Earning the Girl Scout Cookie Activity Pin

Girl Scouts! Did you know that in addition to earning troop and individual rewards, you can also earn a Cookie Activity Pin for your work with the Girl Scout Cookie Program?

Each year, the pin is a different color–that means you can earn a new one each year! Here’s how it’s done. Focus on The Five Skills (they are cleverly written on the side of every cookie package if you’ve forgotten them), either individually or as a troop activity. Wouldn’t it be great if your entire troop earned the Girl Scout Cookie Activity pin?

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.

Adults also play a key role as they coach and mentor girls by focusing on these three key learning approaches throughout the Girl Scout Cookie Program.

Girl-led: Girls play an active part in figuring out the what, where, when, how, and why of their activities. They lead the planning and decision-making as much as possible.

Learning by doing: Girls engage in continuous cycles of action and reflection that result in deeper understanding of concepts and mastery of practical skills.

Cooperative learning: Girls work together toward common goals in an atmosphere of respect and collaboration that encourages the sharing of skills, knowledge, and learning.

The Five Skills that you develop as part of the Girl Scout Cookie program aren’t just important for selling cookies–they are life skills that you’ll use again and again. Whether you’re budgeting or managing money earned from an allowance, part-time job or gifts, you’ll be glad you learned about finances through Girl Scouts.