Ever wonder where all your Girl Scout Cookie money goes, long after you've devoured that box of Thin Mints??
OK, before you get the wrong idea that I am Girl-Scout-bashing, here's my disclaimer: I am a lifelong Girl Scout. I was a brownie and worked for the organization through college. OK? Don't get it twisted now.
Saw this online, how Girl Scout cookie profits breakdown:
$0.55 - $0.60, Troop proceeds (average)
$0.11, Girl awards and recognitions
$0.85, Baker
$1.70 - $2.00, Council-sponsored program events, properties, and services
(That's an example based on nummbers from a council in the midwest)
"The Girl Scouts of Central & Southern New Jersey ... 55 to 80 cents goes directly to an individual troop. And if older girls forgo prizes, they can earn as much as 85 cents per box of cookies for their troop. Approximately 87 cents goes to the bakery and another $1.70 to $2.00 'provides programs and activities to Girl Scouts throughout our council.'
...The Girl Scouts of the USA explained that 'All the money after the bakers are paid stays local... About 83 percent goes to the girls' activities, 11 percent goes to administrative costs and 6 percent goes specifically to the fundraiser's costs.' "
Hahaha, I laugh, at the sacrifice that is "forgoing prizes". Because of years of hard-selling (i.e. my parents were the first generation of office folks who brought my cookie sheets into work), I earned many "great" prizes. Like stuffed animals. And toys. They weren't as exciting as the appliances you could win hawking greeting cards, but they were accolades nonetheless.
By the way, due to the assistance of my parents' co-workers contributing to a large portion of my sales, I used to average 250-300 boxes a season. I was sort of a big deal.
And I had to actually go door-to-door. None of this hanging out in front of the grocery store crap. Things were different back then.
I had to walk the ten miles around my neighborhood. In the snow. In my bare feet.
Times sure were tough.
Hi Toni-
ReplyDeleteFive boxes of cookies just entered our house last night and one is almost gone already.
Here's the perfect follow-on story to your post today. There's a new business book out about leadership based on Scout ethics. Let me know if I can write your next blog post for you on it. A blogging vacation day for Toni!
Stephanie Barko
Literary Publicist
Austin
"Authors indigenous to the American West"
www.authorsassistant.com/Barko.htm
www.theauthorsassistant.blogspot.com