The Girl Scout cookie sale kicks off on January 22, 2025
(Photo/Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast)
By Karen Stokes
It’s no surprise upon hearing “Girl Scouts”, “Girl Scout Cookies” is the first thought that comes to mind. Since the cookie sale began over 100 years ago, communities have looked forward to purchasing the delicious cookies while supporting approximately 1.7 million girls who are being trained and sent out into their communities.
“It’s not just a fundraiser, it’s a program where girls are learning to be entrepreneurs, they’re learning people skills, they’re learning leadership skills, goal setting and organizational skills,” said Wendy Dahl, Director of Product Program at Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast.
“They’re kind of running their own businesses. It does a lot for the girls and many successful women will attribute how they got their start selling Girl Scout cookies and how it’s helped them in life. When you see a Girl Scout ask them what their goals are, and how many boxes they want to sell. When I see a troop at a store I ask them what they will be doing with the proceeds,” she said.
Proceeds benefit local Girl Scouts, funding things like troop adventures that build confidence and foster teamwork, unique leadership opportunities that develop STEM, outdoor, and life skills, and community service projects that better our world. By supporting the Girl Scout Cookie Program, consumers are empowering Girl Scouts who are learning about entrepreneurship and people skills, strengthening communities, and investing in our community’s future leaders.
“Some troops use the money to send their girls to camp, or we have a lot of troops planning big trips. Some of the older girls are doing international travel,” Dahl said. “They’ve had a troop go as far as England, some went to New York or to Savannah, Georgia, the birthplace of Girl Scouting.”
Everyone has their favorite cookie but the best seller is Thin Mints. An interesting statistic Dahl shared is there are eight cookies and 25 percent of the total sold are Thin Mints.
“There is not a new cookie this year but the Toast-Yay! will be retired after this year so there will be a new cookie next year,” she said. “They like to introduce a new cookie every few years and they take away one that isn’t selling as well so it’s time for the Toast-Yay! to say goodbye and we’re going to have something new next year”.
Technology is prevalent in recent cookie sales. Online selling is easy because customers order and pay for the cookies online. The Girl Scouts don’t have to collect the money, just deliver the cookies.
Another option is a direct shipment for customers who don’t want to wait and are willing to pay a shipping charge. The cookies come directly from the baker to the customer within a week.
“The girls will be out at cookie booths at the grocery stores and that begins on February 28th and through the month of March and we are going to have a special cookie deal, for customers that buy four packages or more, they can get into a drawing to win a case of their favorite cookies,” said Dahl.
“We do a Council cookie rally with the Milwaukee Admirals on January 25th, the public is invited and it’s really fun,” she said. “We usually have about 2000 Girl Scouts at the arena. It’s fun to see the Girl Scout energy.”
The Girl Scout cookie sale begins on January 22 and ends March 31.