Today, an acquaintance (I’ll call her “Laura”) asked me if I would buy some Girl Scout cookies from her daughter’s troop. I told her “No thank you.”
It’s not that I don’t enjoy eating Girl Scout cookies (I do enjoy Thin Mints and Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies). It’s not that I generally oppose the activities of Girl Scouts. I approve of much of what Girl Scouts do.
Here’s what triggered this post. Laura told me that the average box of cookies sells for three dollars and that the average profit for each box of cookies is only fifty cents. Hmmmm.
Therefore, I can support their Girl Scouts to the same extent by handing $5 directly to the local troop or by buying $30 worth of cookies. Unless you think that eating cookies is an especially good thing, it makes much more sense to simply hand the local troop $5. Then again, eating cookies, especially a lot of cookies, is not a good thing. Cookies consist largely of refined carbohydrates and sugars. These are exactly the kinds of ingredients that invite obesity. Are the Girl Scouts concerned about obesity? Very much so (so am I), yet they continue to rely on cookie sales to fund their activities.
But let’s go back to the money for a moment. If you click here, you can see it stated that “all of the revenue” from cookie sales “stays with the local Girl Scout council that sponsors the sale.” The official site carefully points out that individual troops receive “from 12-17% of the purchase price of each box sold.” There are various important numbers that the site does not provide, however. For instance, is $.50 per box (the amount indicated to me by my acquaintance) the average amount of proceeds per box sold (as Laura indicated)? If so, the 12-17% of the purchase price of each box sold amounts to $.45 per box, which means that most of the proceeds go to the local troop. If true, it would be commendable. But we don’t know, because the Girl Scout organization does not specify how much profit is involved in the sale of each box of cookies.
All of this makes me wonder, because the Girl Scout organization is based in the middle of one of the highest rent districts in the world, 420 5th Ave in Manhattan. That’s where 400 employees work for the Girl Scout organization. But nowhere on the site will you find anything about the sales information I just mentioned, or other things I wonder, such as the salaries and perks of these 400 employees. Wouldn’t it be nice to know how much money it takes to run that fancy headquarters? How about a pie chart showing the sources of that money? Nowhere will you find the amount of that annual cookie profit money that flows back to the Girl Scout headquarters from determined efforts of little girls. Wouldn’t that be interesting to know? I suspect that, indirectly, cookie money flows back to the Girl Scout headquarters at a brisk rate. I’d be interested in knowing for sure, though, especially since my client has told me that the local troops have to purchase their own badges and other supplies with their own money. Much of what local Girl Scout troops do is not subsidized by cookie profits. I don’t know how much aggregate cookie profit is generated each year, because that is not on the website either. Maybe those cookie-revenue numbers are just too big to fit on the official Girl Scout webpage!
I have occastionally supported local Girl Scouting activity, despite my concerns with the financially opaque corporate hierarchy. I’ve decided, though, that my solution will now be to offer a direct donation to the local troop, just as I mentioned at the top of this post. Five dollars handed to a little girl who approaches you to sell cookies is the equivalent of buying $30 worth of cookies, and you can rest assured that all of that money will stay with the local troop. If you really want to get good bang for the buck and you usually buy $30 for the cookies, just hand the full $30 to local troop–that’s like buying $180 worth of cookies. In the process, everyone will be healthier and the local troop will be flush with cash to spend on those badges and other supplies that the national organization refuses to buy for them.
The Girl Scout cookie phenomenon raises an interesting issue about the way Americans think of charities. Why is it that people insist on getting something back for themselves in order to donate money to allegedly good causes? The Girl Scout cookie phenomenon is a classic case of this need for a quid pro quo. If someone really believed in the Girl Scouts, they shouldn’t need to receive cookies in return for supporting the Girl Scouts. Rather, they would just hand the local troop some money (as I’ve suggested above).
This problem (the need for a quid pro quo when soliciting for charities), is not peculiar to Girl Scouts. It’s everywhere you look. Almost every institutional charity offers stuff to people who donate. Mugs, T-shirts, videos, CDs, plaques, special access to celebrities, umbrellas, admissions to amusements, paperweights, inscribed souvenirs, admission to concerts or other special events.
Sometimes an organization will invite you to turn down any sort of gift. Kudos for those people who do so, those people who realize that demanding a gift in return for their contribution effectively reduces their contribution. They realize that those mugs, T-shirts and cookies are not free. And furthermore, who really needs more stuff of that sort?
All of this makes me wonder what kind of people we’ve become that so many of us insist on getting substantial amounts of stuff back in order to “contribute” to charities. I would suspect we’ve reached new levels of proficiency at being rampant consumers. See here and here .
Admittedly, this need for a quid pro quo is nothing new. After all, people were selling indulgences hundreds of years ago. But now, it is also much more visible and so widely accepted. It makes me frustrated enough to go eat half a box of Thin Mints. If only I had bought those cookies . . .
Maybe someone has already pointed this out to you but this is the breakdown of the cookie sales for sales in the Seattle area:
Cookies sell for $4.00 a box.
Younger girls' troops get 55 cents a box plus the girls get cookie incentitves.
Older girls' troops get 70 cents a box but they do not get incentives.
The cookies them selves cost $1.00 a box so that leaves around $2.30 to $2.45 a box that the local council makes off a box. The local council uses this money to fund and subsidize the camps, activities and organizing girl scout troops. The money truly does stay local. Girls can participate in many free activities that are paid for by cookie sales such as sleepovers at the zoo and science center, gymnastic events, art programs, etc. Plus, there are scholarships for girls to have their Girl Scout fees waived for membership and for camp.
So yes, the troops only get a portion of the sales but the sales support many, many worthwhile activities. Go ahead and donate to the troop but remember the cookie sales support more than just the troop.
I'm not only a registered adult girl scout but a troop leader and the service cookie manager. If you have so many questions regarding the cookie program or money received by girl scout councils, how about stopping by their office and picking up an annual report. As for my troop, these girls and their families are have to pay $5 per year. The troop pays for all supplies, batches, admission or fees to movie tickets, scouting events, etc. Whereelse can a family spend $5 and have their child meet each week, attending scouting events, create crafts, visit museums, etc for only $5. The cookie proceeds as well as fall products go to benefit these activities.
This will answer many of your questions regarding money raised, money spent and anything in between. While there ask about the scholarship programs offered to every girl that wants to participate in scouts and are unable to afford it or the girls that get the chance to attend camp for free or receive scholarships.
Request literature on the Bronze, Silver and Gold awards earned by the young ladies – which are mainly supported not cookie proceeds, fall product sales and additional fund raising activities that these girls initiate.
Ask about the family partnership fund raising activies (actually why don't you donate to this partnership since you oppose eating cookies).
I just ask that you do your research about the girl scouts before shouting nonsense from your rooftop.
I take it you have never worked for a non-profit organization before, let alone an actual Girl Scout Council.
As a full-time employee of one, we aren't exactly raking in the big bucks and getting huge "salaries and perks." I generally put in 45-50 hours/week and don't get paid overtime. In addition, I would say I drive about 100 mi./week for work and get reimbursed according to the federal standard, which I can tell you barely covers the $4.30 I'm paying per gallon.
I know that our local council isn't using our girls to pay our less-than-modest salaries. We rely on that funding to provide financial aid, training to our wonderful adult volunteers and camp.
Work for a Girl Scout Council to see the amazing things our cookie sale does for our girls and what amazing female leaders our organization has created before you assume things about the staff.
And if you have problems with binge eating Girl Scout cookies, start a support group.
Patricia:
I assume that you aren't an employee at the Girl Scout Headquarters on Madison Avenue. I'm not taking aim at anyone not at that high-rent headquarters. I admit that there are lots of local people doing wonderful work with girl scouts. I thought I made it clear in the original post that I'm not criticizing the activities of the girl scouts or the adults helping out on the local level.
BTW, can anyone tell me what salaries/benefits are made by the people working at the Girl Scout Headquarters?
Actually, The Girl Scouts do have quite a few job openings these days. You can find them on the GSA website. Curiously, they don't give any idea of the salary for any of these jobs.
This intrigues me, because many of the local girl scout leaders work for little or no salary because they believe in the cause.
Here are the job listings: http://www.girlscouts.org/who_we_are/careers/head…
Like are you serious man? These are really the things you worry about in life? I wish i had your problems.
Jay: The 80 comments preceding your comment suggest otherwise. And come on, this highly organized cookie-selling, the huge profits and the question of how those profits are distributed affect many thousands of families.
I'll admit that it's not a life or death issue, but the many aspects of girl scout cookie sales certainly seem newsworthy to the people who have commented regarding this post.
For those of you looking for an alternative to Girl Scouts. Try Frontier Girls. We are a 100% volunteer run organization with our headquarters in a living room in rural Cottonwood, CA. Founded in 2007 we already have troops in 9 states with several more coming on board this fall. We offer more than 150 badges (more than any other program including Girl Scouts) and do it all with no national fundraiser. We are solely supported by registration fees and individual donations. Troops conduct their own fundraisers according to their goals and keep 100% of any money earned. My own troop recently earned $369 at our 1 day yard sale. When I was a Girl Scout Leader I would have had to sell over 700 boxes of cookies to earn this amount for my troop, which would have taken much longer than one day. Frontier Girls wants its girls to be known for their patriotism, community service, and good character, not for the product they sell. Check us out at http://www.frontiergirls.com
If you care about your health, do not eat Girl Scout cookies:
http://goldencarla.typepad.com/carla_goldens_get_…
I am the troop leader for my daughter's brownie troop as well as I was a Girl Scout from 1st grade through to college. The annual cookie sale is not only a time honored tradition but it is an event that many people look forward to. Here are some facts that might have been missed:
Cost per box of cookies is $4.00….compare this to a box of cookies from your local supermarket…oreos are generally $3.50-$4, peppridge farm usually is around the same. Other than store brand this is an average price for a box of cookies
For each box of cookies 60 cents goes back to the troop. This money is deducted directly from the collected money. The costs associated with the making, packaging and distribution of the cookies is $3.40.
Girl Scout cookies freeze well. Also, there are a few types of 'low-calorie, fat-free' kinds available as well. Girl Scout cookies also publish their weight watcher points values….basically 3 cookies = 3 points on most.
Before you go slamming the Girls Scouts for making the world obese…take a closer look around you…and listen up to how many people "super-size" their McDonald's lunch.
It's funny that people feel a need to join large organizations to teach children skills. Kids can learn business skills and be involved in goal oriented projects that are good for the community without having to peddle unhealthy goods door to door…why can't we teach our kids to work "smart" not hard.
A friend of mine told me that his 6 year old neice recently joined the Girls Scouts. The girl was assigned a quota of 70 boxes of cookies to peddle! What happens if her mom can't find buyers for the 70 boxes? I hope the girl won't get discouraged and quit the Girl Scouts.
A little girl scout knocked on my door this weekend. She told me . . . well, actually, it was her MOTHER who told me (the mother was doing all the work) that her child was offering Girl Scout Cookies for sale. I told her that I wouldn't buy any cookies (frown), but that I was handing her $5, which was the equivalent of buying ten boxes of cookies. I told her to make good use of the $5 right there at the local level.
The mother started to protest, indicating that the national organization does good things. I told her that they are also burning a lot of the girls' money because of their choice to place the corporation at a fancy Madison Avenue location.
I told her that I wanted to support the Girl Scouts and that I wanted ALL of my money to go straight to the girls in a healthy way.
They said thank you, but they left unconvinced that they had accomplished anything at my house.
It looks like Girl Scout cookie packages have shrunk in size:
http://consumerist.com/5135713/grocery-shrink-ray…
I suppose the Girl Scouts had to decide between skimping out on the cookie-buyers, or giving the local troops even thinner profits?
Here's a post from another person who won't buy girl scout cookies from a mother with an absent child. The opening line:
http://www.mcsweeneys.net/2006/10/25nadler.html
I CANT BELIEVE WHAT IM READING LOL!!!everyone always has something to complain about, if your complaining about your weight then DONT EAT IT simple as that give it to someone else who will eat i, like me, those cookies are the nuber one sellers when they come out for a reason, they are DELISCIOUS!!! im sure 99% off you that are talking all this mess are probly overweight arent active and would die if mc.donalds went bankrupt and had to be hsut down forever! i only buy it to eat the cookies, who cres where the money goes, i have no idea where nabisco money goes i dont even think being a girl scout make much sense other than teaching good skills which you can learn with a good upbringing, they are useless!. damn people always have to be haters, you peoples post dont make any sense, you need a hobby!!!
WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM????
I;m a GS and selling GS cookies has let me learn a lot. Sellng a typical amount a both normally calculates out to be a little over minimum wage.
A controversy is buzzing online about the ethical dilemma of parents pushing co-workers to buy Girl Scout cookies from their daughters. While some parents trot their princesses around the office hawking their confections from cubicle to cubicle, others act as grown-up Girl Scouts, passing around the sign-in sheet in the conference room, hoping a sprinkle of guilt will get their colleagues to commit to a few boxes.
http://www.momlogic.com/2009/02/grown_up_girl_sco…
Its not about the 50 cents. That various from place to place in the country. Its more about what it teaches the girls.
The scout is paying her own way for her activities – not relying on others. Its about leadership and courage in approaching people. Its about confidence in what she's doing. She learns math skills, salesmanship, manners, politeness, dependability, courtesy, sharing, teamwork, customer service, budgeting,goal making…..all skills needed in life and it starts with a box of cookies. Sorry…..giving the $5 as a donation takes away that part of the experience and deprives the scout of earning her own way. I disagree with this post. The girl gains far more from selling cookies than waiting for a handout. Too many others already do that. I believe teaching a girl to help themselves is far better than depending on others (like my tax money) to bail them out. Go Girl Scouts! Sell them cookies!
Did a girl scout break your heart when you were a lil boy or something because, what the hell, their girl scouts, little girls doing something productive, you should be happy that their not out stealing something. And another thing, is that the employees of the Girl Scout head Quarters are not paid because its volentary, yup volentary. they sell cookies to fund activities within their troups, like camping and stuff like that, the money does not go back to the headquarters, the only money that goes back is "Thinking Day" contributions and montly/annual "subs" the girls have to pay inorder to continue to fund the organisation.
Kelly: I agree that it's a good thing that Girl Scouts aren't running around stealing things.
I ABSOLUTELY agree with this article. I was a Girl Scout when I was a child…we paid .50 cents a week in 'dues' and we indeed went to Niagra Falls. We also went camping and earned badges. I was eager to put my girls into Scouts. After finding that I am being requested to pay for numerous items and children in the same troop were recieving varied "try-it" badges, or badges they earn on their own (which p.s. defeats the perpose of a troop then). My troop was given info that if they sold enough cookies they would in fact go to an indoor water park. ..an expensive one. These girls busted their buts! Van loads of cookies were sold to our community. When time for the water park came, the troop was given notice that we would have to pay a portion of the childs entrance fee and they MUST be accompanied by a parent AND that parent MUST pay for him/herself. hhhmmm…. where did the money go? So I refused and stirred the pot. I demanded answers. Two Girl Scout Council locations in our area are as you say…in expensive locations and with an expensive and fancy building. In addition, when I was given the pie chart as to where the money goes, my troop and all others only actually receive about 3% of the profits.
And YES, WE WERE WRONGED BY GIRL SCOUT COUNCIL AND DECEIVED. Dont believe?…Next time you purchase a box of cookies…demand to see the orderforms. The pie graph is on them. Within the mess of formality that CHILD will have the info you seek.
Girl Scouts headquarters shuts down enterprising girl scout's cookie-selling website.
I stopped giving to the United Way many years ago because of the same thing; way too much of the profit was going toward salaries and building leases. I do think the girls learn valuable skills from selling ,but in this day and age they can't go door to door for fear of being raped and killed and if the parents take the order form to work that defeats the purpose. The Girls Scouts is just another form of organized crime that uses or little girls as a front. You can teach your kids the same skills by having them pay when you go to the grocery store. Give them the money and make them interact with the cashier. By doing things like that they will learn the same communication skills and self-confidence as they would selling cookies, without the danger and corruption.
I agree 100%: Don't buy the cookies. The bottom line is the bottom line: most of the money paid goes to the cookie manufacturer. The Girl Scouts end up with pennies on the dollar. Only an idiot could support the cookie sale based on that one fact alone.
As far as teaching the girls valuable lessons:
-When was the last time you actually bought the cookies from the kid, and not the parents who directly solicit sales from coworkers, friends, family, etc?
Want to really teach the child something? Explain to her how the Girl Scouts are being exploited for profit by a cookie manufacturer, how little of the money goes back to her troop, and how you would much prefer to make a direct cash donation TO THE TROOP in lieu of a purchase. Then make that donation.
Selling Girl Scout Cookies teaches them nothing real, and gains them extremely little for their efforts.