World’s largest girl-led entrepreneurial program takes place Jan. 21 to March 3 across Central, Northern Arizona!
For six weeks each year, Girl Scouts in Arizona participate in the largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world: the Girl Scout Cookie Program. From Jan. 21 - March 3, more than 11,000 girls in central and northern Arizona will be walking around neighborhoods and boothing in front of local stores learning entrepreneurial skills while selling delicious cookies.
“It is important to understand that Girl Scout Cookies are about far more than just money and sweet treats,” says Tamara Woodbury, CEO Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council (GSACPC). “The cookie program is one of the most effective financial literacy programs in the world, developing girls’ skills in five key areas: goal setting; decision making; money management; people skills; and business ethics.”
These are essential skills needed to successfully navigate life – whether working on a high-school science project, running a household, being a project manager or a company CEO. Not many organizations offer these key business skills to girls.
“Not only is every cookie sale a teachable moment, but because all proceeds stay local, girls across Arizona are able to enjoy summer camp, STEM programs, field trips and even adventures out of state in a safe environment,” says Woodbury. “Sales also have the potential to impact the community as troops reinvest their proceeds with service projects.”
Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council sold 2.9 million packages of cookies last year. This year’s goal is 3 million packages.
Here is a snapshot of the season at a glance:
The Cookie Lineup
- Thin Mints: Mint flavored (and vegan) cookies with a delicious chocolaty coating. $5
- Tagalongs: Layers of peanut butter with a rich, chocolaty coating. $5
- Samoas: Caramel and toasted coconut-covered cookies. $5
- Trefoils: Iconic and delicious shortbread cookies. $5
- Do-si-dos: Crisp and crunchy oatmeal outside and creamy peanut butter inside. $5
- Savannah Smiles: Zesty, lemon-flavored cookies dusted with powdered sugar. $5
- Girl Scout S’mores: Crunchy graham sandwich cookies with creamy chocolate and marshmallowy filling. $6
- Toffee-tastics: Buttery (and gluten-free) cookies with sweet, crunchy golden toffee bits. $6
Cookie Clarifications
- The new gluten-free Caramel Chocolate Chip cookie (announced nationally in August) will not be available in Arizona. Since 2014, GSACPC has been offering the equally delicious and gluten-free cookie, Toffee-tastic! A buttery cookie packed with golden toffee bits bursting with flavor.
- Toffee-tastics will sell for $6.00 a box. Only troops that have opted into selling this cookie will have them, so it will be available in limited quantities.
- Bakery Confusion: Did you know that there are two commercial bakers licensed by Girl Scouts of the USA to produce Girl Scout Cookies? The GSACPC bakery is Little Brownie Bakers. Therefore, some councils offer different cookies or have slightly different named cookies.
- There are two Girl Scout Councils in Arizona: GSACPC provides cookies for customers in central and northern Arizona. The 2019 Cookie Season for Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona, covering Tucson and Yuma, is Jan. 19-March 3, 2019.
Booths
Girls will be setting up a temporary “shop” in front of local businesses and sometimes other locations like sporting events, church and community events selling cookies. Partner booth locations this year include: Fry’s Marketplace, Safeway, Bashas’ Family of Stores (including AJ’s, Food City and Diné Market on the Navajo Nation), Joann Fabric and Craft Stores, Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club, Goodwill, ASU and GCU.
Walkabouts
To encourage local girls to directly connect with their communities, as well as learn valuable lessons about public speaking, work ethic and ingenuity, the council is encouraging Girl Scouts to conduct more “Walkabouts.” Through Walkabouts, Girl Scouts are encouraged to walk their neighborhoods selling cookies door-to-door in residential areas with adult supervision and visit cookie customers from years’ past. It’s also a strategic sales channel in this on-demand economy (kind of like DoorDash for Girl Scout Cookies).
The Cookie Finder app
Visit girlscoutsaz.org/cookiefinder and use the Girl Scout Cookie Finder to find a cookie booth near you. It’s simple – just enter your zip code and choose from a list of locations nearby. If you want cookie finder access on-the-go download the free Girl Scout Cookie Finder app onto your iOS or Android mobile device from Google Play or the Apple store.
Digital Cookie
The Girl Scout Cookie Program goes beyond the booth with Digital Cookie. Digital Cookie helps take the five essential life skills girls learn through the traditional cookie program to a whole new level—introducing lessons about online marketing, application use, and ecommerce to Girl Scouts, through building their own cookie website and managing their virtual sales.
In addition, girls can use the Digital Cookie Mobile App to accept mobile payments from customers in-person.
Where Does Cookie Money Go
Did you know? 100% of GSACPC Cookie proceeds stay local to benefit Girl Scouting in Arizona.
When you purchase Girl Scout Cookies from a young, budding
entrepreneur, you’re supporting her success today and tomorrow. This
includes individual Girl Scouts and their troops, and all girls
Council-wide. Girl Scout Cookies’ proceeds stay in Arizona to:
- Fund service projects for the community and amazing girl-led adventures for troops
- Help councils provide Girl Scout programs in STEM, the outdoors, life skills, and entrepreneurship, as well as camps, leadership training and more!
- Cover the cost of running the Girl Scout Cookie Program, including the costs of cookies, materials, and logistics.
Girl Scout Cookie Entrepreneurs also earn rewards on their individual sales. They can choose to receive incentive prizes or “Program Credits.” Program Credits can be used to help pay for summer camp (Cookies for Camp), membership dues, Girl Scout travel and other programs and events.
6th Annual Girl Scout Cookie Dessert Challenge
Feb. 1-28, 2019
For the 6th year in a row, participating chefs from restaurants across central and northern Arizona will go head-to-head to create a winning dessert with one of the Girl Scout Cookie flavors. The participating restaurants are helping promote the largest entrepreneurial program in the world and ultimately investing in their community. Throughout the month of February, the desserts will be sold in participating restaurants and proceeds will go towards supporting Girl Scouting in our community!
During the challenge, fans can visit girlscoutsaz.org/dessert-challenge to vote for their favorite dessert. The dessert with the most votes at the end of the challenge will be crowned the 2019 Girl Scout Dessert Challenge Champion!
The friendly competition provides a great opportunity for local businesses to support and inspire future entrepreneurs—Girl Scouts!
Participating locations include:
- The Thumb
- Rusconi's American Kitchen
- Aioli Burger
- 32 Shea
- LoveCraft
- ZuZu at Hotel Valley Ho
- PNPK
- Ocean Prime
- The Herb Box
- Proof Canteen at the Four Seasons Scottsdale
- The Phoenix Ale Brewery Central Kitchen
- Silver Pine Restaurant at Little America Hotel
- Jake’s Unlimited
- Original Gravity
- Babbo Italian Eatery, eight Valley locations
