Submitted by Yvette K. Metro Denver Denver Mia has set a goal to sell 7,000 packages of Girl Scout Cookies. When she sets her mind to something, she goes for it. Her Hometown Hero is an animal shelter in Denver. She also plans to make blankets and treats for the animals there. This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments, too. #PowerofCookie #5Skills #HometownHero #Denver #cookies #GirlScoutCookieProgram #2018GirlScoutCookieProgram #MetroDenver

Submitted by Dinya Southwestern Colorado Cortez My dad is the best helper. When we sell cookies, he’s always helping me haul them around and set up booths. This year on Super bowl Sunday, we walked the neighborhood before the big game. I sold a lot with his help delivering the cookies and keeping track of the money. My dad has always been a big helper when I do cookies every year. Last year, he sat with me at the booths when I sold even though it was cold. Last year, he made my booth a cool cookie banner. I loved it. This year, we are signed up for lots of booths. My dad will be with me there to sell. I know I will hit my goal with his help. He has been an awesome Girl Scout dad since I started as a Daisy. This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form and is part of the 2018 contest for Best Cookie Dad.  Is your Cookie Dad the best? Tell us about him and he’ll win a cool prize! #SouthwesternColorado #GirlScoutCookieProgram #2018GirlScoutCookieProgram #CookieContest #Cortez #BestCookieDadcontest

Submitted by Victoria Gigoux Western Slope Grand Junction It’s that time of year again. Cookies! We all know, for the most part, our beloved Girl Scout Cookies sell themselves. An adorable first grader in a little blue uniform simply bats her lashes and people are yelling “take my money!” But, as girls get older it seems to get more and more difficult to sell by traditional means. As a troop leader of Cadettes and Seniors, who have been selling for nearly 10 years, it’s also difficult to motivate when they know it isn’t going to be as easy for them now as it was before. But, I truly believe, there is ALWAYS a way. Ironically, as it gets harder and harder for the girls to sell by traditional means, they are also trying to save for bigger and bigger things. Our troop has been saving for an international trip for a couple of years. I have three daughters selling, who are going on this trip. Older girls = more challenging plus the fact that I have three in my very own family. FUN….right?!? So, last year we sat down as a family to map out ways to increase our sales to help the girls pay off their trip, in addition to our already tapped out door-to-door, booth, and family-friends online “attacks.” Like my husband likes to say “we need death by a thousand paper cuts” (translation – hit them from every direction!) The girls thought we should find ways to sell to local businesses in ways that were more than a package or two at a time. Who is going to need a whole package, or more, in one sitting? Immediately, restaurants came to the top of our list. After verifying all rules we needed to adhere to through GSCO, the girls reached out to three, locally owned, businesses last year. We stayed local for many reasons, including no corporate red tape and the fact that it is easier to sit down with a decision maker. After the girls’ discussions, two businesses decided they could find ways to use Girl Scout Cookies in menu items during cookie season. One was so successful, this year we had an immediate multi-case order on day one. The secret to this success…What isn’t to love about ice cream? Add in Girl Scout Cookies, and BAM! Our best, and now repeat, customer is Graff Dairy. Graff is a locally owned and operated, family friendly micro creamery. It has been an institution in the Grand Valley for many, many years and their product is divine. According to their website, Graff is “not just about the product. We are a place for families. A business that believes in our community and providing opportunities for our employees.” Making an impact on our local community is such a huge part of the fabric of our troop and of Girl Scouts in general. Shopping and engaging with local businesses is yet another way to make an impact. While we have had a great success, it’s important to remember there is definitely work involved in creating partnerships like this. There is much more preparation and discussion needed, many more “selling skills” than just “would you like to buy some Girl Scout Cookies?” But, sitting down, face-to-face, with a decision maker also enhances the skills we are teaching our girls every time we discuss cookies or leadership, or courage and confidence. Parents and leaders alike, I want to encourage you to sit down with your girls and make a plan. Get creative! Think of just ONE WAY, each year, that you can do something DIFFERENT in your sales plan and I can almost guarantee you can’t fail. What our family has learned is that you can’t always go with the flow. Most successes in life come from thinking outside the (cookie) box. This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments, too. #GrandJunction #cookiesvolunteers #WesternSlope #cookies #GraffDairy #GirlScoutCookies #GirlScoutCookieProgram #icecream #2018GirlScoutCookieProgram

From Girl Scouts of the USA As a Girl Scout Senior (grades 9–10) taking part in the Girl Scout Cookie Program, you’re helping lead the largest entrepreneurial program for girls in the world. You’re learning essential life skills, setting (and crushing!) impressive goals, and using your cookie earnings to go on epic adventures and make the world a better place! Many of these incredible skills and accomplishments start with a Girl Scout badge—and we’re about to explore all of the badges Seniors can earn during cookie season. Have you thought about where you’re headed after high school? Going to a state university? Community college? Trade school? Wherever your dreams take you, your future education will cost money—luckily, through the Financing My Future badge, you can learn how to plan for those expenses! First you’ll figure out your goals, then you’ll research the types of schools that will help you reach them. Once you have a few options in front of you, you’ll compare and determine which fits your wants and needs the best. Next, the fun part—making your dreams a reality. You’ll explore different financial aid options, including loans and scholarships (such as these!), and starting a savings account. Earn this badge. By earning the Buying Power badge, you’ll understand the long-term impact of making a big purchase and how to prepare for it. To get started with this badge, you’ll select an item like a car or new cell phone plan, then compare your options and look up consumer reviews. Next it’s time to dive deep into the numbers! You’ll be challenged to determine the long-term costs of your purchase. Does it require a down payment or payment plan? Should you wait and save more before jumping in? You’ll have to figure it out and build a plan to make sure you’re getting the best deal possible. Earn this badge. When you earn the My Portfolio badge, you’ll learn to show how your cookie-selling skills benefit you every single day—and eventually help with college admissions and future job interviews! You’ll start with your cookie resume and portfolio, describing and showcasing all your amazing abilities and accomplishments during cookie season. Then you’ll practice sharing your hard work by role-playing an interview, get advice from experts on marketing yourself, and more! Earn this badge. Through the Customer Loyalty badge, you’ll take what you already know as a consumer to help you engage customers and ensure customer loyalty during and after cookie season. And think about this: you already know that when you sell Girl Scout Cookies, the money you earn lets your troop participate in epic adventures—but do your customers know? One the best ways to build customer loyalty is by making them feel like a part of your business—and after all, thanks to their purchase, you get closer to your cookie goal. In earning this badge, you’ll also learn how to make your new customers repeat-customers by building your customer database, coming up with unique ways to say “thank you,” and maintaining connections beyond cookie season. Earn this badge. Have you earned one of these awesome badges but don’t know where to place it on your vest or sash? Our new visual guide to Girl Scout Senior uniforms can help! And this cookie season, put your new skills to the test by entering Girl Scout Cookie Pro Contest 2018. Six winners—one per grade level—will be selected to win a trip to New York City for the ultimate Cookie Entrepreneur Experience and a spot on the iconic Girl Scout Cookie box! WHOA. Enter today. Check out the other badges Girl Scouts can earn during cookie season by grade level: Daisy | Brownies | Cadettes | Juniors | Seniors | Ambassadors #seniorbadges #GSUSA #cookiepro #oldergirls #GirlScoutbadges #cookies #GirlScoutCookieProgram #2018GirlScoutCookieProgram #cookiebadges #senior #badges

GSCO’s Denver office is looking for eager troops or girls to help with their outdoor program gear. Volunteering can help you earn hours toward your Take Action Badge! We need Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors, or Ambassadors to meet us at the Denver office starting as soon as this weekend to help with the following tasks: Pitch tents and compile all working parts of the tents Open pop-up canopies Take home cast iron, Dutch ovens, and cook kits to clean – then return to Denver office Help will be on a first come, first served basis in gaining hours towards the Take Action Bar. Please contact Marissa Rooney, outdoor program coordinator, to set-up a time that works with you/your girls to help with these tasks. Open to Junior, Cadette, Senior, or Ambassadors only. #Cadette #Ambassador #Junior #outdoorprogram #volunteer #senior

Submitted by Rachel Pierstorff Metro Denver Denver Girl Scout University is back! Sponsored by the Alpha Phi Omega chapter at the University of Denver on April 14, 2018 starting at 8:30 a.m., Girl Scout University provides your girls the opportunity to come learn and earn two badges in one fun-filled day! We have a multitude of badge offerings for Cadettes, Juniors, and Brownies who can pick one badge for the morning session, and another for the afternoon, for $12 for the full day. New this year: adult training! Parents and guardians no longer need wait around for their girls, but can now learn something for themselves! Tiffany Stone will be leading the FREE adult workshops. Songs & Games will be offered in the morning, and a Volunteer Round Table will take place in the afternoon. Registration will be open until March 10 at 11:59 p.m. There is a registration limit for each badge, so sign up early and with your troop if you all want to complete the same badges! Registration here: https://girl-scout-university-2018-du.cheddarup.com For questions, please contact gsu@apo-alphaetaiota.org. 40963104_gsu_2018_registration_poster This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments, too. #UniversityofDenver #GSCOevents #AlphaPhiOmega #Denver #MetroDenver #GirlScoutUniversity

Are you ready for booth sales? Friday marks the first day of council booths and Girl Scouts will be selling in front of grocery stores, big box retailers, and other retail locations across the state. This is our most visible time of the year, and a great chance for girls to practice their entrepreneurial skills! Share the Cookie Booth Readiness sheet with troop members for tips on how to answer “Why Girl Scouts?” like a pro! Make sure you head to your booths with everything you’ll need. You should print out and bring a copy of your booth sign-up confirmation, plenty of cookies, booth inventory sheet to track purchases or a device with a booth sale recorder app, table and chairs, tablecloth, $60 in change, pen to detect counterfeit bills, and any booth posters or decorations to bling your booth! Booths are an awesome opportunity for girls to learn and practice the 5 Skills. It’s a safe environment where girls can try a new pitch, bundle cookies, and really push their Hometown Hero and Gift of Caring donation options. Guide girls in their strategies, but always remember that girls make all sales! Don’t forget to review booth etiquette with your girls, too. Bundle up for big sales Cookie bundles are a great way to increase sales, and the first weekend of council booths offers plenty of creative bundle possibilities. Make an ever-popular “chocolate lovers” bundle by using some pretty ribbon to tie a package of Thin Mints, Tagalongs, and Samoas together for $12- or add a box of S’mores to make it $17. In honor of President’s Day weekend, offer customers a patriotic bundle by packaging the red Tagalongs package together with the blue Trefoils, and top them with a white bow. Make sure your customers know they can also make a Gift of Caring donation to send cookies to our military serving overseas. Challenge those who care a lot to send a whole case! Cupboards are open Cookie Cupboards are open around the state if you need to restock your inventory. Please check your local cupboard hours in eBudde and try to give one week’s notice for orders to be filled. Be mindful that many cupboards are managed by volunteers and will have varying hours. It is important to note that anyone who picks up cookies from a cupboard will need an eBudde password. Girl Scouts of Colorado is piloting a new mobile app,Cupboard Keeper, that will make cookie pickup faster and more secure.Learn more about Cupboard Keeper. Make a video for Digital Cookie Remind the girls in your troop that Digital Cookie is an easy way to add to your sales. Girls can add a video message or a photo, share their goals and what they’ve learning by selling cookies, then share their digital cookie link with friends and family, even those living in other states. If you’ve got a great video, enter it into the Cookie Video Contest. Deadline to enter is today! Just submit your video, along with a brief story, through the Share Your Stories form on the GSCO Blog. Don’t forget to include your cookie goal. First Prize: $200 in Cookie Credits Second Prize: $100 in Cookie Credits Third Prize: $50 in Cookie Credits #BlingYourBooth is back! With council booths beginning on Friday, this is the perfect weekend to Bling Your Booth for the chance to win up to $200 in Cookie Credits! Pick a theme to decorate your cookie booth and post it to the Girl Scouts of Colorado Facebook page with the hashtag #BlingYourBooth. Entries are due Feb. 22. Contest details and rules » Upcoming dates Feb. 16: Council booths begin Feb. 23-25: National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend March 11: Cookie program ends March 13: Rewards orders due in eBudde #BlingYourBooth #CupboardKeeper #DigitalCookie #SmartCookie

From Girl Scouts of the USA As a Girl Scout Ambassador (grades 11–12) taking part in the Girl Scout Cookie Program, you’re helping lead the largest entrepreneurial program for girls in the world. You’re learning essential life skills, setting (and crushing!) impressive goals, and using your cookie earnings to go on epic adventures and make the world a better place! Many of these incredible skills and accomplishments start with a Girl Scout badge—and we’re about to explore all of the badges Ambassadors can earn during cookie season. By earning the On My Own badge, you’ll learn how to avoid financial pitfalls while exercising independence as you achieve your dreams. This badge takes budget planning to the next level—from setting yourself up for your future dream home (and learning the importance of location, location, location) to your retirement years (seriously!). You’ll budget for daily needs and fun adventures like traveling or hobbies, and even prepare for unexpected expenses—because you never know when you’ll need to fix something in a flash. And because Girl Scouts know how to give back, you’ll learn about ways to set funds aside for those in need. Earn this badge. There will be a time, or times, in your life when you’ll have to borrow money, whether through a credit card or a loan. With the Good Credit badge, you’ll learn how to keep good credit (a report card of your financial history), borrow money successfully, and pay back what you owe on time. There are many ways you can borrow money, and this badge will help you tell the difference between each and determine what works best for you! Earn this badge. Through the Research & Development badge, you’ll learn how businesses invest in researching and refining new ideas and bringing them to market—then you’ll apply your newfound knowledge to your own cookie business! First, you’ll take a step back to see how well your cookie business is doing and if you notice any sales trends you can tap into. For example, are you getting more sales going door-to-door or through your Digital Cookie platform? If one outweighs the other, you can decide if you want to redirect your time and efforts. You’ll get inspired by companies you like and explore how they change things up for their customers. Earn this badge. The P&L badge is all about practicing good business ethics by looking at both the business P&L (profit and loss) and the Girl Scout P&L (Promise and Law). Business ethics are very important for business owners, because they reflect everything your company is about, including how it treats its employees and even the environment. Not to mention good business ethics = the Girl Scout way! With this badge, you’ll create your own Cookie Promise to ensure you provide your customers (and fellow troop members) with high-quality service and products. Then you’ll share your cookie legacy with others, especially younger Girl Scouts. (You are sisters, after all!) You can teach them about being a great cookie boss as you share your skills—and, most importantly, you can help them build the courage, confidence, and character to be just like  you! Earn this badge. Have you earned one of these awesome badges but don’t know where to place it on your vest or sash? Our new visual guide to Girl Scout Ambassador uniforms can help! And this cookie season, put your new skills to the test by entering Girl Scout Cookie Pro Contest 2018! Six winners—one per grade level—will be selected to win a trip to New York City for the ultimate Cookie Entrepreneur Experience and a spot on the iconic Girl Scout Cookie box! WHOA. Enter today. Check out the other badges Girl Scouts can earn during cookie season by grade level: Daisy | Brownies | Cadettes | Juniors | Seniors | Ambassadors #GSUSA #cookiepro #GirlScoutbadges #GirlScoutAmbassadors #Ambassador #cookies #GirlScoutCookieProgram #ambassadorbadges #GirlScoutCookieProgram2018 #cookiebadges #badges

Submitted by Sofia M. Mountain Communities Gypsum My name is Sofia and I’m a Junior.  This is my fourth year selling cookies. I wanted to make a video for other Girl Scouts so that they can learn some tips for selling cookies. I wanted them to learn about what the Girl Scout Cookies taste like, and I wanted to inspire people with my video so I can accomplish my goal and help other girls to accomplish theirs. I learned how to use my Google Drive to make the Selling Cookies video. My mom also showed me how to use Quick Time to make a screen video of my Google Slide presentation. I enjoyed making the video. This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form and is part of the 2018 contest for Best Cookie Video. #BestCookieVideocontest #GirlScoutCookieProgram #2018GirlScoutCookieProgram #Gypsum #mountaincommunities

Submitted by Stacey Maule Mountain Communities Eagle We love to adventure and are focused on learning about the outdoors! This year, we have been exploring our local environment in Colorado. With our cookie money, we are planning to go to Costa Rica so we can learn about a tropical place and experience the outdoors in a different place. We hope you will help us get to our goal! This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form and is part of the 2018 contest for Best Cookie Video. #Eagle #BestCookieVideocontest #cookies #GirlScoutCookieProgram #2018GirlScoutCookieProgram #CookieContest #mountaincommunities

Submitted by Ashla F. Northern & Northeastern Colorado Greeley I started Girl Scouts as a Juliette when I was a Daisy. My second year as a Girl Scout Brownie, I was finally able to find a troop in Greeley. We have a great time doing crafts, learning new things, like rock climbing and making slime, and even go on adventures like horseback riding. My goal this year is to sell at least 500 packages of  cookies. Last year, I was one of the top 100 sellers in Colorado and got to go to a special event that was really cool. I am using my cookie money to help me go to Girl Scout Camp and our troop is wanting to learn more about archery and get babysitter and First Aid and CPR certified too! This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form and is part of the 2018 contest for Best Cookie Video. #Greeley #BestCookieVideocontest #cookieconests #NorthernampNortheasternColorado #GirlScoutCookieProgram #2018GirlScoutCookieProgram

Submitted by Tricia P. Denver Metro Arvada Hailey is in her second year of selling Girl Scout Cookies and has big goals. She is trying to sell 1,000 packages of cookies to go to horse camp this year. Last year, she was a big help in getting her first year troop to cookie camp and they all had so much fun. This year, they would like to plan a camping trip for their troop and a sister troop. She loves taking the lead in her business and being a great Girl Scout. She is a go-getter because she does not let the weather stop her, and she works every booth she can to ensure her troop reaches their goals. She is an innovator because she encourages her troop to dance and sing cookie songs at booths. She finds people would rather buy from Girl Scouts who are really enjoying selling cookies. She is a risk-taker because she always puts her self out there and supports her troop by helping teach the younger and new girls some of her tips and tricks. She is a leader because she is always ready to help get her troop going and coming up with new ideas. This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form and is part of the 2018 contest for Best Cookie Video. #Arvada #BestCookieVideocontest #cookies #GirlScoutCookieProgram #2018GirlScoutCookieProgram #Denvermetro #CookieContest