With every bite of your favorite Girl Scout Cookie, you are doing so much more than simply enjoying a special treat! In fact, more than half of female entrepreneurs and business owners are Girl Scout alums. When you make a Girl Scout Cookie purchase, you’re helping the next generation of young female entrepreneurs get an important taste of what it takes to be successful. Supporting her success through the Girl Scout Cookie Program means that you’re helping narrow the entrepreneurship gap between men and women by nurturing that go-getter spirit early on and equipping her with the confidence and skills to dream big and do bigger!

The Girl Scout Cookie Program is designed to teach girls five key skills, and each box of cookies purchased is an investment that will help girls grow into leaders in their own life, leaders in business, and leaders in the world.

Goal Setting

Girl Scouts set cookie sales goals both individually and as a troop, then work together as a team to create a plan to reach them! You see Girl Scouts putting in hard work all season setting up booths, going door to door with order forms in hand, and creating fun videos to promote their sale online. Girls develop important cooperation and team-building skills, which will serve them later in life in both the classroom and the workplace.

Decision Making

Girl Scouts collaborate to make decisions about how to run and promote their sales, interact with customers, and use their proceeds. Because Girl Scout Cookie proceeds stay local, girls can use their earnings to fund amazing experiences like a summer at camp, exciting STEM workshop, or a service project to improve their community! Working as a team, girls learn critical thinking and problem-solving skills that will come in handy when choosing how to spend their future paychecks.

Money Management

The cookie program may be the first instance where girls experience how a business works! They get the first-hand experience on how to make change for customers, manage cash flow, and create a budget. Girls also begin to truly grasp the value of a dollar as they work hard for each sale that pushes them towards their goals! The development of practical life skills around financial literacy will come in handy down the line as they negotiate a fair salary, create a business plan, and manage their personal budgets.

People Skills

The Girl Scout Cookie Program helps girls build relationships with those both inside and outside of their troop! Girls learn how to talk to, listen to, and work with all kinds of people throughout the sale, helping them learn healthy relationship and conflict resolution skills. By running their own businesses, they are able to effectively communicate with customers, share about their product and goals, and respond quickly and calmly to any mishaps along the way, making them excellent future business leaders!

Business Ethics

Running a cookie business requires that girls act honestly and fairly through each step of the sale. Taking on this responsibility means that they learn to always do the right thing by their troop members, customers, and communities. Their business ethics reinforce the positive values they are already developing as Girl Scouts, which will carry them into a lifetime of leadership!

All of the net revenue raised through the Girl Scout Cookie Program stays with the local council and troops, helping power amazing experiences for girls and the communities they return it to. By supporting your local Girl Scouts, you’re helping to broaden their horizons and learn essential skills – and that tastes pretty sweet!