Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey's Nancy Zimmerman makes a great case for the entrepreneurial skills developed by girls while participating in the Girl Scout Cookie Program. She relates that thousands of New Jersey Girl Scouts are are putting their entrepreneurial and leadership skills into practice by taking orders for Girl Scout Cookies.As most people involved in Girl Scouting know, the cookie sale program allows girls to gain important financial literacy skills and hone their personal leadership style. The girls develop business acumen by setting goals, managing resources and marketing product. Historically, the cookie sale has been an entrepreneurial enterprise for many of the Girl Scouts. The top individual seller within the Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey Council have in the past sold close to 2,000 boxes on an individual level. Both individuals and troops earn rewards based on the level of cookie sales reached.
Philanthropy and community service are also integral aspects of the program as girls can ask customers, through The Gift of Caring Community Service Project, to purchase and donate additional boxes of cookies for a charity chosen by the troop. The "Gift of Caring" is a program developed for Girl Scouts as a Community Service Project which encourages customers to purchase cookies from girls that their Troops will then donate to worthwhile causes.
Selling cookies is a major fundraiser for Girl Scout councils. Nearly 80 percent of the money stays within the local council and the remaining 20 percent goes to the bakery. The girls learn goal-setting, money management and teamwork skills by participating in this program.
Read the entire piece here! Has the Girl Scout Cookie Program contributed to the financial literacy of a girl you know?