2026-27 Cookie Program
Quick Bites Reference Guide for Troop Cookie Coordinators (TCCs)
The Girl Scout Cookie Program powers unique experiences and troop adventures while teaching Girl Scouts to think like entrepreneurs.
Top entreprenuers Mackenzie and Anna were among 22 local Girl Scouts honored in 2025-26.
Visit gsema.org/cookiehub for the most up-to-date cookie program information.
DECEMBER 1 2 7 8 23
Smart Cookies registration email to Troop Cookie Coordinators who have submitted required paperwork and have no outstanding issues Troop Online Prep Talk, 7 PM Digital Cookie invitation email to registered Girl Scouts and Troop Cookie Coordinators who have submitted required paperwork Cookie Cupboards open; online and in-person sales begin; GSEMA Cookie Connector launches GSEMA Cookie Cupboards close for the holidays at 5 PM
JANUARY 4 5 12
All GSEMA offices open All GSEMA Cookie Cupboards open; see Smart Cookies for hours GSUSA Cookie Finder launches; Online Prep Talk and Q&A
FEBRUARY 19–21 National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend 23 Online Prep Talk: Wrap-Up, 7 PM
MARCH 1 12 16
Rewards opt-out forms due to GSEMA; last day to register Girl Scouts for the Cookie Program Cookie Program ends; online ordering ends and all Cookie Cupboards close Last day to allocate packages to Girl Scouts, review reward orders, and transfer packages to troops in Smart Cookies, 11:59 PM
APRIL 8 26
Last day for Girl Scouts to sell leftover cookie inventory Rewards arrive for Service Unit Cookie Mentors
Cooki e Prog ram Highl ights 202627
MAY 2 TBD
NEW! 1,000+ Reward Event: Dave & Buster’s Eat and Play, Woburn, 11 AM–3 PM 500 Club Celebration at Canobie Lake Park
Chiefs in Training celebration day will be held at Camp Cedar Hill over the summer.
Full Cookie Program Calendar
Getting Started Checklist o Ensure that all Girl Scouts are registered for the 2026-27 troop year. o Complete the required paperwork (available at gsema.org/cookiehub): o 2026-27 Troop Cookie Coordinator (TCC) Volunteer Agreement o 2026-27 Troop Bank Information Form o Ensure that TCC’s CORI/SORI is valid for the entire cookie program o 2026-27 Annual Girl Scout Permission Form (caregivers must complete for each child) o Review the digital Cookie Book for all program policies and procedures. o Download the GSEMA Troop Budget Plan and meet with your troop to distribute materials and set money-earning goals. o Join an online Prep Talk and/or review training videos. o Ensure that each Girl Scout has cookie-selling materials. Service Unit Cookie Mentors (SUCM) for each town will provide Troop Cookie Coordinators (TCC) with a packet of troop materials. Each packet includes a copy of Quick Bites for the TCC, a cookie order card, a rewards insert/family guide, and a receipt booklet. o Review the weekly Sunday Cookie emails, and make sure you are opted in for GSEMA emails.
Cookie Book Detailed PDF Guide
Cookie Hub Webpage gsema.org/cookiehub
Cookie Rookies Checklists If you are new to the Cookie Program or would like a step-by-step overview, scan the code for the Cookie Rookie Checklists. Print out these steps for using the paper order cards, hosting a cookie booth, or running an online-only cookie sale.
Cookie Rookie Checklists
Ways Girl Scouts Sell Cookies How Customers Pay
Order Cards and Walkabouts
Cash or credit card, Venmo, and PayPal via Digital Cookie®
Cookie Booths
Cash or credit card, Venmo, and PayPal via the Digital Cookie® virtual cookie booth
OnlineGirl Delivery
Credit card, Venmo, and PayPal via Digital Cookie®
OnlineShip Only
Credit card via Digital Cookie®
Online
In-Person
How Girl Scouts Sell
How Payments Work Cash from in-person sales is deposited into the troop bank account and debited by GSEMA on the monthly schedule shown below. Digital Cookie® payments are automatically credited to the troop and deducted from the troop’s balance.
Balance Due as of Date
Withdrawal Date
Percent of Balance Due to be Withdrawn from Troop Bank Account
Dec 16
Dec 22
30%
Jan 14
Jan 22
50%
Feb 11
Feb 19
60%
Mar 16
Mar 23
80%
Mar 23
Apr 8
100%
How Troops Fulfill Orders / Girl Scouts Receive Credit
• Troop places a Planned Order in Smart Cookies and picks up cookies at a cookie cupboard • Girl Scout delivers the order to the customer • TCC allocates packages to Girl Scouts in Smart Cookies
• Troop places a Planned Order in Smart Cookies and picks up cookies at a cookie cupboard • Girl Scouts sell cookies directly to customers • TCC allocates packages to Girl Scouts in Smart Cookies
• • • •
Girl Scout reports orders (including CShare orders) to the TCC Troop places a Planned Order in Smart Cookies and picks up cookies at a cookie cupboard Girl Scout delivers the order to the customer TCC allocates packages to Girl Scouts in Smart Cookies
• Baker’s warehouse ships the order directly to the customer; customer pays shipping • Digital Cookie® automatically credits packages to Girl Scouts
GSEMA will offer $5 shipping on orders of 9-12 packages twice during the cookie program: December 8-13 and February 19-21.
Cookies for a Cause COOKIE DONATIONS/COOKIE SHARE (CSHARE) ORDERS: Customers who want to support Girl Scouts but don’t want cookies can buy cookies online to donate to food pantries, military, and first responders. For in-person and Girl Delivery orders, troops donate physical packages from inventory or allocate packages to Girl Scouts through Smart Cookies Virtual Cookie Share for GSEMA to donate. For Ship Only orders, GSEMA purchases and donates packages locally.
Cookie Connector/Cookie Finder The GSEMA Cookie Connector allows customers to purchase Girl Scout Cookies directly from a randomly selected troop for shipment only from our website starting in early December. To opt out, email customercare@gsema.org. The GSUSA Cookie Finder displays all Troop Ship Only links on January 12, 2027.
Things to Know SMART COOKIES abcsmartcookies.com Smart Cookies is the Girl Scout Cookie Program’s online portal for volunteers. Volunteers can manage every aspect of their troop’s cookie business from a smartphone, tablet, or computer. Troop Cookie Coordinators use Smart Cookies to: • place Planned Orders for troop cookies • enter cookie booth locations • allocate packages to Girl Scouts • submit rewards selections • manage troop finances • manage troop inventory
ORDERING COOKIES FOR YOUR TROOP Reserve cookies through a Smart Cookies Planned Order and pick them up at a Cookie Cupboard. The deadline to enter Planned Orders in Smart Cookies is 10 PM on Sunday. The person listed in the Order Notes field in the Planned Order may pick up cookies during their assigned time block; they must show a photo ID to pick up cookies. TCCs can place as many orders as necessary throughout the cookie program. Order cookies in case units; there are 12 packages of cookies per case. Call the Cookie Cupboard hotline at 844-727-2884 to correct or adjust an order. INVENTORY TRACKING TCCs need to keep an accurate inventory of cookies on hand and communicate with families throughout the program to avoid excess inventory. Unsold cookies are the troop’s responsibility.
DIGITAL COOKIE® Troop Cookie Coordinators use Digital Cookie® to: • accept Venmo, PayPal, and credit card payments at cookie booths • find/share the Troop Direct Ship link • review orders Girl Scouts use Digital Cookie® to: • create goals • send ecards with their sales links to family and friends • accept credit card payments at a troop booth sale • track progress • select rewards • review orders
HELPFUL SMART COOKIES REPORTS Troop Balance Summary Displays details of all activity for the troop (orders, transfers, troop proceeds, total sales, payments, and the balance owed to GSEMA). Girl Cookie Totals Summary Reviews participant package allocation to keep a Girl Scout’s sales record up-to-date in a summarized chart. They will like tracking their progress toward their goals, like 500 Club. Financial Transaction Summary Displays all financial transactions associated with the troop. HELPFUL DIGITAL COOKIE REPORT All Order Data Displays details of every order for every Girl Scout in your troop.
Meet the Cookies: Adventurefuls • Thin Mints • Caramel deLites® • Lemonades™ • Peanut Butter Patties • Trefoils® Peanut Butter Sandwich® • Caramel Chocolate Chip (Gluten-free) • Exploremores NEW Online-only Sparkables (Allergy-friendly) • NEW Online-only PatchPals (Dog treats) ®
®
NEW
COOKIE CUPBOARD LOCATIONS We may add additional cupboard locations; see Smart Cookies for details. • • • • • • • • • • •
Andover – 143 Abbot Street Dorchester – 500 Morton Street Gloucester – 42 Reynard Street Hingham – 26 Burr Road Marlborough – 212 Phelps Street Middleboro – 111 E Grove Street Norfolk - 3 David Road, Unit 3 Rowley – 888 Haverhill Street Waltham – 265 Beaver Street Wayland – 24 Oxbow Road West Dennis – 160 MA-28, Rear unit
2026-27 Theme and Lop-eared Rabbit Mascot
NEW
NEW ONLINE-ONLY PRODUCTS This Cookie Season, Girl Scouts can offer customers two exciting new specialty products: Patch Pals and Sparkables! Available exclusively online and shipped directly to customers, these limited-time treats give Girl Scouts another way to reach customers and grow their cookie businesses. Patch Pals are Girl Scouts’ first national dog cookie, created in partnership with BARK. These soft-baked, blueberry muffinflavored treats are made with blueberries and come in four fun Girl Scout-inspired patch shapes. Sparkables, created in partnership with Partake, are crunchy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with colorful sprinkles. They are gluten-free, nut-free, vegan, and made with ingredients that meet specific dietary needs. Both products are available online through Ship Only. Booth sale resources, such as table tents with space for a troop’s QR code, will give Girl Scouts a way to point customers to their troop’s online store.
The Perks TROOPS EARN $1.10 PER PACKAGE SOLD
500 & 1000+ CLUBS
Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador troops may opt out of the reward program and earn an additional $0.05 per package. Troops that opt out are still eligible to earn Cookie Credits, a spot in the 500 and 1,000+ Clubs, Chiefs in Training, a theme patch, and an Entrepreneur Programs patch. Opt-out forms are due March 1, 2027.
Girl Scouts who sell 500+ packages will receive invitations to an in-person celebration at Canobie Lake Park in May 2027. New this year, Girl Scouts who sell 1000+ can also attend an event at Dave & Buster’s Eat and Play in Woburn.
Girl Scout Entrepreneurs who sell 1,912 or more packages become Chiefs in Training. This group is recognized at the 500 Club celebration and participates in a special professional development experience designed to prepare them for their leadership role.
COOKIE CREDITS Girl Scouts can earn Cookie Credits once they sell 100 packages. Cookie Credits can be used for GSEMA programs and camp, GSEMA shops, camp trading posts, and GSEMA or GSUSA Destinations programs.
Number of Packages Sold
Cookie Credit Earnings Rate (per pkg.)
100-200
$0.10
201-500
$0.15
501+
$0.20
CHIEFS IN TRAINING
TROOP TREASURE Troops can earn Cookie Program Volunteer T-shirts, based on their Per Girl Scout Average (PGA). See Cookie Book for details.
Resources & Support COOKIE HUB Visit gsema.org/cookiehub for forms, trainings, the Cookie Book, and more. SUNDAY COOKIE EMAILS Watch your inbox every Sunday for Cookie Program updates and reminders. BAND Get real-time updates on weather closures, deadlines, Cookie Cupboards, and helpful tips. Search “GSEMA Product Program” in the free BAND app.
GSEMA CUSTOMER CARE customercare@gsema.org SERVICE UNIT COOKIE MENTOR Your local volunteer expert is available to help throughout the Cookie Program. Need an introduction? Email customercare@gsema.org. COOKIE CUPBOARD HOTLINE 844-PB-PATTI (727-2884) TECH HELP Tech support: 800-853-3730 or ABCSmartCookieTech@hearthsidefoods.com Digital Cookie Ship Only inquiries: bit.ly/supportdigitalcookie