Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails
2016 Cookie Wrap-Up Message from the Product Program Department
This year we had a GREAT cookie sale and we want to thank ALL of our Girl Scout Cookie Professionals! Who are the Girl Scout Cookie Professionals? The GIRLS! In our Product Program department, we use a lot of acronyms when talking about and planning for the cookie sale, such as: PGA (per girl average), GOC (gift of caring), and DOC (digital order card). And much of our planning comes down to numbers… numbers of cases to order, keeping within our budget, and ensuring that our council makes profit so that we can continue to provide programs for our members. But, at the root of every decision is the girl.
New this year. To make sure that girls received more of a reward for selling Girl Scout cookies, we reworked our
incentives to include girl experiences, program vouchers, and increased troop proceeds. Girl experiences are similar to programs, they are offered to girls on specific, pre-determined dates so that girls eligible for the girl experience have the experience as a group. GSNMT council programs and camp are heavily subsidized by the proceeds from the cookie sale to keep all of our Girl Scout activities affordable for girls, but we also offer program vouchers as incentives in the cookie sale. And in 2016, troops received an extra 10¢ per box of profit...to be used however the girls choose!
Learning by Earning. The Girl Scout Cookie Program truly is a program, a program that gets girls immersed in the
entrepreneurial world, where they can learn business and financial skills. The girls earn money to fund their Girl Scouting goals. And through “learning by earning,” Girl Scouting aims to empower girls through the development of five essential skills: goal setting, money management, people skills, decision making, and business ethics.
Girl Led. One of our favorite parts of the Girl Scout Cookie Sale is that it is “girl led.” Before the sale, girls will determine
what their cookie goals are for the year – individually and as a troop. Maybe the girls in the troop want to go to troop camp together, pay for their upcoming membership dues, complete a community service project, and have a day trip to the Wild Wolf Sanctuary. The girls would then research the costs for these activities, figure out how many boxes of cookies they need to sell, determine a number of cookie booths to hold, divide their tasks, and plan for success. Along the way in the Girl Scout Cookie Sale, obstacles may arise—weather may be less than ideal for the cookie sale, a girl may be unable to attend any of the cookie booths, the troop may run out of the “best” flavors of cookies—so, what does the troop do? Let the girls figure it out! Girls are amazing and creative problem solvers when given the opportunity. After the cookie sale, girls should be assessing their success and planning for their hard-earned activities. Did you know: Troops earned an extra 10¢ per box of cookies this year, 65¢ total? In 2015, council paid $435,808 in troop proceeds. This year we paid $539,079 in troop proceeds. How is YOUR Girl Scout and her troop spending their troop proceeds this year?
Thank you! Sonia & Kimberly
INSIDE...
Product Program Dept. Message Top Cookie Sellers 2016 Cookie Numbers Cool Contests & Fun
Girl Experiences Program Vouchers Troop Proceeds
Gift of Caring SU Cookie Chairs Cookie Booth Thanks
Congratulations to our top sellers! Our Cookie Professionals
Congratulations Girl Scouts, Troops, Volunteers, and Families!!!
Top 10+ Cookie Professionals!
4,261 Lexi Chavez, Brownie 2,163 Cheyenne Edwards, Brownie 2,069 Denika Montoya, Brownie 2,053 Melia McDaniel, Cadette 2,000 Millicent Lyman, Brownie 2,000 Ariel Haybarker, Cadette 1,600 Audrey Baker, Daisy 1,500 The following tied for #8 with 1500: • Emma Regan, Junior • Jessica Gaddis, Cadette • Kailyn Ludi. Senior • Samantha Asendorf, Junior • Alexandra Burnham, Cadette • Danielle Kesterson, Cadette • Alexandra Van Why, Senior • Arianna Medley, Cadette • Samantha Van Note, Ambassador • Meliah Bluehouse-Calles, Brownie • Autumn Sanchez, Cadette • Mia Vigil, Cadette • Faith Switzer, Brownie 1,360 Isabella Asebedo, Brownie 1,348 Fallon Dimas, Brownie
19780 19757 15414 12405 12332
Top 10 Troops
Troop 10471 (Dos Rios) Troop 11680 (NE Metro) Troop 10546 (Las Vegas) Troop 10230 (Desert Rose) Troop 10549 (NE Metro)
12205 11209 11020 9502 8509
Congratulations Lexi Chavez 2016 Top Cookie Seller 4,261 boxes
Troop 310 (Jefferson Washington) Troop 10443 (Desert Rose) Troop 10391 (NE Metro) Troop 10266 (NW Mesa) Troop 218 (Alamosa)
Top selling Service Units: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Alamosa 8 troops 336PGA 2780 cases Dulce 1 troop 2556 cases 255 PGA Clovis 5 troops 583 PGA 1992 cases Desert Rose 32 troops 299 PGA 8603 cases Dos Rios 18 troops 392 PGA 5880 cases Gallup/Grants 13 troops 253 PGA 2739 cases Jefferson Washington 25 troops 281 PGA 7135 cases Los Alamos/White Rock 20 troops 198 PGA 2760 cases Mountain View 5 troops 355 PGA 1625 cases NE Metro 54 troops 304PGA 15573 cases NW Mesa 20 troops 262PGA 4433 cases Socorro 5 troops 304 PGA 913 cases Vegas/Taos/Las Vegas 6 troops 393 PGA 2751 cases Santa Fe 27 troops 239 PGA 4561 cases Rio Abajo 9 troops 309 PGA 2937 cases Raton/Clayton 2 troops 175 GPA 541 cases
2016 Cookie Numbers 238 troops participated in this year’s cookie sale.
2,644 girls sold cookies.
The following 9 of our service units increased their cookie sales this year: Desert Rose, Dos Rios, Gallup/Grants, Los Alamos, Mountain View, NE Metro, NW Mesa, Socorro, Las Vegas/Angel Fire/Taos.
5,648 program vouchers at $5 each were earned through the 2016 cookie sale. In 2015, council paid $435,808 in troop proceeds. This year we paid $539,079 in troop proceeds.
Our PGA (per girl average) was 296 this year 6,011 boxes of cookies were donated to Blue Star Mothers Girl Scouts in New Mexico Trails sold 785,220 boxes of cookies
Peggy with the 1500+ cookie sellers at The Melting Pot Girls who sold 1500 boxes of cookies or more had the opportunity to share their cookie stories, goals, and Girl Scout experiences over a delicious fondue dinner with Peggy.
Cool Contests & Fun Winter Recruitment Challenge
23 Troops participated in the winter recruitment challenge and added girls to their troops. 14 of those troops earned extra proceeds for a total of 1706.12 (that’s 9088 extra boxes sold by new girls)
Troop 10541 from Clovis won a pizza party for the Walkabout contest for the most likes on facebook
Troop 10406 from Socorro won the pizza party for participating in the council Gift of Caring and reaching an average of 24 boxes per girl for the second year in a row!
Congratulations to our 12th grade Girl Scouts who sold enough boxes of cookies to earn a Lifetime Membership in Girl Scouts: Casey Hoyt, Victoria Rodriguez, Montana Hull, and Nizhoni Redmond!
Troop 10549 from NE Metro won a glow-in-the-dark pizza party for the sales pitch contest and were featured in the TV interview on March 25.
Leader Barbie Shawn of Troop 10362 shares, “ So...my girls REALLY did have FUN selling cookies this year...We were Super Hero Cookies for our Bling Booth...This is what Girl Scouts is all about!! We have Super Samoa, Wonder Mint, Ninja Turtle Dos (my Kailyn LOVES Turtles), Flash Foil, Tag Lightning, Rockstar Rah Rah, Saver Savannah and Tastic Toffee...
the girls weren't even thinking about prizes...only FUN!!” ...
New Incentives This Year: Girl Experiences What is a Girl Experience? Girl experiences are similar to programs, they are offered to girls on specific, pre-determined dates so that girls eligible for the girl experience have the experience as a group. GSNMT product program staff created quality, mission-related girl experiences that girls can experience together.
750+ boxes: All Day Ride Pass to Cliff’s Amusement Park on June 4, 2016. Our primary event was Saturday, June 4, with a second optional date for those who could not attend on June 4.
girl
experience
1500+ boxes: Dinner w/ the CEO at The Melting Pot on June 2, 2016.
2000+: GoPro Camera & Whitewater Rafting day trip in Taos on May 7.
New & Improved: Program Vouchers & Troop Proceeds GSNMT wants to make sure that ALL girls have the opportunity to attend our Girl Scout events and resident camp, so we have structured our program costs and cookie program to help make Girl Scouts affordable for ALL girls. GSNMT council programs and camp are heavily subsidized by the proceeds from the cookie sale to keep all of our Girl Scout activities affordable for girls.
In 2016, cookie proceeds were restructured to benefit our Girl Scouts and their troops? Program Vouchers. New to our rewards this year was the Program Voucher. Program Vouchers are valid May 1, 2016 – April 30, 2017 and can be redeemed through council for program events, camp sessions and service unit events. Program vouchers are cumulative, so if a girl selects program vouchers for each level they are offered (315+, 375+, 435+, 500+, 625+, 875+, and 1250+), she will have a total of $220 in program vouchers. Troop Proceeds. In 2016, Troops received an extra 10 cents per box, 65 cents (2015 was 55 cents), with the opportunity to increase to 70 and 75 cents per box. Per IRS guidelines, these funds are collective troop funds, not assigned to individual girls; all decisions about troop funds should be made collectively, by the girls in the troop. Help girls develop the 5 skills through the product program, from goal setting to spending of the proceeds.
How did your Girl Scout and her fellow Girl Scouts decide to use their cookie proceeds?
Did you know... Helping girls decide what they want to do, and coaching them as they earn and manage money to pursue their goals, is an integral part of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE). Your Girl Scout group (troops and service units) plans and finances its own activities, with your guidance. At the same time, the girls learn many valuable skills that serve them throughout their lives. THE GIRL/ADULT PARTNERSHIP Underlying all the lessons that girls can learn from their participation in the Girl Scout Cookie Program is the girl/adult partnership. Ideally, this is a partnership between the girl and her leader and between the girl and her parents or guardian. Adult members do not sell cookies, they participate only in supporting the direct involvement of girls. During the Girl Scout Cookie Program the girl/adult partnership may look like this: • An adult and girl working together to make plans and set goals. • An adult guiding a girl in understanding the finances and letting her practice the skills. • An adult advising a girl on how to market her cookies but allowing her to make her make her own decisions. • An adult helping a girl understand her responsibility to support her local council but ensuring that her participation is voluntary.
25 troops met the per girl average of 500 boxes, earning an extra $.05 in troop proceeds 7 troops met the per girl average of 750 boxes. These troops earned an extra $.10 in troop proceeds In 2015, troops earned $435,808 in proceeds. This year troops earned $539,079 in proceeds.
HELPING GIRLS REACH THEIR FINANCIAL GOALS It’s important that the girls have a clear plan and purpose for their product-sale activities. One of your opportunities as a volunteer is to facilitate girl-led financial planning, which may include the following steps for the girls: • Set goals for money-earning activities. What do girls hope to accomplish through this activity? In addition to earning money, what skills do they hope to build? • Create a budget. Use a budget worksheet that includes both expenses (the cost of supplies, admission to events, travel, and so on) and available income (the group’s account balance, projected cookie proceeds, and so on). • Determine how much the group needs to earn. Subtract expenses from available income to determine how much money your group needs to earn. • Make a plan. The group can brainstorm and make decisions about its financial plans. Will cookie and other product sales—if approached proactively and energetically—earn enough money to meet the group’s goals? Remember: It’s great for girls to have opportunities, like the Girl Scout Cookie Program, to earn funds that help them fulfill their goals as part of the GSLE. As a volunteer, try to help girls balance the money-earning they do with opportunities to enjoy other activities that have less emphasis on earning and spending money. Take Action projects, for example, may not always require girls to spend a lot of money!
Gift of Caring
In Girl Scouting, girls learn the value of giving back, and this includes our Cookie program. The Gift of Caring program allows girls to choose organizations they want to support—and then they sell cookies to donate to these causes. This year, our council will designate our donated cookie to Blue Star Moms.
GSNMT had unsold cookies left over from this year’s cookie sale. In addition to donating these cookies to Blue Star Mothers, the council staff donated cookies to the following food pantries across the council: Storehouse Food Pantry, Albuquerque Roadrunner Food Bank, Albuquerque Community Pantry, Gallup Storehouse West, Rio Rancho St. Felix Pantry, Rio Rancho Futures Foundation, Grants CAPP Office, Los Lunas St. Vincent De Paul, Los Lunas East Mountain Food Pantry, Tijeras The Food Depot, Santa Fe Food Pantry of Eastern NM, Clovis Echo Food Bank, Farmington Socorro Food House, Socorro Midwest NM Cap, Socorro Los Alamos Community Food Bank, Los Alamos
Thank you to the 2016 Service Unit Cookie Chairs! Monica Lury - Santa Fe Holly Trellue - Los Alamos & White Rock Amber Deenihan - Dulce Ashley Warner - SU 42/47 Nicole Edwards - SU 52/53 Dara Montoya - Las Vegas, Taos, & Angel Fire Amber Deenihan & Megan GonzalesFarmington Aztec
Genisha Beaty - Rio Abajo Lucinda Whitehorse - Socorro Chris Hayes - Desert Rose Cynthia Guzman - Alamosa Nancy Wiggins - NW Mesa Kathleen Tighe-Smith & Jana Lewis - NE Metro Jennifer Moller - Mountain View Stephani Kurtz - Jefferson Washington
The adult cookie support team for Troop 1680. It takes much coordination, teamwork, and support to have a successful cookie season. By the way, this is what 14,000 boxes of Girl Scout cookies looks like at the initial cookie pickup. Thank you to the volunteers and parents for ALL of your support!
Cookie Resources online: www.nmgirlscouts.org / Cookies+ / For Cookie Sellers / Resources
Thank you!
to those companies who provided cookie booth locations! Aaron's Ace Hardware Albertsons Animas Valley Mall Bad Ass Coffee Buckhorn Tavern Burgers Cavender's Western Outfitter Davis Hardware Domino's Pizza Earl's Restaurant El Dorado Supermarket Farmer's Market Fidel Center- NM Tech First State Bank Flying J Gallup Lumber Great Clips Hastings Hobby Lobby Home Expo John Brooks Supermarket Kaune's Neighborhood Market Latitudes Los Alamos National Bank Lowes Macy Center- NM Tech Metzgers Nambe Fall Travel Center Panchos Shell Station Raintree Thriftway Rio West Mall Roadrunner Travel Center Russell's Discount Foods Russell's One Stop Safeway Sam's Club Santa Fe Outlet Mall Sears Outlet Shoes On A Shoestring Smith's Food & Drug Store Snake Rancho Farm Stores Socorro Visitor & Heritage Center Sofia's Kitchen Southwest Capital Bank Sportsmans Warehouse Super Save Discount Foods T&T Supermarket Ted's Pawn & Jewelry Shop Triangle Grocery US Post Office Walgreens Walmart Walmart Neighborhood Market WisePies Arena "The Pit"