Troop Cookie Manager Guide - 2015

2015
Troop Cookiee
Manager Guid
CONTENTS
Cookie Program Benefits & Resources...................................................2
Getting Started & Responsibilities............................................................3
Cookie Program Basics
Cookie Lineup...................................................................................................4
Calendars & Checklists.................................................................................5
5 Skills & Badges...............................................................................................9
Sample Family/Troop Meeting Agenda.................................................10
Cookie Program Profit/Rewards............................................................... 11
Initial Cookie Order....................................................................................... 13
Cookie Delivery..............................................................................................14
Selling Cookies and Booth Sales.............................................................. 15
Cookie Finances and Conduct................................................................. 17
Troop User eBudde Guide........................................................................20
This guide is intended to be interactive
and used primarily online but please print
a copy for your reference if you’d like!
When you see text in this guide that looks
like this, you will know that it is a clickable
link that will take you directly to a
resource on the internet!
Dear Troop Cookie Manager,
Welcome! Thank you so much for your time and dedication to your role! We know that you wear many hats
and we want to provide you with the support you want and need! The Girl Scout Cookie Program is much
more than a money earning activity for your Girl Scout Troop—it’s a fun way for girls of all ages to fuel their
dreams & it’s a hands-on leadership & entrepreneurial program unlike any other in the world.
You’ve chosen to lead your Girl Scouts through an AMAZING adventure with a program that builds a lifetime
of skills and confidence. Girls learn about goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills,
and business ethics—all key ingredients for leadership.
The knowledge & skills they learn will last a lifetime. By implementing this program you are helping pass on
valuable opportunities to today’s generation of girls. We cannot thank you enough! You are AMAZING!
We want to help you have the best Cookie Program ever! We’ve listed some Cookie Program resources and
experts below to help guide you.
Troop Cookie Manager Guide
This Troop Cookie Manager (TCM) Guide is your all-in-one compass. It is packed with information about
GSNETX’s Cookie Program including the online cookie ordering system, eBudde.
www.texascookietime.org
Bookmark this site now! You’ll visit this informative site for forms and updates, to schedule payment for your
troop cookie bill and much more!
Service Unit Cookie Coordinator
Your Service Unit (SU) Cookie Coordinator is the volunteer over your local area’s Cookie Program! They
are your very best contact so be sure to get their phone number and email address, attend their Q&A
session, and get to know them!
GSNETX Staff
Your SU Cookie Coordinator is supported by your Volunteer Coordinator. They can send you contact
information for your SU Cookie Coordinator if you don’t know how to reach them. For help finding your
Volunteer Coordinator, contact your local council office by visiting here or you can call the GSNETX
Retention Team Hotline at 972-349-2466.
Your Cookie Team is made up of staff who manage the Cookie Program for all of GSNETX. If you
cannot reach your SU Cookie Coordinator or Volunteer Coordinator, the Cookie Team can be reached
at [email protected].
eBudde Job Aides
We have provided you some helpful aides to assist with certain tasks such as adding additional girls to your
sales roster, council booth sales, delivery time, etc. For more information visit www.texascookietime.org .
Webinars
We have also provided a live webinar on www.texascookietime.org that was recorded to show you
step-by-step tips on how to operate eBudde.
2
Getting Started...
If you haven’t already completed these steps, please:
1. Register as an adult member for the 2014-2015 membership year, have an updated criminal
background check and ensure your troop has a registered bank account.
• Become a registered Girl Scout adult volunteer with Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas.
• Make sure you have completed a criminal background check and volunteer application within the last
three years —if you are unsure or need a new background check please complete the
Troop Changes Form.
• If you are a brand new volunteer, please watch the three minute GSUSA Welcome Video online and
complete the online short Knowledge Check.
• NEW! Check with your troop leaders to ensure your troop’s bank account is registered; the
registration process is new for 2014-15. You will not be able to sell cookies unless it is completed.
Please visit our forms page here for instructions.
2. Complete the required online TCM Training course.
• Sign-up for the course via your training and event registration site, eBiz. Then, you will receive an email
with instructions on how to proceed.
• For help, contact the help desk at [email protected] or 972-349-2403
(Monday – Thursday 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Friday 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.), they are the
system experts!
3. Complete the Troop Cookie Manager Position Agreement.
• The online position agreement has your main roles and responsibilities for review and must be
electronically signed in order for you to fulfill your role as a Troop Cookie Manager.
• The agreement can be found at www.texascookietime.org/tcm.
• You may have already selected your TCM position during your membership renewal process. If so,
you’re all set!
• New to being a Troop Cookie Manager? Complete the Troop Changes Form. This form provides
GSNETX with information about the changes taking place in your troop this year and helps ensure that
you are supported and that our records reflect those changes.
- On the main page, you can provide information about your volunteer positions this year, including your TCM role. You can also request a background check on this form if you have not completed one.
4. Meet with your SU Cookie Coordinator.
• Your SU Cookie Coordinator will have a Q&A session/a time for you to come pick up supplies.
You will need the following items from her before you hold your first Cookie Program meeting with girls
and parents:
- Family Guides to the Cookie Program
- Girl order cards
- Sample package of Rah-Rah Raisin cookies
• You will also receive money envelopes, receipt books, and your warehouse card for additional
cookie pickup.
3
Say hello to our 2015 cookie lineup
All cookie varieties (with the exception of the gluten free Toffee-tastic*)
will sell for $4 per package.
$5*
*Due to ingredient and labor costs, Toffee-tastic
will be sold at $5 per package. But don’t worry!
Customers that purchase gluten-free items are
used to paying a bit more for this specialty item!
Remember! Troops do not have to order this
variety but those that would like to will be
limited to three packages of Toffee-tastic per
participating girl.
4
November 2014
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Oct. 26
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
TCMs hold family meeting Nov. 3-18
9
10
11
12
eBudde opens/
13
14 booth sneak peek 15
TCMs hold family meeting Nov. 3-18
16
17
Booth signups
Round 1
18
TCMs hold family meeting Nov. 3-18
23
24
25
19
Booth signups
Round 2
20
Begin scheduling
My Sales
21
22
Parent permission/girl initial order due to TCMs Nov 19-Dec 1
26
27
28
GSNETX offices closed
29
Parent permission/girl initial order due to TCMs Nov 19-Dec 1
30
GSNETX offices
closed
Dec. 1
Parent permission/girl initial order
November Checklist
5
� Make sure you and your girls are registered members in our council, GSNETX, for the 2014-2015 year.
You can always check with your troop leader for assistance.
� Have an updated criminal background check.
� Ensure your troop has a registered bank account.
� Complete the required online TCM Training course.
� Complete the Troop Cookie Manager Position Agreement.
� Attend your SU’s Q&A Session and pick up all of your materials from your Service Unit
Cookie Coordinator.
� Hold your troop cookie meeting. You will take this time to set goals, hand out materials, and teach your
troop more about the Cookie Program. During the parent portion of this meeting, don’t forget to
give them your email address as they will need it for the parent permission form, and to keep in
touch during cookie season.
� Learn more about safety and encourage girls to sign the Safety Pledge.
� Parents (with their girls) will complete the Goal Setting Worksheet. They will enter their daughter’s
package total on their online Parent Permission Form. You will use this information to place your
troop’s initial order. Assist parents in this process to ensure they are choosing an accurate amount
of cookies. Avoid excessive or overly conservative orders.
� Get started in eBudde! Go in and explore, update your information and check out the awesome booth
sale opportunities
� Begin scheduling Booth Sales and My Sales in eBudde. Ask families to commit to booth sale dates and
share your troop’s calendar.
� Enjoy your Thanksgiving break!
December 2014
Sunday
Nov. 30
Monday
1
Tuesday
2
Wednesday
Thursday
3
4
Friday
5
Saturday
6
Initial order/delivery signup Dec. 3-8
7
8
Troops submit
initial order
9
10
11
12
13
16
17
18
19
20
23
24
25
26
27
Initial order/delivery signup
14
21
15
Booth signups
Round 3
22
Cookie Coordinators
submit SU orders
eBudde locks
at 11:59 p.m.
GSNETX offices closed
28
29
30
31
Jan. 1
December Checklist
� Place your initial order. You will have collected all of your Parent Permission Forms which will make it
easy to enter the troop’s initial order.
� Order Booth Sale cookies by clicking the “Booth” line within the “Initial Order” tab in eBudde. Verify
that each girl’s order is correct and submit your troop’s initial order in eBudde.
� Once you have submitted your initial order, click the “Delivery Tab”. This will allow you to select your
troop’s preferred delivery location, day and time.
� Remember that when girls pick up their cookies or turn in money, parents will sign a receipt and are
responsible for those cookies.
� Some cities require permits. Be sure to check out www.texascookietime.org/forms to see if your city
requires a permit. If you find out your city requires a permit but it’s not listed, please let us know!
� Have a Happy Holiday Season!
6
January 2015
Sunday
4
Monday
Tuesday
5
6
Wednesday
7
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
1
2
3
8
9
10
LBB National
Virtual Rally
Happy Rally Weekend!
11
12
Rally Weekend!
18
13
15
16
Print delivery
confirmation
19
26
First day of
Cookie Program
17
Cookie Delivery
20
21
22
23
24
29
30
31
Additional pick
up begins
Cookie Delivery
25
14
27
28
Council Organized Booth Sales
January Checklist
� Host a Troop Rally, attend a SU rally or attend the Virtual Rally online.
� The Girl Scout Cookie Program begins January 16! Initial delivery pick up is January 16-19, 2015.
� My Family Sales also begin on January 16. Check eBudde to make sure these booth sales are not
council organized locations.
� My Troop Sales and Council Organized Booth Sales begin on January 30! Be sure that you complete
a My Sales Request Form and enter your request into eBudde for every booth sale that is not a council
organized location.
� Print your troop’s Delivery Confirmation from eBudde and take it with you to pick up your
troop’s order!
� Pick up cookies at your assigned date, time, and location
� My delivery date:
� My delivery time:
� My delivery location:
� If you need additional cookies for booth sales, you can pick up additional cookies from an additional
cookie pickup location beginning January 21. Missed the deadline for the initial order? It’s never too late
to order cookies! Have your parents complete the parent permission form!
� Remember, you must bring your Warehouse Authorization Card to receive additional cases of
cookies. You can only get this card from your SU Cookie Coordinator or a GSNETX staff member.
7
February/March 2015
Sunday
1
Monday
2
Tuesday
3
Wednesday
4
Thursday
5
Friday
Saturday
6
7
13
14
20
21
27
28
Council Organized Booth Sales
8
9
Pay 25% of
balance owed
10
11
12
Council Organized Booth Sales
15
16
17
18
19
Council Organized Booth Sales
22
23
Pay 25% of
balance owed
24
25
26
Additional
pick up ends
Council Organized Booth Sales
Mar. 1
2
3
4
5
6
Booth Sales
8
Troops submit
final rewards
7
OFR’s due
9
SU submit
final rewards
10
11
12
13
14
Final balance due
February/March Checklist
� Council Organized Booth Sales end March 1.
� Collect all girl money and deposit into your troop’s bank account! Set up cookie money due dates
to help Girl Scouts and their families stay on top of cookie balances. Make sure you pay the required
amount on the due dates above: Feb 9, Feb 23, and March 9.
� If a girl has not paid her entire balance, complete an online Outstanding Funds Report by March 6, 2015.
Do not pay and individual girl balance with troop or personal funds!
� Give individual girls credit on the “Girl Orders Tab” for all of the packages your troop picked up
(including booth sale cookies) and any Project Troop to Troop cookies.
� Complete and submit your final rewards order.
� Meet with your Service Unit Cookie Coordinator if required or to turn in any paperwork.
Closing the Cookie Program:
� In late March, GSNETX will order Cookie Program reward items for eligible girls.
� If a girl or troop has an outstanding balance, their reward items will not be ordered.
� By May 2015, pickup individual girl rewards from your SU Cookie Coordinator and distribute
them to girls.
� What will you use your funds for? Many troops use their funds for fun events, earning badges,
and paying for future troop needs.
8
5 Skills for Girls
With the power of Girl Scout Cookies, girls can make positive changes in the world around them. A girl can
speak for those less fortunate, foster changes where they are needed and make a true impact close to
home and even on the other side of the world! But that’s not all a girl can do. When a Girl Scout sells cookies,
she’s building a lifetime of skills and confidence.
Selling Girl Scout Cookies teaches the following 5 skills:
1. Goal Setting: Girl Scouts set goals individually and as a team,
create a plan to reach their goals and develop Cooperation and
Team Building skills all along the way! Cadettes can earn their
Business Plan badge and Juniors can earn their Cookie C.E.O.
badge while learning these skills!
2. Decision Making: Girl Scouts decide as a team how they will
spend their cookie money, furthering their Critical Thinking and
Problem Solving skills. Seniors decide how to finance their dreams
by earning the Financing my Future badge and Brownies decide
how to use their cookie money to help others through earning the
Give Back badge.
3. Money Management: Girl Scouts take cookie orders, handle
customer money and gain valuable Practical Life skills around
Financial Literacy. Daisies can begin to learn about money
management by earning the Money Counts petal and Juniors
learn how to manage their money through the Money
Manager badge.
4. People Skills: Girl Scouts learn how to talk to, listen to and work with
a variety of people while selling cookies. These experiences help
develop Healthy Relationship and Conflict Resolution skills.
Brownies can earn their Meet My Customers badge and Seniors can
earn their Customer Loyalty badge while practicing people skills.
5. Business Ethics: Girl Scouts practice being honest and responsible
every step of the way during the Cookie Program. Practicing business
ethics reinforces the Positive Values Girl Scouts develop during their
leadership experience. Ambassadors use the business ethics they’ve
learned to earn their Research and Development badge and Daisies
begin to develop business ethics skills by earning the
Making Choices petal.
9
Cookie Meeting
Use this simple meeting agenda to help you plan your first Cookie Meeting!
Cookie Program information crumbs for parents and girls (20 min.)
�
�
�
Discuss 5 Skills/Cookie Program: You will explain that the Cookie Program is both a money
earning project and a unique, valuable way for Girl Scouts to learn five skills that are at the core
of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience.
� Refer to page 5 for details on the 5 Skills learned through the Cookie Program: Goal Setting,
Decision Making, Money Management, People Skills, and Business Ethics.
� The Cookie Program supports all girls within the local council and makes it possible to
provide girl programs, low-cost council events, training, resources, and support for
adult programs.
Walk through the Family Guide.
� Cookie reminders and family due dates.
� Goal Setting Worksheet (remind parents to write down your email as they will need it for the
online Parent Permission Form and to keep in contact during the cookie season).
� Parent Permission Form: this should be completed after the Goal Setting Worksheet.
Booth Sales: Brainstorm My Troop/My Family Sales ideas.
� Explain how to participate: registration/My Sale Request Form.
� Select preferred dates/locations of Council Organized Booth Sales to attend.
Parents can leave; it’s the girls’ turn to lead! (20 min.)
�
Set Goals: Girls will brainstorm and set both individual and troop goals.
� Troop Goals: Girls can use this fun Goal Tracker to help them set troop goals.
� Individual Goals: Girls can create a fun Personal Goal Tracker to help them reach their goals.
Time to get crumbling: Cookie sale business (15 min.)
� Practice role playing through sample sales conversations, it’s a great way for girls to prefect
their approach. Help them build their confidence so they’re ready to sell come January 16.
� Create posters to attract customers to your booths. Share your goals with the
troop goal poster.
� Play games! An easy and fun way to help girls become familiar with the new cookies, pricing
information, cookie descriptions, and goal setting. Play this fun goal-centric game with
your troop.
Cleanup and closing (5 min.)
� Share a taste of the new Rah-Rah Raisin cookie!
10
Individual Initial Order
Rewards & Profit
Individual Initial Order Rewards
Inspire your girls to set and reach their individual goals with these super fun rewards while encouraging
them to work together to reach optimal troop goals!
Girls who place an initial order of 230+ packages
will receive this “sweet” Samoas Cookie tote bag!
Girls who place an initial order of 330+ packages
will receive the cookie tote bag and a cozy Samoas scarf!
Troop Profit
All new and returning troops opting to receive rewards
will start with a base profit of $0.57 per package. If the
troop reaches a 200+ troop per girl average by the end
of the Cookie Program, the troop will receive a total of
$0.62 per package.
200+ PGA
CSA
Cash Option*
CSA Cash Option
$0.67
$0.72
Rewards
200+ PGA
$0.57
$0.62
Because Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador (CSA)
troops may be involved in more complex activities
and service projects requiring additional funds, they
have the option of receiving an additional 10 cents
per package IN PLACE of individual girl reward items
and events. CSA troops who choose this option will
still receive patches.
*Girls must be in grade 6-12 and agree to receive increased profit instead of rewards and events. This selection must
be made in eBudde (see page 24 of this guide for instructions).
11
2015
girl *
rewards!
All rewards are cumulative
12
Your Troop’s Initial Cookie Order
Girls will use the Goal Setting Worksheet from the
Family Guide to help them determine their own initial
orders. But these worksheets will additionally set up
your troop inventory which will help you avoid multiple
trips to the warehouse.
Family and Friends
School, Workplace, etc.
+
Booth, etc.
+
GRAND TOTAL
=
Gather the information from the online Parent Permission forms. You have
provided your email address to your parents and they have included it on
the permission form. You will receive, by email, parental consent for their
daughter to participate PLUS the number of cookies their daughter has
committed to sell.
Encourage parents and girls to focus on the package total, not flavors. You are
the inventory manager and we will help you determine a good flavor mix to order.
Remember, girls can earn this really fun patch just for completing!
Determining the correct variety of cookies is a breeze with the Cookie Cheat Sheet and below is our
suggested percentage breakdown by cookie variety.
28% Thin Mints
25% Samoas
15% Tagalongs
10% Do-Si-Dos
10% Trefoils
6% Savannah Smiles
6% Rah-Rah Raisins
*Toffee-tastic
*If your troop elected to order the gluten-free variety, Toffee-tastic, there is a limitation of three
packages per participating girl rounded up to full cases. GSNETX was required to pre-order this
variety. Toffee-tastic will only be available during initial cookie orders and will not be available at the
warehouses for additional pick up.
Don’t forget to account for booth sale cookies in your initial order! This will help ensure your girls
are stocked and ready to go. If you need more, you can always go back to the warehouse during
additional cookie pick up. Depending on the traffic at the store, girls can sell between 10 and 100
packages per hour at a booth sale! The average across all booth sales is about 25 packages per
hour/per door.
Use the information on your Cookie Cheat Sheet to enter orders in for each girl. Participating girls
should have at least one package assigned to them at initial order!
13
Verify your numbers and submit in eBudde (see page 26 for instructions).
Count Your Cookies
Delivery Rule #1: Count your cookies before you leave the site.
� It is your responsibility to count cases to verify that you’ve received the correct number of
each variety.
the site.
� Sign the receipt after your cookies have been loaded into your vehicle and before you leave
� You are responsible for each case you sign for, even if you leave them behind. Make sure you take your
time and do not rush yourself!
� Initial pickup begins January 16, 2015!
• You MUST take a copy of your confirmation with you! Your confirmation will not be sent to you.
You can access your Delivery Confirmation in eBudde. Confirmations are final and adjustments
and cannot be made. The delivery confirmation is an indication that those cookies are on their way
to your selected/assigned delivery site!
• You’re going to need help hauling all those cookies. Don’t be afraid to ask other troop parents to help
with picking up cookies. Before you pick up your troop’s order, make a plan for girls to pick up their
cookies from you ASAP. Meet at a nearby location or schedule a time for families to pick up their
orders. Do not have your troop meet you at the delivery site and make sure parents sign a receipt for
the cookies they are picking up!
• Be prepared. Clean unnecessary items out of your vehicle’s interior and trunk! Write your troop
number and delivery lane in large, bold lettering on a sheet of paper to place in the window of
the lead vehicle. All vehicles picking up cookies for your troop should arrive to the site at the same time.
• Timing is Everything! Don’t show up too early and definitely not late! Showing up before or after your
time causes confusion. Most of the people loading your vehicle at delivery sites are volunteers just like
you! If you miss your scheduled day altogether, arrangements must be made through GSNETX to pick
up your order at the warehouse sometime after the last day of delivery. Call your SU Cookie Coordinator
as soon as possible if an emergency comes up.
• You can always pick up more cookies later! You may need to pick up additional cases for booth sales
or late orders. You can do this January 21 –February 28. Each site’s information will be posted on
www.texascookietime.org. You don’t need to order these cookies; just present your signed 2015
Warehouse Authorization Card to the warehouse staff! You will only receive this card from your SU
Cookie Coordinator or a GSNETX Staff Member. Missed the deadline for the initial order? It’s never too
late to order cookies! Have your parents complete the parent permission form!
30 cases
50 cases
75 cases
Compact Car/Coupe
Standard Car/4-door
Hatchback/Station Wagon
75 cases
100 cases
Standard Pickup
Standard SUV/Minivan
eBudde will
automatically
calculate what type
and how many
vehicles you’ll need
to pick up your
troop’s order!
14
Ways to Sell Girl Scout Cookies
Door-to-door Sales are sales that your daughter makes while going door-to-door through her
neighborhood, classroom-to-classroom at her school, desk-to-desk at a parent’s workplace or a local
business complex.
The Cookie Club is an exciting website where Girl Scouts can take orders online!
If girls want to participate in Cookie Club Next Gen, families can sign up
their Girl Scout & input her orders, whether received through eCards or
their order card, into the online order form. An easy click of a button
exports orders to eBudde! Once they are imported, you, the Troop
Cookie Manager, will see them. Remind your troop parents that cookie
money can never be collected online & to follow GSNETX marketing policies.
Project Troop to Troop is a great way for your troop to boost your sales and give customers who may not
typically order cookies, a reason to support Girl Scouts. Project Troop to Troop (T2T) offers the chance to
send the gift of cookies to military personnel at home and abroad. Cookies donated to T2T are transported
to Fort Hood, the USO and the American Red Cross. Last year, Girl Scout customers across Northeast Texas
donated more than 80,000 packages of cookies to our military personnel! Customers can visit
www.texascookietime.org/t2t to make donations with their credit card. Your troop is credited when they
include your troop number!
Project Troop to Troop
Customer
ex: Mary Smith
# pkgs
Customer
# pkgs
12
Project Troop to Troop Order Card
This order card is made especially for the girls and is located in the
2015 Family Guide! Encourage your Girl Scouts to take this card with
them as they sell door-to-door and at booth sales.
Troop to Troop cookies are transported
to Fort Hood, the USO, and military
personnel at home and abroad.
If you can’t eat ‘em,
treat ‘em!
15
In 2013, Project
Troop to Troop sent
over 80,000
packages of cookies
to our service men
and women.
Project Troop
to Troop orders
are charitable
contributions and
tax deductible!
Troops who achieve a troop per
girl average (PGA) of ten (10) donated
packages or more will receive a cool
Troop to Troop patch for each girl!
Troops who achieve a troop per girl
average (PGA) of 15 donated
packages or more will receive the T2T
patch and a cute bracelet set for
participating girls in the troop!
Girls may only sell in the following 32 counties that GSNETX serves: Anderson, Camp, Cherokee, Collin, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Ellis,
Fannin, Franklin, Freestone, Grayson, Gregg, Harrison, Henderson, Hopkins, Hunt, Kaufman, Lamar, Marion, Morris, Navarro,
Panola, Rains, Red River, Rockwall, Rusk, Smith, Titus, Upshur, Van Zandt and Wood. The only exceptions to this rule is if a girl
sells at her parent(s)’ primary place of business located outside these counties or if a girl would like to sell to an out of town
family member.
More Ways to Sell Girl Scout Cookies
Booth Sales are Girl Scout Cookie sales held outside of local retailers/locations in your community.
Booth sales increase the public’s awareness of Girl Scouting and allow customers the chance to support
Girl Scouts by purchasing their cookies again!
GSNETX has three types of booth sales:
1. My Family Sales: Focused on booth sales with family members for individual
girl cookie sales at non-council organized locations. Beginning January 16, 2015!
2. My Troop Sales: Focused on booth sales with troop members for troop cookie
sales at non-council organized locations. To schedule a My Sale, troops/
families complete the My Sales Request Form and you will enter the request
into eBudde to be approved by your SU Cookie Coordinator. You can find this at
www.texascookietime.org in our forms section. Beginning January 30, 2015!
3. Council Organized Booth Sales: Secured by council through corporate
relationships with high-traffic retail sites. These booths must be signed up by
you online in eBudde. See page 29 of this guide for more info.
Beginning January 30, 2015!
Council Organized Booth Sales are
a commitment.
If you are unable to attend, ask another
troop to cover your shift or contact your
SU Cookie Coordinator.
Be sure to remind troops that they may
never approach these stores directly as
GSNETX has relationships with them at
the corporate level.
2015 Booth Sale Partners
Albertson’s
Allen Premium Outlets
Bass Pro Shops
Brookshire Brothers
Brookshire’s
Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Stars
Dallas Sidekicks
Golden Triangle Mall
Firewheel Town Center
GSNETX Shops
Irving Mall
Kroger
Longview Mall
Lowe’s
Market Street
Plano Sports Authority
Sam’s Club
Super 1 Foods
Tom Thumb
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Neighborhood Markets
Booth Sales are only permitted within the 32 counties
served by Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas. Troops are not
limited to selling in their SU’s area, but should try to stay within
their local community.
Get parents involved! Adults must be present at booth sales,
but should never be the only ones at a booth. We do not want
to take away the Girl Scouts’ opportunity to learn the 5 skills! If
other adults plan to handle money, they should register as an
adult member and complete a criminal background check at
https://girlscouts.secure.force.com. Avoid accepting bills larger
than $20 or holding onto large amounts of money.
The Booth Sale Recorder App allows you to input your troop’s
booth sales on the go! Select the girls who are in attendance,
enter how many cookies sold, and the next time you log into
eBudde your cookies will be allocated. Download this app
from your smart phone app store!
The Cookie Locator App is the easy way for customers to find
their favorite Girl Scout Cookies at a booth sale near them! The
best feature is that you are able to “share” booth sale sites via
email, Facebook, and Twitter. What a fabulous marketing tool!
Download this app from your smart phone app store!
You should order some booth sale cookies in your initial order*
by December 8, 2014 or pick up cookies from an additional
cookie pick up location.
*If you ordered the gluten-free variety, Toffee-tastic, we suggest
you bring a few packages to each booth. GSNETX was required
to pre-order the Toffee-tastic variety, thus, it will only be
available during initial cookie orders and will not be available at
the warehouses for additional pick-up.
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Payments
Acceptable payments: cash, money orders, cashier’s checks, credit cards and personal/business checks.
Cash and credit cards are the easiest ways to manage cookie money!
Credit Card Sales: There are many different compatible smart phone credit card
readers on the market. We recommend using the Square credit card reader! For
more information, visit our website at www.texascookietime.org in the forms
section. When using credit card readers like Square, you may not pass on the
transaction fee to the customer.
You can go to www.squareup.com to register your Troop bank account with your
email address. (If you already have a square for another purpose, you will have to
create a separate email address for the GSNETX troop square account).
Checks: if your troop decides to accept checks, we highly recommend that they enroll in a check
protection service and only accept checks from friends and family.
Always make sure the following information
is included on customer checks:
• Customer’s name
• Address
• Driver’s license number
• Phone number
In some cities, girls are required to carry a special sales permit.
Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas will get these for cities requiring them and will post them at
www.texascookietime.org. If your girls will be selling in one of these communities, be sure to give the girls in
your troop a copy of the permit. Encourage parents to read it carefully and complete any necessary
information. If for some reason your city is not listed and does requite a permit, please let us know!
You may never take payment online and cookies cannot be sold on eBay, Amazon, Craigslist, etc.
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Paying Your Cookie Bill
In order to ensure a smooth rollout, we have decided to postpone our move to the council initiated ACH
deduction system until 2016. Therefore, all payments will be scheduled through our e-payment system.
Process:
• Before you can submit an order, it is required that you register your troop bank account with
GSNETX this fall. If you have not registered, your bank account you will not be able to sell cookies.
This registered bank account will be uploaded into eBudde, a safe and secure environment. Go here
for more information.
Note: If you are unable to submit your initial order and you see an “INACTIVE” button in eBudde, please
contact your SU Cookie Coordinator ASAP.
• During the Cookie Program, deposit funds regularly into your troop account. Do not hold cash and
checks. Connect all credit card payments directly to troop bank accounts. GSNETX will require three
ACH payments by close of business on the dates below (make sure to allow for enough time for your
deposits to clear).
Note: Every payment scheduled on the GSNETX e-payment website will come directly out of the
troop’s registered bank account.
• You will need to submit the dollar amount you will be paying through e-payment here by each of the
specified dates.
February 9, 2015 — pay 25% of balance owed
February 23, 2015 — pay 25% of balance owed
March 9, 2015 — Balance Due (less any submitted OFRs)
Remember, these payments will be debited from the registered troop account that has been
associated with eBudde. The debit will take place within two business days. If monies are not present in
the registered bank account, GSNETX will continue to pull money on a regular basis until your account is
paid in full.
What happens if a girl doesn’t pay?
• Complete an Outstanding Funds Report (OFR) if a girl does not pay her entire cookie balance. Parents
or guardians with delinquent accounts may be reported to a collections agency. OFRs will be accepted
from February 23 through March 6, 2015. Girl OFR balances will/should be deducted from the balance
due on March 9, 2015.
• Do not use troop or personal funds to cover a debt owed by an individual member of the troop.
• Rewards will not be distributed to an individual or troop with outstanding funds. If a girl owes money,
the rest of the troop whose balance is paid will still receive reward items.
• Any balance that is not accounted for through an Individual Outstanding Funds Report will be
considered a troop balance. For this reason, it is essential that you do your part and complete an
Outstanding Funds Report if you have a girl whose family has not paid for the cookies they received
• Adults that still owe money after 60 days may not serve in any volunteer capacity until the account
is paid in full. If a volunteer resigns or is terminated, any balances owed are still considered
outstanding until paid in full. Make sure you have signed receipts for all cookie money received and
cookies distributed.
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Cookie Conduct
General Safety
• Show you are a Girl Scout! Wear a vest, sash, pin or GS shirt.
• Sell during the day.
• Never enter the home or vehicle of a person when you are selling or
making deliveries.
• Girls should not give their name, address or phone number to anyone.
• Always use the buddy system. It’s not just safe, it’s more fun. Adults
must accompany Girl Scout’s in grades K-5 and supervise those in
grades 6-12 when they are selling.
Social Media
• Girls may not post on others’ group Facebook pages, community
forums, etc. about “cookies for sale”.
• Girls of all ages can, however, post on their parent’s personal or
troop Facebook page about their cookie program. We encourage
the girl to write her own message, share her cookie goal and what her
troop plans to do with the funds they earn
• Girls ages 13+ may post on their own personal social media sites.
Online Safety
Share with your Girls and have them take the Internet Safety Pledge!
You text, you play games and you share photos and video. You update your status,
you post comments, you probably spend some time in a virtual world.
Being online, connected through some sort of device, is how you live your life.
Regardless of how fast your fingers fly on a keyboard or cell phone, the best tool
you have to help avoid risks online is your brain. When you’re ready to post or send
a message or a photo, download a file, game or program, or shop for something,
stop for a second. Think about things like:
• Do you know and trust who you’re dealing with or what you’re sharing
or downloading?
• How will you feel if your information ends up somewhere you didn’t intend?
Asking a few key questions first can help you protect yourself and your Girl Scout.
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Media Coverage
In order to give every Girl Scout the opportunity to achieve her personal
goals, Troops, Service Units or individuals may not contact the media
or participate in articles or advertisements regarding their Cookie
Program without written approval from Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas
Marketing and Product Sales departments. To promote events related
to the Cookie Program, please contact Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas
at [email protected].
Troop Cookie Manager
2015 eBudde Guide
eBudde is the Cookie software system that tracks your troop’s cookie
inventory, where you request booth sale sites, order girls’ rewards and
much more!
This portion of the guide will walk you through eBudde and its abilities.
Your Girl Scout Service Unit Cookie Coordinator will register you once
you complete your online training and TCM Agreement.
The eBudde website address is:
https://ebudde.littlebrownie.com/
Existing Users:
eBudde passwords are reset every cookie season to
the council default password.
Log on using your existing email address and the default password: 9383@RahRah
Once you’ve logged on
you’ll be directed to the
Contact Information Page
to update your contact
information and change
your password. Once this
page is completed you
will be given access to the
system.
If you forget your password select the box above and a temporary password will be
sent to the email address listed. Temporary passwords are only good for 24 hours
Requirements for Passwords: 1. Must be 8 characters long. 2. Must have at least one capital
letter. 3. Must have at least one non-alphabetic character
If you are a new user and cannot access eBudde, please contact your Service Unit Cookie Coordinator or email [email protected].
2
The Dashboard Tab is the default screen you see when you log into eBudde. It shows you messages from
your council, service unit and provides an overview of your troop’s sales activity. It will also show you your
SU Coordinators contact information. The other tabs you see are your eBudde navigation tools.
The Contacts Tab is the hub of the
troop’s cookie volunteer contact
information.
Clicking Edit will allow you to update
your contact information, change your
password, and update your security
questions.
All information (excluding your email
address) on this page can be updated.
To make sure you are getting the best
and most up to date information, please
do not turn off email notices.
3
The Settings Tab is where you can input or change your troop’s package totals and cookie contacts. If you
have an older girl troop, this is where you select if your troop is choosing to opt out of rewards for
additional proceeds (CSA Cash Option).
The # of Girls Registered is for your use only. All Per Girl Averages (PGA) are calculated from the # of Girls
Selling field. This field will update automatically based on the Girls Order Tab. Any girl participating must have sold
at least one package and will be counted in this field– this cannot be changed.
After your troop decides on a goal, you should enter it under the Troop Goal (pkgs) field. This will show on your
Dashboard & will show you how close your troop is to reaching their group goal! You can also refer to your Data
Points from the Previous Year to see how you’re doing compared to last year.
Choosing the appropriate Program Grade Level is very important! This helps determine if your troop is eligible for
additional proceeds and other reward options. If you have a multi-level troop, e.g. Brownies & Juniors, select the
level representing the majority of the girls. DO NOT use the “Group”, “Individual Girls” & “Other”
Designations, these are only to be used at Girl Scout Service Unit and Council levels.
Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador grade levels have the option to receive additional proceeds (profit) in lieu of
receiving reward items (CSA Cash Option). If your troop would like to opt out of rewards, check Opt out of rewards
for additional proceeds
Council automatically enters in the Bank Name, Bank Routing No. and Bank Acct No. Troop payment dates are
listed on page 20 of this guide. To make an ePayment, enter the amount of your payment at
www.texascookietime.org/ePayment. That payment will be debited from your bank account that is associated with
eBudde within 2 days of the due dates on page 20.
4
The Girls Tab is used to collect girls’ names, goals, GSUSA IDs, Grade levels and registration information. Most girl information is automatically filled in, but if you receive any late registrations or
find that a girl is not registered, you can manually enter her in. Girls cannot be deleted after the
troop has submitted their initial cookie order. Make sure you Update to save information.
Add Girl Information
First Name—Enter the girls first name—please do not enter nicknames!
Last Name—Enter the girls last name—please ensure spelling is correct!
GSUSA ID—You will most likely not have this information. Please leave this blank if you
are doing manual entry.
Grade—Enter the girls grade level K-12
Cookie Club Login (optional) - Enter the girls cookie club login if she is participating
Reg’d—This box can only be accessed through Council
Sales Goals—Enter the girl sales goal in packages
T-shirt Size – There will be an option to enter in girl’s shirt sizes—this may be important
in the future.
Don’t forget to click the Update button to save the information
5
The Initial Orders Tab is where you input each girl’s order, you will use the total from the Parent Permission Form (this total should be from the Goal Setting Worksheet that the parent input on the
online Permission Form). This is also where you place orders for booth sale cookies. Remember, there
are 12 packages in a case and cookies must be ordered by the case. eBudde will calculate the number of
cases needed to fill both the girls’ initial orders and your troops’ booth sale order.
Init. Order/ Individual Girl Orders:
1. Click name from the list. Her row will be highlighted and you will be able to enter numbers into
the boxes at the bottom of the page
2. Use the Cookie Cheat sheet to help you determine the correct variety of flavors to order as cookies will be ordered by girl, by flavor.
3. Use the girl’s Parent Permission Form to verify you’ve entered the correct total number of total
packages and press the Enter key or OK button.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 for each girl in your troop
5. Once all orders are entered, click the Save button– this saves all of your orders entered, even if
you are not ready to submit your final initial order
REMEMBER: Girl’s orders are entered in PACKAGES and troops have to order cookies in FULL Cases.
Entering Booth Sale Orders during the Initial Order: It is a good idea to plan ahead by ordering cookies for booth sales at the same time you place girl initial orders. Click the Booth line like you did for
girl orders; use the Cookie Cheat Sheet to determine the variety of cookies to order. And, of course,
you can always pick up more cases later! Verify your order and click Save!
Init. Orders/Submit Order: Only Submit your initial order once you’ve completed all entries– both
girl initial orders and booth sale cookies. Clicking Submit Order will lock your order. After you submit
your order it will be sent to your Service Unit and you will be able to choose your preferred delivery
date and time. eBudde will sent you an email confirming your cookie order after you submit it.
6
You will use the Delivery Tab to select your preferred delivery location and time You ONLY do this
after you have submitted your initial order.
REMEMBER:
The Delivery Tab WILL NOT
default to a location, date, or
time. You will have to choose.
Be careful when choosing
your space, once eBudde has
been locked your delivery pick
up time CANNOT be changed.
The TOTAL number of cases
you will be picking up will
show up on this page.
Choosing a Delivery location, date, and time:
1. Select, Who is picking up your cookies? and will you be picking up for more than one troop?
2. Use the dropdown menu to select our preferred location and date
3. Select your preferred time by clicking the empty (white) space. Your delivery slots must be contiguous,
eBudde will not allow you to schedule where there are not enough spaces. If your troop number is highlighted in green then your troop can pick up in that slot time
4. Click Submit My Info. Once you’ve entered in all the required information
5. You can change your delivery information until eBudde locks– after this date, Council will choose a
time and location on your behalf
NOTE: This is your requested date, time and location. We will try our best to give you your
preference, but do not assume your request is your actual date, time, and location. Final delivery times
will be available in eBudde by January 12, 2015. Login to print a delivery confirmation page at this time–
you MUST take this with you when you pickup your cookies from your designated location.
Delivery Confirmation: To view and print your Girl Scout Troop’s ACTUAL delivery site and time, click the
“View Confirmation” button. You must print this confirmation in order to pick up your
cookies!
Remember- before you pick up your cookies, place a piece of paper on your lead vehicle’s windshield that
lists BOTH your troop number and your pickup lane.
7
The Girl Orders Tab will only appear after the Initial Order is submitted. This is where you will input
each girl’s individual orders sold during Booth Sales, Troop to Troop, and additional sales. Orders are
listed by category—not flavor!
The tab defaults to the Troop
View. This displays the summary of orders for all the
girls in your troop and the
remaining packages that
need to be allocated to girls
To allocate pkg info to an
individual girl you will
select the girl, which will
take you to Girl View.
You can Switch to Girl to
edit another girls info
through the dropdown
without having to go
back to the troop view.
You can also navigate
back to the troop view by
clicking Return to
Summary View.
Adding a Transaction and/or Payment
1. Click Add Trans. Then click in the bottom of the page within the comment box
2. Type in a comment, additional packages, and payment (use the tab key on your keyboard to
move through columns)
3. Click Enter to end OR click the Plus button to add additional transactions.
4. Click SAVE
Girl Totals shows all cookies that have been allocated to the girls– the girl total line will be updated
as your assign cookies to girls
Troop Order shows the cookies the troop has received through initial order, Troop-to-Troop transactions, and additional pickups. These packages are what the troop is responsible to pay for. As
transactions are posted to your troop, this line will be updated.
Difference shows cookies that have not been allocated. This line should show 0, cookies need to
be allocated if it is a negative number.
THERE SHOULD NOT BE A POSITIVE NUMBER IN THIS COLUMN.
8
The Booth Sales Tab is where you will sign up for Council Organized spots and input any locations
you have acquired as a My Sales. Remember, Council Booth Sales are organized by GSNETX at hightraffic retail sites. Booth Sales are a commitment and if you are unable to attend your booth, ask another troop to cover your shift or contact your SU Coordinator so a replacement can be found.
Council Booth Sales only take place between January 30– March 1 and you must to use eBudde to
sign up for them. Troop My Sales are organized by your troop at sites that are not on the Council
Booth Sales list. My Sales are flexible and allow you to build personal relationships throughout the
community! To schedule a My Sale, use the My Sales Request Form and enter the request into
eBudde to be approved by your Coordinator.
Signing up for a Council Organized Booth Sale
1. Choose a city by clicking on the plus sign next to the city’s name
2. Click the plus sign next to the city to choose the store and location
3. Click the date and time range you would like to choose– you’ll see the signup box to the right
4. Click on the blank space next to the time you want– to deselect it, click the space again
5. Click on the Submit button to save your location and time– you will receive a message that your
time is reserved
6. Click OK on the message window to proceed
To view your troop’s booth sale locations at any time, click on the Current Signups button.
A new window will pop up to show you your spots. You can then print out your locations.
9
To schedule a My Sale, you must use the My Sales Request Form to receive approval from the store
manager. You will then enter the request into eBudde to receive approval from your SU Coordinator.
To enter your Troop Organized My Sale into eBudde for approval, select My Sales, then click on My
Booth Sales. This will show you the My Sales you have already entered and allow you to add
additional locations.
1. Click Add a Location to enter your location information, then click Add
2. Your booth sale location will then appear in the list under My Booth Sales
3. To delete a location, date or time, simply click on the appropriate My Sale and click Delete. Click
OK to proceed with the deletion or Cancel to go back
4. To update the information, click on the appropriate My Sale, make any necessary changes,
then click the Update button
PLEASE NOTE: You must enter a correct zip code within GSNETX’s 32 counties or your booth sale will
NOT appear in the Cookie Locator online or on the Cookie Locator app!
Before attending your My Sale, check eBudde to ensure that your booth sale has been approved by
your Service Unit Cookie Coordinator.
Green locations are approved;
orange locations are denied;
blue locations have neither been approved or denied
10
The Transactions Tab shows when and where your troop received their cookies. Your troop’s initial
order (Init. Del.) transaction will appear after cookie delivery begins. This tab will also list
additional cookies that you pick up from Council authorized warehouses (don’t forget your Warehouse Authorization Card) and any transactions between another troop. Warehouse pick up transactions are entered into eBudde by Council and may take up to a week to appear in the system– once
they appear you will distribute credit for these cookies in the Girl Orders Tab.
Note: All transactions
entered by council are greyed
and cannot be edited. If you feel
that any transactions were entered incorrectly please contact
your Cookie Team.
All transactions entered by you
are in white and can be edited.
Entering a Troop Transfer (for the receiving Troop ONLY):
1. Click Add a Transaction
2. Enter the Date of the transaction and the Receipt number — this box cannot be left blank
3. The Type of transaction will default to normal– do not change
4. Select Troop as the Second Party and enter the troop number of the other troop
5. Enter the quantities of product in either cases, packages or both. eBudde will total this for you
6. Click Add Product to add the packages you are receiving from another troop, click Okay to save
the transaction
7. Cancel to leave the form without saving
8. Click Save/Print
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The Rewards Tab allows you to make selections and submit your girls’ reward items. This tab will be
calculated automatically based on the number of packages assigned to them from within the Girls
Orders Tab. Be sure to make all item selections before finalizing your troop’s reward order.
Initial Order Reward: If a girl in your troop orders at least 230 packages of cookies she may be
eligible for a cool Samoas Tote Bag! For girls who order at least 330 packages of cookies she may be
eligible for a comfy Samoas Scarf!
NOTE:
eBudde will automatically
populate the girls total of
packages from the Init. Orders
tab.
View Initial orders
1. Click View
2. Submit your Initial Rewards Order by clicking Fill Out
3. Click the Submit Reward Order button to submit your initial reward order to the Girl Scout
Service Unit
4. eBudde will give you a message to confirm that your Initial Rewards Order has been submitted
12
Final Reward Order:
Do not submit your Girl Scout Troop’s Final Rewards Order until the end of the Cookie
Program, when the Girl Order Tab is updated and balanced. When you are ready to close out your
troop’s information, follow the steps below to submit your Final Rewards Order.
NOTE:
If there is a selection required for a girl
that hasn't been chosen, eBudde will
automatically highlight it in red.
Once the selection has been made, the
text will automatically turn green.
Complete step for all girls.
Submitting your Final Order
1. View you Final Reward Order by clicking View
2. Submit your Final Reward Order by clicking Fill Out
3. eBudde will show you all girls and the number of items they receive– to make changes to a girl’s
order, click on the girl’s name
4. eBudde will show the girl’s name, the number of packages she sold and the number of reward
items she is eligible for
5. Review the information and click Submit Girl Order
6. Click the Submit Reward Order button to submit your final rewards order to the Service Unit.
Order carefully. Once you submit your order, you cannot change it.
Only Service Unit Cookie Coordinators can make changes.
13
The Deposits Tab shows all of the deposits made for your troop. Only Council can add deposits into
eBudde, once the payments have cleared. ePayment is an ACH debit from your troop’s bank account
into Council’s bank account. You can make an ePayment at www.texascookietime.org , this transaction will not be reflected in eBudde immediately. Please allow up to 4 business days for payments to
clear and be reflected in eBudde. If you do not see your cleared ePayment within 5 business days,
please call our Finance Team at 972-349-2400 or email us at [email protected].
The Sales Report Tab is your all in one overview of your Troop’s Cookie Program. This tab reflects
all transactions, the initial order, T2T, additional orders, deposits, troop information, goals, council
monies and balance due.
Your Troop Proceeds are calculated
on the Sales Report tab based on the
information entered on the Settings
Tab. View how much your troop will
receive per package by using the chart
above Pkgs Received.
All troops start with a Troop Proceeds
Rate of 57 cents. If your older girl
troop is taking the Cash Option, the
No Reward Proceeds will reflect an
additional 10 cents. If your troop
reaches a PGA of 200+, the Tiered
Rate will reflect an additional .05
cents per package sold.
NOTE: Only pay council the Amount You Owe
Council. If your troop overpays it will take up to 14
weeks after the last date of program to receive a
refund.
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