Cookie Sale Program

What We Stand For: Girl Scout Cookie Program Activities

For over 80 years through the Girl Scout Leadership Experience, Girl Scout cookie activities have helped girls learn invaluable skills, such as decision-making, money management, and delivering on a promise. These activities are directly related to our mission of building girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place.

Voluntary Participation

Each girl's participation in cookie activities is voluntary. From Girl Scout Daisies to Ambassadors, girls enjoy the experience and look forward to taking part in these fun activities each year.

Every girl participating in cookie activities must have written permission from her parent or guardian.

Direct Benefits

Selling Girl Scout cookies is a fun program activity that teaches girls how to set realistic goals, work as a team, manage money, and be entrepreneurs. Each troop or group that sells cookies earns money for its treasury and plans how to spend that money to achieve its goals. The proceeds are used for field trips, service projects, and other activities. In addition, Girl Scouts can earn age-appropriate proficiency awards as part of their experience with cookie activities.

Indirect Benefits

On a broader scope, girls benefit by participating in a wide range of Girl Scout activities made possible by the local council with proceeds from its annual cookie activities. "Cookie revenue" helps to provide the financial assistance needed to make Girl Scouts available for all girls, to fund special events and other program opportunities, to keep event/camp fees for all members to a minimum, to improve and maintain camp and other activity sites, and to recruit and train volunteer leaders.

Money Earned from Girl Scout Cookie Activities

All of the money earned from cookie activities stays within the local Girl Scout council to supply essential services to troops, groups, and girls. This includes providing program resources and communication support, training adult volunteers, and conducting special events. It also includes the percentage given back to the individual group that sold the cookies. Girls do not receive the money individually; instead, they decide as a troop or group how to spend it.

Revenue from cookie activities helps keep Girl Scouting affordable and provides the financial assistance needed to make Girl Scouting available for all girls. In general, cookie activities account for a significant portion of a council's operating budget. Therefore, these activities are critical to local Girl Scouting in that they make Girl Scouting, in large measure, self-supporting for the council.

Safety While Selling Girl Scout Cookies

In Girl Scouting, the safety and security of our girl members are our primary concern. That is why Girl Scout councils have guidelines that must be followed when girls sell cookies. Each girl participating in the cookie sale must have written permission from her parent or guardian. Girl Scout Cadettes through Ambassadors must use the "buddy system" and work with other girls while selling, and Girl Scout Daisies, Brownies and Juniors must be accompanied by an adult.

Selling Girl Scout Cookies on the Internet

As with every Girl Scout activity, we are committed to the safety and security of our girl members when they participate in Girl Scout cookie activities. We realize that the Web is a wide-open medium that can attract more than our intended audience, including cyberstalkers who prey on children. And since there is no way to verify that an order for cookies goes to an actual Girl Scout, there is the possibility of fraud. Therefore, girls may not sell Girl Scout cookies by making transactions on a Web site on the Internet. However, girls can use email to let their friends and relatives know about the sale. They can market using online social networking, privided they are 13 or older and have parental permission. all safety guidelines must be observed.

These internet sales activities may also not be conducted by adults. Adults serve in a supporting role for girls but should not assume sole responsibility for sales and may not engage in selling Girl Scout cookies on the Internet.

Exemption from Federal Taxes

Girl Scout cookie activities, held once a year for a limited time, are directly related to the mission of the Girl Scout movement and its program. All cookie sale proceeds fund nonprofit Girl Scout activities in local communities. For these reasons, Girl Scout cookie sales are exempt from federal taxes. In a few states, Girl Scout cookie sales by local councils are subject to state sales tax.

Purchase of Girl Scout Cookies as Charitable Contributions

Individuals who buy Girl Scout cookies and take the cookies home or consume the cookies have purchased a product at a fair market value. For this reason, no part of the price of a box of Girl Scout cookies is tax-deductible.

Many Girl Scouts ask customers to pay for one or more boxes of cookies for use with their community service project - for example, collecting for a food pantry. These customers do not receive any Girl Scout cookies and so do not benefit directly from paying for the cookies. These individuals may treat the purchase price of the cookies as a charitable contribution.

Cookie Bakers

Girl Scout cookies are produced by members of American labor unions at commercial bakeries located in the United States. They are made with American-grown agricultural products and wrapped in American-made packaging materials. The two companies currently licensed to bake Girl Scout cookies are ABC/Interbake Foods, headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, and Little Brownie Bakers, headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky.

Ingredients

There are several varieties of Girl Scout cookies, and, as with any dessert product, Girl Scout cookies are best eaten in moderation. So that consumers can make an informed choice, the ingredients and nutritional profile of each variety are clearly listed on both the cookie box and the cookie order form. All varieties of Girl Scout cookies are kosher.