Activity Description: Youths learn how to approach businesses for cookie sales and practice building professional partnerships with an option to add social responsibility as a feature.
Items Needed:
- List of local businesses to consider
- Notebook or paper for notes
- Pen or pencil
- (Optional) Flyer, pamphlet, or digital proposal to share with businesses
- (Optional) Thank you card or small appreciation idea
Instructions (Estimated Total Time: 30–45 min):
- Identify business prospects. (5–6 min)
- Youth brainstorm local businesses that might support cookie sales. Consider businesses that give community donations, use gifts for clients, or employ family and friends.
- (Optional) Explain Social Responsibility (1–2 min)
- Social responsibility in business means that companies have a duty to think about more than just making money. Companies should also consider how their choices affect people, communities, and the environment. A socially responsible business might reduce waste to protect nature, treat employees fairly, donate to local charities, or support programs that help others. By doing this, businesses show they care about being “good citizens,” which builds trust with customers and makes employees proud to work there.
- (Optional) Determine the Troops Social Responsibility (5–10 min)
- Youth connect troop sales goals to ways they help others.
- Create a simple flyer or handout showing how the troop is socially responsible and why businesses should support them.
- Research and plan. (5–6 min)
- Youth write down each business’s values and how cookies could be useful to them. Decide what level of support (how many cases they might purchase) might fit each business.
- Prepare a proposal and pitch. (8–20 min)
- Youth create a sales pitch that would appeal to these businesses. Practice speaking clearly and confidently about the proposal.
- (Optional) Youth create a simple flyer, pamphlet, or digital document explaining troop goals and cookie program benefits.
- Role-play business meetings. (5–6 min)
- Youth take turns practicing how to introduce themselves, explain the proposal, and make the ask. Practice answering simple questions honestly and politely.
- Show appreciation. (3–4 min)
- Youth plan how to thank businesses that support them. Options include writing a thank you note, making a small video, or giving a box of cookies as a gift.
- (Optional) Add to resume. (2–3 min)
- Once a sale has been made to a business, youth can list “Business-to-Business sales” as a skill on a resume. This highlights experience in professional communication and partnership building.
Why Businesses Buy Cases of Cookies
Here’s the streamlined single bullet list in the format you requested:
- Client Gifts – Businesses can give cookies to clients as a simple and thoughtful gift.
- Employee Appreciation – Cookies can be handed out to employees as a thank-you or morale booster.
- Community Donations – Companies can donate cookies to local charities, schools, or shelters to support the community.
- Special Events – Cookies can be served at company parties, customer days, or open houses.
- Corporate Social Responsibility – Sponsoring cookies shows a business’s commitment to giving back and supporting youth programs.
- Brand Image and Publicity – Supporting Girl Scouts highlights community involvement and can improve a company’s reputation.
Step-by-Step Tutorials:
- Alternate Instructions: GSSEF: Corporate Cookie Connections
- Alternate Instructions: GSWNY: Cookie Community Manager Program
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Click Here -> See what GSUSA Requirements could be met in Customer Category
Leaders – please be aware of double dipping and make your own informed choice.
Info Needed for Customer Practice: Learn what to say to customers and practice it.
- Fulfills Step 3 of GSUSA Daisy My First Cookie Business badge requirements.
- Fulfills Step 5 of GSUSA Brownie My Cookie Customers badge requirements.
- Fulfills Step 5 of GSUSA Junior Cookie Collaborator badge requirements.
Info Needed for Customer Sharing: Share the reason for the cookie sale with customers.
- Fulfills Step 3 of GSUSA Daisy Cookie Goal Setter badge requirements.
Info Needed for Pitches: Make a sales pitch and practice, create a video, or write it down and get feedback (Ambassador needs feedback from 3 mentors).
- Fulfills Step 3 of GSUSA Daisy My First Cookie Business badge requirements.
- Fulfills Step 5 of GSUSA Junior My Cookie Team badge requirements.
- Fulfills Step 4 of GSUSA Senior Cookie Boss badge requirements.
- Fulfills Step 4 of GSUSA Ambassador My Cookie Business Resume badge requirements.
- Fulfills Step 2 of GSUSA Ambassador Cookie Influencer badge requirements.
Info Needed for Customer Reach: Make a list of potential customers and ways to reach them (i.e. a social media campaign).
- Fulfills Step 3 of GSUSA Brownie My Cookie Customers badge requirements.
- Fulfills Step 4 of GSUSA Junior Cookie Collaborator badge requirements.
- Fulfills Step 5 of GSUSA Cadette Cookie Innovator badge requirements.
- Fulfills Step 4 of GSUSA Senior My Cookie Network badge requirements.
- Fulfills Step 5 of GSUSA Senior Cookie Boss badge requirements.
This activity does not meet any Scouting America Requirement
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Click Here -> See what GSUSA Requirements could be met in Plan Category
Leaders – please be aware of double dipping and make your own informed choice.
Info Needed for Spirit Plans: Decorate your booth, make a cookie costume, OR make a cookie song/dance.
- Fulfills Step 5 of GSUSA Brownie Cookie Decision Maker badge requirements.
Info Needed for Teamwork Plans: Decide how roles are assigned when selling cookies at booths or in the troop.
- Fulfills Step 3 of GSUSA Brownie Cookie Decision Maker badge requirements.
- Fulfills Step 4 of GSUSA Junior My Cookie Team badge requirements.
Info Needed for Sales Plans: Make a sales plan, write the specifics of your plan, and get feedback.
- Fulfills Steps 4 and 5 of GSUSA Cadette My Cookie Venture badge requirements.
- Fulfills Step 3 of GSUSA Cadette Cookie Innovator badge requirements.
- Fulfills Step 3 of GSUSA Senior Cookie Boss badge requirements.
Info Needed for Marketing Plans: Make a general marketing plan, detail the marketing plan, and schedule it out
- Fulfills Steps 4 and 5 of GSUSA Cadette Cookie Market Researcher badge requirements.
- Fulfills Step 5 of GSUSA Senior My Cookie Network badge requirements.
- Fulfills Step 3 of GSUSA Ambassador My Cookie Business Resume badge requirements.
- Fulfills Step 4 of GSUSA Ambassador Cookie Influencer badge requirements.
This activity does not meet any Scouting America Requirements
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Click Here -> See what GSUSA Requirements are met in C/S/A Extras Category
Leaders – please be aware of double dipping and make your own informed choice.
Info Needed for Business Ethics: Learn about Business Ethics and how it applies to cookie sales.
- Fulfills Step 4 of GSUSA Cadette Cookie Innovator badge requirements.
Info Needed for Business Skills: Learn a new business skill (i.e. mentor, research, video)
- Fulfills Step 2 of GSUSA Ambassador Cookie Influencer badge requirements.
Info Needed for Mission Statements: Learn what a mission statement is and make your own.
- Fulfills Step 3 of GSUSA Cadette My Cookie Venture badge requirements.
Info Needed for Portfolios: Learn what a portfolio is and make one from your cookie experiences.
- Fulfills Step 5 of GSUSA Ambassador My Cookie Business Resume badge requirements.
Info Needed for Resumes: Learn what a resume is and how your past with cookie sales can be used on it.
- Fulfills Step 2 of GSUSA Ambassador My Cookie Business Resume badge requirements.
Info Needed for Social Responsibility: Learn what social responsibility is and share what you’re troop will do with customers.
- Fulfills Step 3 of GSUSA Cadette Cookie Market Researcher badge requirements.
- Fulfills Step 3 of GSUSA Senior My Cookie Network badge requirements.
Info Needed for Teaching: Use your knowledge of cookie sales (flavors, costs, goal setting, customer lists, marketing tools) and teach someone.
- Fulfills Steps 1 and 5 of GSUSA Ambassador Cookie Influencer badge requirements.
Info Needed for Value Proposition: Learn what a value proposition is and create a pitch.
- Fulfills Step 3 of GSUSA Ambassador Cookie Influencer badge requirements.
This activity does not meet any Scouting America Requirements
