Cookie Pro Patch Program
February 08, 2024
Introducing the Girl Scouts River Valleys Cookie Pro patch program that shines the spotlight on Girl Scouts who are taking the lead, crushing their goals, learning new skills, working hard and want to share their stories to benefit their sister cookie sellers.
How to Participate
Each week the Girl Scouts in the winning troops will receive the 2024 Cookie Pro patch. All weekly winners will be eligible to win "Cookie Pro of the Year" which is a grand prize of a $200 credit towards admission of either an Escape Room or Trampoline Park.
Troop leaders, troop cookie manager or Girl Scout caregivers must complete the Cookie Pro Entry Form by 11:59 pm Sunday night each week to be eligible. Share your unique cookie story of skills that were learned, customer service highlights, and/or marketing tips that helped close a sale. Is it a clever cookie booth location, a sensational sales pitch, a brilliant B2B sale, or dazzling door to door skills? All stories are welcome.
Weekly winners are announced in The Cookie Press and will be featured below.
- One weekly winner selected from all Daisy, Brownie, and Junior entries.
- One weekly winner selected from all Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador entries.
Requirements
- Limit to one entry per Girl Scout/troop per week.
- If your Girl Scout/troop is selected as a weekly winner, you are not eligible to be selected as a weekly winner again, but you will be eligible for the Cookie Pro of the Year selection.
- Whether a troop or Girl Scout River Valleys secured the booth location, if the submission is from a cookie booth, the eligible cookie booths referenced in your pro tips must be a council-approved and held between February 16–March 24, 2024.
- A photo is not required, but is welcomed.
- All entries will become the property of Girl Scouts River Valleys for potential use in promotion of the Cookie Program.
- Participants must be registered 2023-24 Girl Scout River Valley members.
Entry Deadlines
Round | Entry Deadline |
Winners Announced |
Week 1 | Sunday, February 25 at 11:59 pm | Thursday, February 29 |
Week 2 | Sunday, March 3 at 11:59 pm | Thursday, March 7 |
Week 3 | Sunday, March 10 at 11:59 pm | Thursday, March 14 |
Week 4 | Sunday, March 17 at 11:59 pm | Thursday, March 21 |
Week 5 | Sunday, March 24 at 11:59 pm | Thursday, March 28 |
Cookie Pro of the Year | Thursday, April 4 |
Cookie Pro of the Year Winners
- Daisy/Brownie/Junior Winner: Leila F. Troop 18851
- Cadette/Senior/Ambassador Winner: Ali C. of Cadette Troop 57795
Cookie Pro of the Week Winners
Week 5 - Daisy/Brownie/Junior Winner: Leila F. Troop 18851
I am nominating my daughter Leila, as her first year as a Daisy. She has gone above and beyond this year, going out every day after school and on all her days off going door to door selling cookies with a smile and selling out the remainder of our troops inventory. On her very last day selling we knocked on someone's door. After waiting a minute or two we were about to head to the next house when we heard a loud knock back on the door. We peer in and see an elderly woman on the ground of her home. She says she had fallen several hours ago and couldn't get to a phone. My daughter remained calm through this whole situation and even thought for me to go grab the neighbor to help get her off the floor while she stayed with her and watched her baby brother. She and I truly feel that if we were not out selling cookies that day, the woman could have lost her life. I am so proud of the way she handled herself in this situation and after she knew the woman was safe, she finished selling off the remaining inventory that same day! She has truly showed what being a good Girl Scout is made of!
Week 6 - Cadette/Senior/Ambassador Winner: Ciarah H. and MacKenzie G. Troop 57566
Girls learned business to business transaction including marketing for how the cookies purchased at a wine pairing were going to be distributed to homeless in the Minneapolis area. They were able to determine how many boxes $1000 would purchase (166) and help determine flavor breakdown to ensure recipients had options of flavors including gluten free and shortbread (Trefoils) for those with health concerns. They collaborated with a wine business and their community outreach program. It was a great way for the girls to use their math skills and make adjustments when there was not enough of a particular flavor on hand to meet the demand. They were able to pivot with the business owner to adjust the order. Such a great interaction to watch and assist with. The girls were very appreciative of the opportunity to step in when another Girl Scout was unable to attend the scheduled event. Way to go girls!
Week 4 - Daisy/Brownie/Junior Winner: Lily O Troop 18839
Lily is a 1st grader, second year daisy, and made her first Business to Business sale! I can't thank Maria Anderson enough for being a wonderful female entrepreneur and investing in this girl scout to thank her customers. Lily called up Maria and asked if she would like to purchase girl scout cookies to thank her customers for their business. She was able to work on so many skills, helped create a thank you, and put one on every box she delivered. With this purchase Lily has now sold 800 boxes and is so close to her lofty goal of selling 1000 boxes.
Week 4 - Cadette/Senior/Ambassador Winner: Lydia Mae W. Troop 14572
Lydia Mae is a believer in supporting your community. Northside cub in North Minneapolis is a big supporter for local community and often have Youth Football teams bag groceries for their fundraising. She was met with several young boys moving shopping carts for customers and directing them to her booth . She decided even before that day to make sure all of her cookie donations stayed local and she made a connection with the coach and made a plan. She has a big goal of 3000 this year and she has been a staple at our local Northside Cub and has had lots of return customers happy to see her back every weekend. Some of the customers have been buying from her since she was a Daisy. She has also made an effort to encourage other young girls to join Girl Scouts while at the cookie booth. Lydia Mae plans to start her own Daisy Troop as soon as she Graduates and of course she’s already recruited her Mother to be her Cookie Mom when she starts her own Troop.
Week 3 - Daisy/Brownie/Junior Winner: Sophia T. of Junior troop 57445
Sophia wanted to try selling to a business this year, her parents were buying a new car and thought the employees and customers would benefit from cookies as an incentive. She worked with her parents to create a business pitch. Thurs March 7 she went to Luther Hyundai dealership in Bloomington, MN. She met with General Manager, Alex and salesman Teign, were she presented her partnership idea. Sophia was able to sell 8 cases (96 boxes) them. The sales team and customers were happy.
Week 3 - Cadette/Senior/Ambassador Winner: Megan W. of Ambassador troop 16006
As a final year Ambassador, Megan has worked many booths to achieve goals. At this booth she was approached by a customer who asked her questions about her sales, what she is going to do with the money, etc. Not unusual questions, and Megan always enjoys sharing her answers. From her trip to a Girl Scout Destinations Horse camp last year, to funding her Higher Awards projects and giving back to community groups, our troop has been able to do a lot of good with our cookie sale proceeds. This time, the customer wanted to buy 100 boxes of cookies for his business. He said he had been looking for a Girl Scout who was "out there hustling to reach her goals," and Megan was doing just that. Being able to tell the story about what she has accomplished in the past, and what she plans to do with this years proceeds, was what made the sale. We were able to deliver the cookies the next day. Delivering them later offered Megan the opportunity to thank him again in person as well as in a written thank you note with his cookies. Before we left, he checked to make sure that if he needed more, he could order through the link we had provided.
Week 2 - Daisy/Brownie/Junior Winner: Mimi T. and Addie T. of Brownie Troop 58361
Mimi and Addie spent the first 30 minutes of their booth with NO customers stopping by. Once they figured out that no one was shopping at Ace that day, they quickly decided to go down by the road to direct car traffic to the booth. They used signs, dances, and cheers. Sure enough, cars started pulling in! The girls would run back and forth from the road to the booth, taking orders and directing more people from the road. When a few Ace customers finally came by, they turned down the sales saying they couldn't eat cookies. Mimi and Addie didn't miss a beat and they started telling every customer that they could also choose to donate - and people donated! Addie's and Mimi's friendship and perseverance really shone through that day. In the end, they only sold 12 boxes plus a few donated boxes. We know that's not a lot. BUT I also know without a doubt that their Girl Scout spirit saved the day; without their willingness to never give up they may not have had any sales at all. They remained positive, cheerful, and full of hope throughout. Every Girl has rough days at booths - I hope Addie's and Mimi's story gives others the courage and determination to push through, no matter what! When you work hard, it pays off. Way to go, girls!!
Week 2 - Cadette/Senior/Ambassador Winner: Ali C. of Cadette Troop 57795
"Cookie season is a lot of hard work, but it's really helped me learn how to interact with people from a lot of different backgrounds in a professional and respectful way. At this point in the sale as booth sales slow down, it's especially important to connect directly with customers. I LOVE going door-to-door with my dad and have already visited over 250 houses in my school zone, sometimes squeezing in 20 or 30 minute outings in between school and soccer. I let customers know about the Five Skills and all the awesome things me and my troop are able to do with our cookie proceeds. Customers are especially excited to hear about my Silver Award project. I'm working with our local fire department to sew anatomical vests for CPR manikins so that people learning CPR can feel comfortable providing help to people who are experiencing health emergencies, regardless of their body shape or size. When people don't answer their door, I leave a door hanger, but not just a plain one. It's one that I've ""Ali-fied"" with *MY* cookie story, info about the cookie program, my specific goals, my Digital Cookie link, and my contact info. Customers also seem to really like being able to think about which cookies they want before placing an order online for Girl Delivery. When I deliver their cookies, I include a handwritten thank you note that also says ""If you were happy with the Girl Scout cookie service I provided, please tell a friend!"" and lets them know I'm able to take additional orders through March 24th. I already have several customers who are already on round 2 of orders with me this year. I've come a long way since I was a Kindergarten Daisy, and I know my People Skills from the cookie program will be helpful for my whole life! "
Week 1: Daisy/Brownie/Junior Winner: Junior troop 27495: Jane W., Emma G., Reagan M., Havana C., and Hattie C.
Our juniors rocked their morning booth at the Lakeville Fleet Farm! They came with lots of energy and were eager to increase our donations to the children’s hospital and food shelf this year. The girls split up and a couple went to the entrance to promote sales. They made up a catchy cookie cheer and were able to collect a few sales right at the entrance! At the table the girls were sharing their favorite cookies with customers. One of our girls would describe Adventurefuls in detail - starting with the brownie cookie, chewy caramel, chocolate drizzle and a sprinkle of sea salt! We sold a whole case! They also made sure to let customers know we were taking donations and collected money to donate 20 boxes! It was a team effort to get closer to their season goals and most of the troop rotated through our 4 hour shift. I’m super proud of these girls. They’ve grown a lot over the last couple of seasons and are becoming very good at approaching and talking to customers.
Week 1 - Cadette/Senior/Ambassador Winners: Juliette Cadette Rowan F.
Rowan is a hardworking 11-year-old Juliette Girl Scout who carefully planned her goals before the start of the 2024 cookie season and brainstormed strategies to sell as many boxes as possible through online-only sales. After researching online, she determined that her biggest goal this year is to sell cookies to customers in all 50 states in order to earn her "50 States Cookie Challenge" badge - a fun and engaging challenge that would help keep her motivated as she works towards her high sales goal.
Rowan created image advertisements as well as basic video "commercials" to share with her community. She learned how quickly she was able to reach people through the power of social networks. Most of her sales have been the result of her contacts sharing with their friends and family, and those friends and family then further sharing with their own network. Through these networks, she has already been able to reach customers in 44 of the 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., our nation's capital. Less than 3 weeks in, she has almost completed the challenge to earn this badge, and in the process, she has already sold over 1200 boxes to more than 200 customers!
Rowan wants other scouts to know that they can achieve their goals if they stay motivated. She shares her biggest tip: find a special challenge to achieve, like the 50 States challenge, because, "You will have fun! It makes each sale doubly rewarding, and customers feel good helping scouts reach our goals!"
Girl Scouts in the winning troops will receive the 2024 Cookie Pro patch and all weekly winners will be eligible to win "Cookie Pro of the Year" which is a grand prize of a $200 credit towards admission of either an Escape Room or Trampoline Park. Submit your troop or Juliette’s story today.
