to buy cookies online. Depending on where you live, you
will either use Digital Cookie (for Little Brownie Bakers councils) or Smart Cookies (for ABC Bakers councils)
to manage digital sales.
Digital marketing: Using technology, such as computers, smartphones, and social media, to reach your
customers.
Entrepreneur: Someone who creates something or finds a way to help people and solve problems.
Entrepreneurs often use their ideas to create a business.
Feedback: What someone thinks about your ideas or how you run your business.
Innovator: Someone who creates new products or changes something that already exists. For example, you
can innovate a new app and then use your entrepreneurial skills to turn it into a business.
Iterate: Repeatedly changing something to end up with a result you want. Entrepreneurs go through the
entrepreneurial process, a cycle that creates changes and makes improvements. You iterate your cookie
business each year as you grow new skills!
Package goal: How many packages of cookies you and your troop plan to sell.
Pitch: What you tell your customers to get them excited about buying cookies from you.
Troop goal: What you plan to do with the money your troop earns selling cookies.
Troop proceeds: How much your troop will get for each package sold, based on your council and budget.
Words to Know
Cookie Innovator | 3
improve your ideas and the decisions you make as
a cookie entrepreneur.
ack 3. Select changes to make 4. M
ake ch
an ge
Step 2: Choose a big idea, set goals, and build a budget As a Girl Scout Cadette, it’s time to dream big with your cookie goals
and create plans that stretch beyond the year ahead. As a group,
decide how you’ll use your cookie proceeds. It can be to support
troop activities, field trips, bigger travel adventures, or Take Action
projects. For your big idea, go beyond what you’ve done before. Then
set an individual sales goal that will support your troop goal.
Choices—do one:
Team up to visualize. Break into small groups to create posters or
other presentations that show your big dreams and how you’ll use
the money. Use images to sell your idea. Find out how much your big
idea would cost. Come back together to share your ideas, then vote
on the ones you like best. Calculate how many packages of cookies
your troop needs to sell for your big idea. Is your package goal
realistic? Do you need to adjust your plans, or can you sell even more
to take your plan further?
Analyze your dreams and goals. On a white board or large paper,
create two columns with headings: dreams and reality. With your
group, brainstorm your big dreams and goals. Maybe you want to
help address hunger issues or travel the world. Those would go
under the dream column. Which goals are you confident you can
make happen? Are there any in the dreams column that can move
to reality? Perhaps to address hunger issues, you can start by
learning more about ways to contribute to community members who
are hungry by planning a food drive with your local food pantry,
religious organization, or even at your school. Or to travel the world,
you start by planning a trip to another state. Are there any goals
that can move to next year or the year after? Figure out what your
goals will cost and vote on your priorities. Then set your budget and
calculate your package goal.
Project your future. Make a big idea plan for each Girl Scout
level—Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador. For inspiration, go online
to find out what older Girl Scouts have done with their cookie
money. Calculate the cost for each year so you’ll have a budget to
work toward. Can you put money aside now for future big ideas?
Remember plans can change! Plans are never supposed to be perfect
or final, so don’t be afraid to iterate your idea. Then decide which
goals you can accomplish this year and how much you need to set
aside. Set your budget and calculate your package goal.
Cookie Innovator | 5
Step 3: Decide how to meet your big goals Now that you know your goals and how much money you need to
earn, decide on the tactics you will use. How will your cookie booths
attract customers? How will you use digital marketing to reach new
customers? Will you sell door-to-door or to friends and family? How
will you go beyond your close network to reach your big goals? How
will you inspire people to support you?
Choices—do one:
Brainstorm strategies with your team. Write down all your options
for how you will reach your goals. What sales methods will you use?
Will you use Digital Cookie/Smart Cookies, host cookie booths, or
go door-to-door? Do you plan on selling at any events? Decide on
the ideas that make the most sense for your group and make a plan
to move forward. Assign responsibilities for each task and create
deadlines. How will you update each other to stay on track?
Talk to a sales person. As a team, brainstorm sales strategies.
What sales methods will you use? Will you use Digital Cookie/Smart
Cookies, host cookie booths, or go door-to-door? Do you plan on
selling at any events? Come up with some team strategy ideas and
take them to someone with sales expertise. Ask them to share their
strategies and then use their feedback to refine your plan. Assign
responsibilities to each team member and create deadlines.
Use SWOT to shape your strategies. SWOT is an acronym for
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. With your
team, do a SWOT analysis on your past cookie sales experience. For
example:
S: What were the strengths of your previous cookie sales
strategies? What did you accomplish well?
W: What were the weaknesses? Did you have the resources to pull
them off?
O: What opportunities did you seize upon? Was there an event or
situation that helped your cookie business?
T: Were there situations that made your cookie business more
challenging? How did you handle them?
Then iterate your cookie business strategies based on this analysis.
Reflect on any new strengths or opportunities you have this year and
how you can use them to grow your business. Assign responsibilities
for each task and create deadlines.
S W
O T
Strengths Weaknesses
Opportunities Threats
6 | Cadette
Big Goal Ideas As you and your friends think about your goals,
challenge yourselves with ideas like these:
Make plans to save money for a high-impact Silver or Gold Award
project or ambitious Take Action project.
Put cookie money aside for a troop trip across the state or
country—or even overseas.
which may require special equipment or training.
Cookie Innovator | 7
Step 4: Explore ethics in your cookie business Find out how the ethics of your cookie business are important to your big idea. Your standards and values are part of
the story you’ll want to tell your customers. Your ethics encourage loyalty from your customers and your team. What
are the strengths and beliefs behind the Girl Scout brand?
Choices—do one:
Research ethical companies online. Find the highest-rated ethical companies and read about their practices and
policies. How do they make their customer base inclusive? How do they use their values to influence the behavior
of their employees? How do they use their ethics and values to make changes in their company and/or community?
Make a list and share with your team. Decide how you can apply some of their practices to your cookie business.
Write a cookie business ethics document you all can sign.
Prepare an ethics statement using the Girl Scout Law. Apply the Girl Scout Law to your cookie business. How does
the Law help to keep you honest and responsible every step of the way? Or to use resources wisely? Use it as a guide
to write a cookie business ethics document your team can sign.
Look around your community and online. Walk into different public spaces. (Some examples might be a
playground, retail shop, community center, hospital, or grocery store.) Note if there are signs about their codes and
practices. How do their employees present themselves? What kind of code of conduct do they expect? For example,
a library probably has rules about staying quiet. A public pool might prohibit glass products. Some businesses
might have signs that say, “All are welcome here.” Check how online businesses protect their customers’ privacy.
Use what you find to write an ethics document for your team to sign.
8 | Cadette
Ethics Reflection Write in your answers to the questions below and then share with your troop.
What are your responsibilities to your customers? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Inclusive? Considerate? Respectful?
Honest? Accessible? Safe?
Cookie Innovator | 9
10 | Cadette
Step 5: Sell your big dream to others Whether you’re using your cookie money to go on an adventure or
fund a Take Action project, you’ll have a better chance of selling
cookies if you make your dream real to customers. Find ways to
share your dream so customers feel they’re part of something bigger
than buying cookies.
Choices—do one:
Brainstorm ways to tell your story. With your team, come up
with innovative ways to reach your customers. You might create a
video using stop-action animation or share your big dream on social
media in a new way. You could tell your story in recipe cards, like
“Stargazing Adventure Cookies,” or “Take Action Brownies.” Or sell
your cookies in bundles by wrapping a ribbon around packs and
naming them after your big dreams: Silver Award package, High
Adventure snacks, and other goals.
Let others help sell your big dream. Some customers buy
cookies because they’re delicious—others are motivated to help
you achieve your goals. You might give each customer a sticker
after they’ve bought cookies to remind them to tell others. Or give
them a card to pass on to others that shows your goals and where
and when you’re selling cookies. You can also ask customers to
share your Digital Cookie/Smart Cookies link from your sales pitch
video on social media.
Talk to someone who sells big dreams. Look around your
community and find a businessperson who sells their product with a
story. It could be a person who sells homemade soups at the farmer’s
market or someone who owns a shop that sells products made by
global artisans. How do they tell their stories to inspire customers?
Get advice about how they find new customers and refine your sales
pitch. Use what you learn to inspire your story.
Earning your Business Creator
tools to get feedback and
improve your big ideas.
Cookie Innovator | 11
TM ® & © 2021 Girl Scouts of the United States of America. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical methods, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, now known or hereinafter invented, without the prior written permission of Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA), except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permissions requests, write to GSUSA at the address below or visit the www.girlscouts.org website to access permission request forms.
First published in 2021 by Girl Scouts of the United States of America 420 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10018-2798 www.girlscouts.org
12 | Cadette
*Detailed choice activities, meeting tools, and additional resources and materials can be found within the Volunteer Toolkit on my.girlscouts.org.
Find tips and ideas to help you guide your troop through this badge.
Step 1: Master your cookie business • 30–40 minutes
Materials for all choices: order cards; computers, smartphones, or tablets
Ask: How can your past experiences with Girl Scout Cookies® help you this year? Share: Before you launch big ideas, get to know your business inside and out. Find out what’s new this cookie season. Go online to learn all about selling on the Digital Cookie®/Smart Cookies® platform. If you’ve sold cookies before, reflect on your experience.
Choices—do one:
Create a business journal. Direct Cadettes to the “Girl Scout Cookie FAQs” (girlscouts.org/cookieprogramfaqs) and your council website to learn about their cookie business. In a notebook or online, they will organize cookie facts, deadlines, notes from past experiences, and ideas for their cookie business.
Host a family meeting. This can take place at the end of a troop meeting or as a stand-alone meeting. Cadettes can also host individual family meetings at home and invite extended family. Both of these options can be done in person or online. Suggest that meeting hosts organize their presentation by important talking points. Direct them to the “Cadette Cookie Program Family Meeting Guide” at girlscouts.org/cadettecookiefamilyguide for planning ideas.
Get inspired by cookie entrepreneur stories. Direct Cadettes to “There’s magic beyond every box—it’s her!” at girlscouts.org/cookiemagicbox to read cookie boss stories or have them search hashtags related to Girl Scout Cookies for more inspiration—they can try “#gscookieboss,” “#girlscoutcookie,” and others. Have these young entrepreneurs share ideas they want to try with their team.
Step 2: Choose a big idea, set goals, and build a budget • 30–40 minutes
Ask: What big goals do you have and how can your cookie business help get you there? Share: As a Girl Scout Cadette,
it’s time to dream big with your cookie goals and create plans that stretch beyond the year ahead. For your big idea, go further than what you’ve done before.
Choices—do one:
Team up to visualize. Have Cadettes work in small teams to talk about big dreams they have for the troop. Teams will create a mini-poster or online presentation to pitch the ideas to the troop (including costs). Have everyone vote on their favorite ideas, then calculate troop and individual package goals.
Materials: poster-making supplies or computers, smartphones, or tablets
Analyze your dreams and goals. On large paper or online, display two columns titled “dreams” and “reality.” As a troop, brainstorm big goals for cookie money. Classify the idea as a dream or reality. Decide if any of the dreams can move to reality. Cadettes then figure out what the goals cost and vote on their priorities. As a troop, set a budget and calculate troop and individual package goals. Once Cadettes have decided on their goals, encourage them to save their big list of dreams to revisit next year.
Materials: paper, pencils
Project your future. As a troop, brainstorm a list of big goal ideas. Cadettes can go online for inspiration, looking up what older Girl Scouts have done with their cookie money. Vote on the top ideas and divide the group into teams to research the costs. Decide which goals they will reach as Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors. Now, focusing on this year’s goals, have Cadettes set a troop budget and calculate package goals.
Materials: computers, smartphones, or tablets
Step 3: Decide how to meet your big goals • 20–30 minutes
Materials for all choices: paper and pencils; calendars
Ask: How will you reach and attract your customers? Share: Now that you know your goals and how much
CADETTE • Cookie Innovator | 1
TM ® & © 2021 Girl Scouts of the United States of America. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical methods, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, now known or hereinafter invented, without the prior written permission of Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA), except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permissions requests, write to GSUSA at the address below or visit the www.girlscouts.org website to access permission request forms.
First published in 2021 by Girl Scouts of the United States of America, 420 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10018-2798, www.girlscouts.org
money you need to earn, decide on the tactics you will use during neighborhood sales, at your cookie booths, with digital marketing, and beyond.
Choices—do one:
Brainstorm strategies with your team. As Cadettes brainstorm sales strategies, write each strategy on a separate piece of paper. From there, focus on one strategy at a time as a troop. Pass out the papers to the group and suggest that each member take a turn acting as the planning lead. Have the planning lead(s) take ideas from the group, write down tasks, and decide who will take on each task. Use a calendar to set deadlines.
Talk to a sales person. Reach out to local businesses or your network of families to connect the troop with a sales person. As Cadettes brainstorm sales strategies, write them on separate pieces of paper. Have troop members identify advantages, challenges, and required tasks for each. Encourage them to direct questions to the sales expert and ask for feedback. Then they’ll refine their plan and decide who will complete each task. Use a calendar to set deadlines.
Use SWOT to shape your strategies. Use the SWOT questions in the badge booklet to guide a discussion with the troop and help Cadettes identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to their business. This activity will help reinforce their decision-making skills as they plan out their sales strategy. Have these cookie innovators identify their sales strategies and the tasks involved. Encourage them to take advantage of their strengths when assigning tasks. Use a calendar to set deadlines.
Step 4: Explore ethics in your cookie business • 20–30 minutes
Materials for all choices: “Ethics Reflection”; computers, smartphones, or tablets; paper, pencils
Ask: What are the beliefs behind the Girl Scout brand? Share: Your standards and values are part of the story you’ll want to tell your customers. Your ethics encourage loyalty from your customers and your team. Let’s take a look at “Ethics Reflection” on page 9 to get a better understanding before we start!
Choices—do one:
Research ethical companies online. As a group, discuss how ethics are about values and standards. Divide Cadettes into research teams (utilizing breakout rooms if meeting virtually). Teams will research top-rated ethical companies using questions in the badge booklet to drive their research and then share their list of ideas with the
troop. As a group, they’ll decide on their cookie business ethics and create a document to sign.
Prepare an ethics statement using the Girl Scout Law. As a group, discuss how ethics are about values and standards. Have Cadettes identify and discuss how words from the Girl Scout Law apply to their cookie business. As a group, they’ll decide on their cookie business ethics using the Girl Scout Law as a guide and create a document to sign.
Look around your community and online. Take a walk or search online for examples of signs at a playground, library, public pool, or hospital. Discuss the purpose of each sign. Ask, “Why did the business or space display that sign? What does it say about the business?” Discuss how ethics are about values and standards. Ask Cadettes about their cookie business ethics. Have them write an ethics document.
Step 5: Sell your big dream to others • 20–30 minutes
Materials for all choices: computers, smartphones, or tablets
Ask: How will you inspire your customers? Share: You’ll have a better chance of selling cookies if you make your big dream real to customers. Find ways to share your dream so customers feel they’re part of something bigger than buying cookies.
Choices—do one:
Brainstorm ways to tell your story. Discuss the ideas suggested in the badge booklet. What other ideas do Cadettes have? Encourage them to use their resources, go online for inspiration, and create something different and fun to tell their story.
Let others help sell your big dream. Discuss the ideas suggested in the badge booklet. What additional ideas do Cadettes have for customers to pass on their story to others? Encourage them to use their resources, go online for inspiration, and come up with a fun way to inspire their customers to share their story.
Talk to someone who sells big dreams. Use the troop family network or council to connect Cadettes to someone who sells a product with a story. Invite them to the meeting to share how they inspire customers with their story and give advice on how they find new customers. Have Cadettes rework their sales pitch to include their story.
CADETTE • Cookie Innovator | 2
