Cookies

Where Girl Scout Cookie Proceeds Really Go

Girl Scout Cookies are about so much more than the sweet treats we anticipate each season; your purchase powers life-changing adventures for girls while helping them build real-life skills. Here’s how it’s done.  

As the biggest annual financial investment in girls in the United States, the Girl Scout Cookie Program sets the stage for girls to discover their inner leadership potential. All year long, they map out their plans to influence the world around them, be it through nurturing their love of the outdoors or using science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to create sustainable solutions. Their vision for a better tomorrow is realized when you support the largest girl-led entrepreneurship program in the world. For some girls, it means putting their cookie money toward impactful community projects right in their own backyards. For others, it means saving up to fund travel so they can see firsthand the world that they’ll one day transform.  

Whatever their plans are, one thing’s for certain: the proceeds from Girl Scout Cookies stay in your local area to benefit girls and Girl Scout councils. Councils depend on these earnings to run their programming, which prepares Girl Scouts for a lifetime of leadership, success, and adventure in a safe, no-limits place designed for and by girls! 

Offering hands-on, girl-centered learning in STEM, the outdoors, and entrepreneurship, as well as abundant opportunities to develop invaluable life skills, Girl Scouts helps all girls take the lead early and often. The Girl Scout Leadership Experience pairs girls with strong, caring female role models and mentors who encourage them to step up and make their voices heard. And we’re backed by more than 100 years of experience. 

The sweetest part of all?  

Your purchase and support of a Girl Scout’s cookie business means that you, too, are making sure data is not destiny; research shows that female-founded start-ups generate more revenue over time than male-founded start-ups, but unfortunately, only 17 percent are female-founded. Thanks to the Girl Scout Cookie Program, however, we’re changing that—girls as young as five are building business savvy that proves to be crucial to shattering glass ceilings through skills like goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics. It’s no wonder over half of female entrepreneurs are Girl Scout alums.  So, at a time when the world needs more women in the boardroom, support a more equitable future and treat yourself—it’s a win-win! 

Because the iconic cookie program is not only developing the next generation of female business leaders but also inciting real change in communities across the globe.  

A cookie has never tasted so sweet. 

Are you ready to help girls succeed? Use our Cookie Finder to find Girl Scout Cookies near you! 

Bullying

4 Ways You Can Take Action to Fight Bullying

Bullying: it’s something we’re all too familiar with—whether we’ve experienced it or witnessed it. No matter how it’s done (verbally or physically) or where it happens (online or offline), bullying has been shown to cause social, emotional, mental, and physical damage in the short and the long term. 

If you’re wondering how to take action against it, check out how some Girl Scouts have dedicated their time to bullying prevention. Just like these G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™ standouts, you can make a difference in your own right. 

1) Challenge It 

The girls of Girl Scout Troop 91046 noticed how gossiping can create a negative atmosphere at school, so they launched the No Gossip Tuesdays challenge to promote positivity and friendship among middle-school students in Brunswick, Ohio. After getting permission from school principals, they placed signs on the cafeteria tables that read “Think before you speak” and offered discussion topic ideas. With the students being encouraged to replace small talk with more engaging conversation, they’re likelier to build strong, positive relationship with one another and make lunchtime a safe space for everyone.

The troop is currently working on bringing No Gossip Tuesdays to other local middle schools for a larger impact. In the words of its members, “Even at 12 or 13 years of age, you have the potential to make someone’s day, to be kind, to say something nice, to lend a helping hand.” 

2) Raise Awareness 
When we think about bullying, we like to think that we aren’t contributing to it in any way. And yet, through certain actions of ours, we can wind up doing just this. So although it’s hard to admit that we, too, can engage in bullying behavior, learning about it—in all its shapes and forms—is the first step to stopping or preventing it. 

Girl Scout Tatum made it her mission to educate local youth on the subject. She organized a three-on-three basketball tournament to, in a unique way, bring attention to bullying and help participants learn about the different forms it can take and how to take action against it.

3) Spread Positivity

Thinking of students who retreat to bathrooms when they’re angry or sad, Girl Scout Troop 4664 painted positive messages across the 42 bathroom stalls of a local school. Messages include “Broken crayons still color,” “You are brave,” “Good vibes only,” ‘”Dream, Strive, Become,” “Drive with purpose,” “You are enough,” and “Be humble and kind.”

Says Girl Scout Shafer, “We thought it would be good to help people early on in their lives to be motivated and self-confident.” 

4) Facilitate Friendships 

If you’ve spent time in school, you know how hard it can be to make friends. You may have eaten lunch by yourself on many occasions, wishing you could share it with someone. This feeling of isolation is pretty common among students, and it can make one an easy target for bullying.

With that in mind, the girls of Troop 8457 built and installed a “buddy bench”on the playground of their local elementary school, to encourage kids to spend time together and foster friendships.

Like these Girl Scouts, you have the power to challenge and reduce the incidence of bullying. Start with your own community. Work with teachers, counselors, and administrators to change the culture that can contribute to bullying behaviors. Host events to educate your neighbors. Create safe spaces for students to share their experiences and take positive action together. Although bullying can make both victims and witnesses feel helpless, there is always something that can be done.