Introduce girls to the fun and excitement of the Girl Scout Cookie Program

Transcription

1 Introduce girls to the fun and excitement of the Girl Scout Cookie Program Kick off your Girl Scout cookie season with the ultimate party for girls: a Girl Scout cookie rally! A great rally is designed to build skills and get results. Girls have hands on experiences in leadership as they participate in the largest girl-led business in the world building upon The 5 Skills: goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills and business ethics. In this step by step guide, you ll find tips to assist your service unit in planning a cookie rally. Use this guide to plan a rally that will build excitement and deliver the kind of fun and learning needed to prepare girls for a successful cookie program. SAMPLE RALLY ACTIVITIES Theme Signage (use for booth sales as well) Safety Pinwheels Charge your cookie sale with technology Festive flag banners Donation displays Super simple cookie costumes Cookie tasting station Money matters Amazing recognition display The business of badges Learning cheers or cookie songs

2 1. Begin with the basics Planning a Rally A five - step guide to provide fun and inspiration for your girls! WHY? Use your time and resources to do what matters most. Set big goals to: sell another box, find another customer or engage another girl. WHERE? Choose a location that has enough space to set up six to eight cookie stations for small group activities, as well as an open space where the whole group can assemble. WHEN? Hold the rally before the start of the Girl Scout cookie season. Check community calendars to make sure your rally date doesn t conflict with any special events or holidays. Allow approximately two hours for the rally itself. Don t forget to allow time for set - up and clean up when reserving the space. HOW MUCH? Determine the cost per girl. (Materials, activities, refreshments, patch cost, promotional materials, etc.) 2. Get the word out Send out electronic announcements or a flyer to the leaders, parents and volunteers in your Service Unit inviting them to bring girls to the rally. Give plenty of advance notice so everyone can save the date. Let them know why they should come and if they need to bring anything to the rally. 3. Plan the details What is your agenda? o Plan on girls staying at each station for minutes, depending on the kind of stations you choose. Modify the activities for the facility you are using and the talents you want to showcase. Make sure you have music or a way of alerting the girls when it is time to rotate to another station. Provide volunteers with a list of activities and direction of how the girls should proceed through the stations. Make note of what badge activities the girls are fulfilling by participating in the rally. Treat parents like VIP s set up a parent lounge where they can hangout during the rally. What supplies do you need? o Have a list for each station with the materials that will be needed for the activity. o Name stations so the girls will know where they go next. Designate a large area where the girls can assemble at the beginning and closing of the rally. Find lively music that can be played in the background during parts of the rally. 4. Rally run through In a pre-rally run through with volunteers, share the information, assign tasks and get everyone excited about the rally. You may have some great ideas to share. Keep the meeting light, fun and motivating. Encourage volunteers to come up with ways to decorate their stations. Provide volunteers with a sample of the activity from the station they are assigned. Allow the volunteers to showcase their strengths and allow them to improvise. 5. It s a wrap! So how did it go? Evaluate your rally and take notes for the next year.

3 Sample Agenda 1. Set up: 1 hour Set up tables and supplies for each station. Use theme signage to name the stations. Set up a large area for the whole group to meet and make sure you have plenty of room and a microphone if you need one. Make sure all the volunteers are present and ready to keep the girls motivated and having fun. 2. Registration: minutes Direct guests to sign in at the registration table where they can pick up name tags, rally station cards, and an agenda with instructions for the event. 3. Welcome: 10 minutes Opening: Welcome everyone, recite the Girl Scout Promise. Get the party started. Make announcements and what the agenda will be. Encourage them to visit every station and once their card/passport is full they will receive a treat. (Rally patch) Get the crowd cheering or singing cookie songs. Maybe have some of the girls come out in cookie costumes for an introduction. 4. Rally stations: minutes The must-haves: o How to set a goal o Marketing / blinging your booth o Technology to create sales o Safety o Recognitions if samples are not available, enlarge the recognitions and post on foam board o How to earn Girl Scout Cookie Pins 5. Whole group activity: 20 minutes Plan time for the entire group to gather together. This is a great time to showcase the volunteers or maybe the girls who won a contest (if you had one) or maybe whoever made an exceptional cookie costume, etc. 6. Wrap up: 10 minutes Thank everyone for coming and hand out participation certificates or prizes. Thank the volunteers with a Thank You Volunteer certificate. Have everyone fill out a short evaluation. Send them off with a wish for a successful cookie season! Patch can be purchased in the shop:

4 Activity Station Designs Group Activity: CHEER: IT S COOKIE TIME With all our favorites That s right say it loud AN-TI-CI-PA-TION Sing out, scream and shout, Fi-n lly cookies are here Good to be chill-in out I m on the clock, no time to stop Now that s what it s All a-bout Ready for some cookie time, For my troop to shake and dance I m here to stay, - not mov-in a-way, ready for a big number day ev-ry bod-y read-y, go-in crazy, yeah We re out. Come on and let me hear you say it now, Right now It s an education vacation And the party never has to stop We ve got things to do we ll see you soon And we re really gonna sell them all Good luck to you and you, And you and you We ll see you at the mall Ev-ry bod-y read-y, go-in cra-zy, With all our favorites That s right Get them out, no time to snooze I m here to sell til I m out Yeah we re out Come on and let me hear you say it now Right now With all your favorites That s right, say it loud What time is it? Its cookie time AN-TI-CI-PA-TION Suns out, scream and shout. Got to get up and sell them again Cause now our time is all we have E-nough al-read-y, we re waiting Come on, lets go Out of control What time is it Cookie time is fi-n ly here lets cel-e-brate Wanna hear you loud and clear now Sing and shout We can sell as much as we want to It s our time Now we can do what-ever we have to We re lov-in it C mon and say it again now Let s go and have the time of our lives! Theme Signage: Add excitement with creative theme signage. Supplies: PVC pipe, connectors, foam board, decorative tape, sprinkler box, chalkboard paint. (Illustration located on the back page)

5 Safety Pinwheels: Girls can learn cookie program safety tips as they construct their embellished pinwheels. Supplies: Pinwheel template, scissors, markers, glue and brads. Charge your Cookie Sale with Technology: It s a digital world use these 21 st Century tools to rev up your sales. Girls can post their tips and goals for super charging their sales with technology. Get the word out that it s Cookie Time and collect orders techie style. Supplies: Poster board, paint, markers, push pins (or tape), clip art, tech templates. Internet Safetyy promise (attached) (Illustrations located on thee back page) Festive Flag Banners: Make it a banner moment with a colorful, versatile signage. String your row of flag banners across cookie booths, office cubicles, or the sidee of your car or trunk. With the right messaging, you can get the word out about price, goals and troop number. This makes a great troop project. Supplies: Flag clip art, markers and string.

6 Donation Displays: Create head turning displays for your Project Thank You donation drop box. Project Thank You displays grab the attention of your customers to drive more donations. Include postcards for customers to send a note to make it interactive. Supplies: Poster board or foam board, cardboard boxes, markers, glue, clip art, paint or scrapbook paper. Let the girls be as creative as they can be. (Illustration located on the back page) Super Simple Cookie Costumes: These handcrafted cookie costumes are attention grabbing and sale builders. Customers can t resist the excitement surrounding a cookie seller in a handmade cookie costume. Add a tagline for a conversation starter to close the sale. Supplies: Cardboard or poster board, colored paper, glue, ribbon, cookie character clip art. Cookie Station Tasting: Calling all tasters to the yummiest station ever! The best way to know the product you are selling is to taste them at the rally. Supplies: Girl Scout Cookies, napkins, plates and an allergen statement.

7 Money Matters: Roll the financial literacy dice to build money handling skills. Money management is a key skill girls will learn and use throughout the cookie sale. Engage girls in the change counting activity to build their skillss and confidence in making change. Supplies: Dice template, play money, calculator, change chart, toy cash register or cash box. Amazing Recognition Display: Build excitement around all the greatt recognitions the girls can earn when they reach their goals. Provide an opportunity to touch and see the recognition items to build their excitement. Supplies: Recognition sample set The Businesss of Badges: Inspire girls to get the most outt of the cookie program by highlighting the GSUSA cookie badges and pins. Online Resources:

8 Post, tweet, watch and share GSHCC, GSUSA and ABCC Bakers have fantastic tools for the cookie promotion on social media. Check out the social media toolkit at girlscoutshcc.org/cookies Clip Art FRAME: PVC Pipe Sample of a free standing sign for cookie rallies and booth sales: Foam Board PVC PVC ICV valve box or coffee can with sand etc.

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10 The Girl Scout Cookie Activity Pin Celebrating the 5 Skills with girls! All girls who participate in the Girl Scout Cookie Program are eligible to earn the annual Cookie Activity Pin. When they earn the pin, invite girls to share their accomplishments in each of the 5 Skills. Here s how girls achieve the 5 Skills through the Girl Scout Cookie Program: The Cookie Activity Pin is available in August for purchase at your local store or through The pin is a different color every year. 1. Goal Setting Set personal learning goals. What do you want to learn this year? What do you want to do better? Share this with at least one other person or your group. Set personal sales goals for yourself based on your personal and group goals. Keep a record of your accomplishments each year! 2. Decision Making Develop a basic business plan for your cookie sale. Work as a team with other Girl Scouts to decide when and where you ll sell cookies and what you ll do with the money you earn. 3. Money Management Develop a budget for accomplishing at least one of the goals you set in the Goal Setting step. Use this budget to help determine your sales goals. Be able to explain how the money earned in the Girl Scout Cookie Program helps you, your group, and your council. 4. People Skills Practice your elevator speech for customers about what you are selling, why you are selling it, and why they should purchase it. Make a list of customers you will approach. Don t forget people you sold to last year! 5. Business Ethics Discuss how living the Girl Scout Promise and Law applies to what you do in the Girl Scout Cookie Program as a businesswoman.

11 Creating Cookie Success Here s a handy checklist for adults! You can make this year s Cookie Program a success and help your Girl Scout develop the 5 Skills she ll learn from selling cookies. Here s how: Support Your Girl Scout Go to the family cookie information meeting. Sign and return all permission slips. Provide transportation for order taking and delivery. Help your Girl Scout network with family and friends, but let her do the ask so she can learn important business skills. Help her arrange to take orders at your place of work, place of worship, or other places where people might purchase Girl Scout Cookies. Attend your council training to become the group cookie coordinator (or help out the group cookie coordinator when another adult is needed). Offer to be a supervising adult there are lots of opportunities to lend a hand. Share your business expertise and help link the Girl Scout Cookie Program with the wider business world. Follow your Girl Scout Council and group guidelines on how to handle cookie proceeds. Never do things for your Girl Scout that she can do for herself!

12 Coach Your Girl Scout Listen to her practice her sales pitch. Review cookie materials together and visit Girl Scout Cookie and cookie company websites with her to help her learn more about her product. Ask her questions maybe even pretend to be a potential customer. Guide her to set practical and useful goals about what she wants to learn and earn. Listen to her describe what her goals are for the money earned through the sale. Be a role model for business ethics and safety rules. Have fun with her! Remember that the Girl Scout Cookie Program is a part of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience, which is girl-driven. Let your Girl Scout take the lead in selling cookies and reaching goals. Your encouragement, coaching, and guidance will be key ingredients to a successful Cookie Program experience for her. For more information on the Girl Scout Leadership Experience, visit

13 Girl Scout Internet Safety Pledge* for All Girl Scouts I will not give out personal information such as my address, telephone number(s), parent's or guardians' work address/telephone number(s), and the name and location of my school without the permission of my parent or guardian. I will tell an adult right away if I come across or receive any information that makes me feel uncomfortable. I will always follow the rules of Internet sites, including those rules that are based on age of use, parental approval and knowledge, and public laws. I will never agree to get together with someone I "meet" online without first checking with my parents or guardians. If my parents or guardian agree to a meeting, I will arrange it in a public place and bring a parent or guardian along. I will never send a person my picture or anything else without first checking with my parent or guardian. I will talk with my parent or guardian so that we can set up rules for going online. We will decide on the time of day that I can be online, the length of time that I can be online, and appropriate areas for me to visit. I will not access other areas or break these rules without their permission. I will not use the Internet to collect money for Girl Scout products, and I will follow all safety guidelines related to Girl Scout product sales. I will practice online "netiquette" (good manners) at all times when online. o o o I won't spam others. I will not bully nor will I tolerate bullying (and I will always tell a trusted adult if this is a problem). I won't use bad language. I will be guided by the Girl Scout Promise and Law in all that I do online. Signed, Girl Name Date Parent or Guardian Date *The GSUSA Online Safety Pledge is based upon the Online Safety Pledge developed by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. (Revised 2010)

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15 Sample of poster that might be used at a booth sale for Project thank you Project Thank You Project Thank You is a great opportunity for the public to support the Girl Scout Cookie Program and their community. Girl Scout troops have the opportunity to participate in Project Thank You to support military families inn their area as well as veterans in local hospitals. Troops may also choose to donate their Project Thank Youu cookies to a local charity of their choice. Project PP Thank You

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