Girl Scout Daisy Cookie Selling Tips

It is that time of year...Girl Scout cookie selling time! 

Let me state for the record that I am not a fan of first year leaders selling cookies.  While the collective memory is quickly fading, I remember a time when Daisy Girl Scouts were not permitted to sell cookies at all.  That was something to grow into. 

Prior to 2008, the Daisy Girl Scout program was a soft and gentle introduction to the world of girl scouting.  It was a one year program designed to introduce kindergarten children to the fundamentals of being a Girl Scout. There was no Journeys program.  All a leader was required to do was have her troop earn the ten petals and blue promise center using fun activities and field trips. Fundraising was not a focus at all...giving leaders a year to grow into their roles and having the girls enjoy the scouting experience is what it was all about.

That all changed in 2008 with the introduction of the Journeys program and changing the Daisy level to kindergarten and first grade. For the first time ever, Daisy Scouts were permitted to sell cookies.

I, for one, think that it is a mistake.

By U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Lesley Lykins [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

New leaders have their hands full just trying to figure out how to run a meeting, what the Council rules are, how to plan activities...it is a lot of work for anyone, especially a person who has never had to be in charge of a group of children before. While selling Girl Scout cookies as second year Daisy Scouts is a viable way to raise troop funds, it is not really necessary to do when you have only met a handful of times.  It is something to strive for in your second year.

But if you are reading this and have already committed to selling cookies, I have written a very detailed article about how to avoid cookie drama.  Yes, there is tons of drama this time of year and while leaders cannot control all of it, there is some that you can control.  

Set your goals low for the first year, use this first time out to enjoy the experience and get your feet wet. Do only one or two booth sales and call it a day. Daisy Scouts are young with a limited attention span and endurance for the cold.