Monday, November 4: Troop Cookie Manager (TCM) training is available on gsLearn.
Friday, December 6: Deadline to complete required TCM/troop requirements AND girl permission slips to be added into eBudde for December 14 start. Note: This is the initial due date just for the Product Program Department (PPD) to enter information by December 14. Troops and girls can join the program at ANY TIME!
Saturday, December 14: Girl Scout Cookie Program begins for GSSWT.
11:59 p.m., Sunday, January 5: Initial cookie order, rewards, and delivery date/time/location due in eBudde
Wednesday, January 22-Saturday, January 25: Initial order deliveries
Wednesday, January 22: Independent Booths can begin, if approved in eBudde
Tuesday, January 28-Sunday, February 23: Cookie pickup sites open (hours and locations for 2025 coming in December)
Friday, January 31: Council-sponsored booths begin; troops/Individually Registered Girls (IRGs) can sign up for slots in eBudde Booth Sales tab
Friday, February 21-Sunday, February 23: National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend and Troop Digital Cookie links listed in GSUSA Cookie Finder
Monday, February 24-Sunday, March 2: Clean-up Week—Troops should sell any remaining inventory
Wednesday, March 5: Digital Cookie closes
Friday, March 7: Final rewards due in eBudde
Monday, March 10: Final Sweep Adjustment with Uncollected Funds Section due for parents with a remaining balance
Week of Sunday, April 14: Final rewards ship to Community Cookie Managers (CCMs)
Do all girls need to begin the cookie program Saturday, December 14?
Girls and troops can join the program at any time, as long as it is on or after Saturday, December 14. You cannot begin to sell cookies before December 14, and it is up to each troop/girl when to begin taking orders after that date.
When do we pick up our initial cookie order?
Initial cookie order pickups are Wednesday, January 22 through Saturday, January 25. Most troop’s pick-up Wednesday during the A.M. or P.M. slots at Ward North American.
What if I’m unable to make the initial cookie order pickup?
If you, or another adult, are unable to pick up the initial cookie order at the date and time scheduled, you will need to pick up your initial cookie order at Ward North American on the date included in eBudde emails about initial order deliveries.
Ward North American is located at 17275 Green Mountain Rd., San Antonio, TX 78247.
What if a parent/caregiver doesn’t pick up their initial order of cookies?
If a parent/caregiver does not pick up the cookies ordered on the initial order, use the cookies for the troop’s booth sales or to fill additional orders. DO NOT hold onto the cookies and wait for the parent/caregiver to pick them up. If needed, additional cookies can be picked up at reorder sites.
Are troops/groups required to participate in the cookie program?
Troops are not required to participate; however, all girls should be given the opportunity to participate in the cookie program.
The Girl Scout Cookie Program is more than just cookies; it's an opportunity for girls to learn and develop essential life skills:
Support of and participation in Girl Scouts—and the cookie program—gives girls the opportunity to be a Girl Scout and experience the Girl Scout Leadership Experience.
There are stumbling blocks on a girl’s path to entrepreneurship, including fear of failure, concerns about bringing big ideas to life, and the perception that men are more likely to be entrepreneurs than women. While entrepreneurship may not be right for every girl, every Girl Scout will benefit, and maybe even discover a future career path, by learning to think like an entrepreneur.
The Girl Scout Cookie Program also provides funding for Girl Scout activities and programs. All proceeds from the sale of Girl Scout Cookies stay with the local councils and troops.
Participating benefits many council services, including girl programs, camps, leadership training, community projects, facility upkeep, and community awareness.
Note: Troops/groups that do not participate in the annual cookie and fall product programs may not hold any other money-earning or fundraising activities.
Is every girl required to participate?
Girl participation in the cookie program is voluntary. However most troops heavily rely on participation in the cookie program as a way to fundraise for the upcoming year’s activities, membership fees and troop supplies!
When is money collected?
Money is collected from customers upon delivery of cookies. Do not accept money at the time the order is placed. If the customer orders online, they pay by credit card at the time of the purchase.
Are credit cards accepted?
Yes, customers can place orders on Digital Cookie for donation, girl-delivery, or direct shipped. Troops can also use the troop Digital Cookie to accept credit cards at booths or use Square if they have a device/site. Note: credit card fees may NOT be passed onto the customer.
What do I do if a parent does not turn in all money by the end of the program?
We strongly encourage TCMs to only allow parents to have a maximum balance of $500 at any time, and to request payment from the parent before providing any additional cookies. TCMs should keep their Girl Order tab updated in eBudde with all transactions and meaningful comments as a way to make sure they are keeping up-to-date with what each parent owes.
If a parent does not turn in money due by your final deadline to deposit into the bank, complete the Sweep Adjustment form including the Unpaid Funds section. This form will require you to submit receipts and a copy of the transactions entered for that Girl Scout in eBudde.
Can cookies be returned? What about damaged cookies?
Cookies may not be returned to the troop/group, pickup site or the council. However, cookies can be transferred to another troop/group.
If cookies are damaged, bring them to the cookie warehouse at the Sally Cheever Girl Scout Leadership Center during business hours for an exchange of the same variety. Damaged cookies may only be exchanged through Sunday, February 23.
Can girls sell cookies online?
Yes! Digital Cookie allows girls to take orders online.
When do we receive rewards?
How to get started with the Girl Scout Cookie Program:
For Parents:
For troop volunteers or parents of Individually Registered Girls (IRGs):
1. Have an adult volunteer complete the Troop Cookie Manager training in gsLearn. Access gsLearn by:
2. Talk with your troop’s Money Managers to ensure your troop bank account is compliant and your troop submitted complete June and December 2024 Finance Reports.
OR
If you are an IRG or new troop, you can complete an alternative Agreement to Deposit to Council form, which will act in place of a troop bank account. Note the following for Agreement to Deposit procedures:
3. Share the 2025 Cookie Program Girl Permission Slip with your troop and make sure all girls have an active membership!
Fall & Cookies Crossover Incentive
Troops that reach 100% of registered girl participation during the 2024 Fall Product Program AND 2025 Girl Scout Cookie Program will receive an additional $0.025 per package during the 2025 cookie program!
Fine Print:
5 for 5
Digital Cookie Kick-off
Who is ready to start the 2025 Girl Scout Cookie Program off rights?!
From Saturday, December 14-Saturday, December 21 all girls that reach 30 pkgs in Digital Cookie AND send 10 unique emails in Digital Cookie will receive an “In My Girl Scout Era” T-Shirt!
And “Stay Digital Cookie Strong” drawing!
Girls who set-up their Digital Cookie, have at least 20 packages of Gift of Caring on Digital Cookie and have at least 100 packages sold on Digital Cookie by Friday, February 7 will be entered into a drawing for a Mischievous Panda Bank!
Fine Print:
Show your Heart
First 200 girls who reach 25 packages of Gift of Caring will earn a Panda Heart Enamel pin to show how big their heart is for the Gift of Caring donation program!
Cadette, Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts who reach 1600+ levels during the cookie program can choose the Superstar Opt-out to receive:
To receive the Superstar opt-out girls must complete a Superstar form and email to customercare@girlscouts-swtx.org by Monday, March 3!
Superstar Opt-out Form (pdf)
All webinars will be listed in gsLearn under the 2025 Just-in-time Cookie Program Webinar course!
Cookie booths run Wednesday, January 22-Sunday, February 23! There are two different types of booths available during the cookie program:
1. Independent Booths—These are locations that are scheduled by the troop directly with the business’s owner or manager. These booths must be entered and approved in eBudde, and CANNOT be any of the council-sponsored businesses (even if that location is not listed in eBudde):
2. Council-sponsored Booths—These are locations that are scheduled by council and listed in eBudde for troops to sign up during our two rounds of booth sign-ups. These booths will be at Wal-Mart, H-E-B, Lowe’s, Bass Pro Shop, Sam Club, etc..
Extended Booth Slots
2hr 45min booth slots with a 15min buffer period for troops/IRGs to changeover their booth space
Example Breakdown:
10am-12:45pm: Booth shift for Troop A
12:45pm: Troop A begins breakdown and continues to help customers
12:50pm: Troop B arrives; AFTER checking-in they start unloading
12:55pm: Troop A is leaving & Troop B is setting up; at this time any customers should now be directed to Troop B (if not already)
1:00pm: Troop B Booth Start Time
Three Strikes for Booth Infractions
We are putting new strikes in place to make sure all parents, volunteers and girls lives up to the Girl Scout Promise and Law while front and center during the cookie program!
1st Strike: Friendly warning from Product Program and TCM must retrains troop to ensure all parents and girls understand booth etiquette rules.
2nd Strike: Your troop may loose a booth location and troops must turn in all signed copies of their booth etiquette agreements (see forms linked below).
3rd Strike: Your troop will lose access to council booths for the remainder of the 2025 cookie program.
Cookie Booth Forms:
We know that girls aren’t going door-to-door as much as they used to and that social media, email, texting, and neighborhood groups are today’s online version of going “door-to-door.” With the use of these sites and apps to market and reach supporters, you and your Girl Scout must remember that this is a GIRL-LED program and follow all Product Program online safety guidelines. Any girls or parents not following the rules below will be contacted by Product Program. In addition, we reserve the right to turn off or restrict your Digital Cookie access.
Girls and adults:
Example post:
“My Girl Scout in Troop 662 is selling Girl Scout Cookies! Her troop is raising money for their trip to Savannah, Georgia (the birthplace of Girl Scouts) in the spring. DM me if you are interested in supporting her troop!!”
Important reminder for adults: While your Girl Scout needs approval and supervision to utilize these marketing tools, it is important to remember that this is a GIRL-LED program. We encourage you to motivate and allow your Girl Scout to learn by doing and lead her own participation in the program.
Girls cannot post to:
Girls may only post about their participation in Girl Scout product programs on social media sites that allow them to restrict access to family and friends, and not to resale or social media sites open to the public.
Family and Friends Reminder: Girls, with the assistance and supervision of their parents/guardians, are required to deliver all girl-delivered orders that are placed, and accepted, even if the customer is located in another city. Be extra cautious when approving girl-delivered orders.
Social Media Guidelines (pdf)
All troops will receive $0.75 proceeds for each package sold.
To calculate troop proceeds:
Multiply packages sold by $0.75 = # packages x $0.75
Find your troop proceeds in eBudde on your troop’s “Sales Report.”
Note: Troops without a bank account are still able to participate in the cookie program if they submit an Agreement to Deposit form (email customercare@girlscouts-swtx.org to request a link to the form), however troop proceeds will not be listed until the end of the program and your bank account is in compliance with the Finance department.
Troops with only Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors can choose to opt-out of rewards to earn an additional $0.05 per package by:
Additional fine print is listed on the opt-out form. Product Program will process your troop’s form and update the Primary Troop Cookie Manager via email.
2025 Cookie Program Opt-out Rewards Guidelines and Form(pdf)
Troops that have a council-approved bank account will deposit 100% of program money to that troop account and council will sweep the balance due to council across three withdrawals directly from your troop account throughout the program. TCMs will receive a sweep notification email one week before each scheduled sweep date, however it will no longer include the exact dollar amount council will withdrawal (see more about this in the New Sweep Calculations below).
TCMs are responsible for reviewing this troop’s sales report in eBudde with their Money Managers the Monday before each sweep to ensure that their troop has met the new payment % threshold or have their remainder payment available in their account! See more info about calculating payment % and sweep amounts below.
Payment & Requirement | Sweep Date | Troops should calculate their payment % and, if needed complete sweep adjustment | Estimated eBudde Post Date— tentative date to help you plan | Additional Notes | |
1st sweep | 40% | Thursday, February. 13 |
Monday, February. 10 @ 1-5 pm | Wednesday, February 19 |
|
2nd sweep | 75% | Thursday, February 27 |
Monday, February 24 @ 1-5 pm | Wednesday, March 5 |
|
3rd sweep | 100% | Thursday, March 13 |
Monday, March 10 @ 1-5 pm | Wednesday, March 19 | Digital Cookie closes Wednesday, March 5 |
Final sweep | As needed | Thursday, March 27 |
N/A | N/A |
|
NEW Sweep Calculations
For each sweep TCMs and Money Managers are asked to work together to calculate if their troop has met the payment requirement %, and if not, how much they expect their sweep amount to be! The payment % requirements listed above are the required payment minimums for your troop to continue to pick-up cookies.
PPD will calculate troops payment % and sweep amounts at 4 p.m. Monday before each sweep to so that Digital Cookie payments can be credited to troops from the prior weekend!
How to calculate your payment % and sweep amount?
a. Council Proceeds
b. Total Payments
3. To calculate your payment % and sweep amount = (“Council Proceeds” x %) – “Total Payments”
a. If your troop has MORE payments than your council proceeds x Payment % then your troop will not have a sweep.
Example:
· Council Proceeds= $8,559.50
· Payment % = 75% (or .75 in calculator)
· Total Payments = $7,215.00
Sweep Formula = ($8,559.50 x .75) - $4,236
· ($8,559.50 x .75) = $6,419.62
· Total payments accepted to date was $7,215 so they would NOT have a sweep/withdrawal
b. If your troop has LESS payments than council proceeds x Payment % then your troop will have a sweep of the difference.
Example:
· Council Proceeds= $8,559.50
· Payment % = 75% (or .75 in calculator)
· Total Payments = $4,236.00
Sweep Formula = ($8,559.50 x .75) - $4,236
· ($8,559.50 x .75) = $6,419.62
· $6,419.62-$4236 = $2,183.62 will be swept AND troop will have paid 75%
When to calculate your payment % and sweep amount?
We suggest all TCMs do a preliminary calculation on the Sunday before each sweep date to ensure any booth or parent money is reflected in the bank account. Then the TCM and Money Manager should work together to do a final calculation between 1-5 p.m. the Monday before each sweep.
Council will run a report of sweep amounts at 4 p.m. the Monday before each sweep and will NO LONGER include a sweep amount in your notification email—this is to ensure all Digital Cookie payments from the prior weekend are credited towards troops.
What if my troop doesn’t have the sweep amount available?
You must complete a Sweep Adjustment form by 5 p.m. Monday before each sweep! This form will let council know how much can be pulled from your account and will restrict your troop’s ability to pick-up cookies under you submit a bank statement showing a recent deposit. This is also why we encourage you to review your bank and sales report with your Money Manager from 1-5 p.m. the Monday before each sweep!
Girls will come across people who may say they can’t have sugar, it’s not on their diet, or something of the sort—there’s still an option for them to support your Girl Scout! The Gift of Caring donation program (we like to call it GoC) is the perfect pitch for these types of people! Ensure that you and your Girl Scout learn from your troop where/what they’re donating to—some troops choose to use the Council GoC program, which provides sweet treats to the following (all our local!):
Some troops choose to donate to organizations close to their heart, such as local fire or police stations, hospitals, neighborhood food pantries and so much more! Wherever a cookie goes, it’s sure to surprise whoever receives it.
Note: New this year we have Gift of Caring wraps to help troops advertise the donation program out-and-about or at cookie booths! Your CCM and council can provide you copies or you can print at home with the PDF below (print on legal paper for best results).
2025 Gift of Caring Wrap (pdf)
Any registered Girl Scout can participate in the Girl Scout Cookie Program without a troop. Instead, she can participate as an independently registered girl (IRG)! She is able to run her cookie business just as if she were in a troop. We only require that her parent/caregiver complete the online Troop Cookie Manager (TCM) training and agreement, and that they assist in her girl-led adventure!
IRGs receive awards just as they would in a troop and have access to the program proceeds via an IRG Fund that can be applied to Girl Scout events, Girl Scout Shop purchases, and camps. Help your Girl Scout by giving her the opportunity to learn five essential skills for success today and in her future: Goal setting, decision-making, money management, people skills, and business ethics.
How to participate as an IRG:
If you have any questions, please reach out to the Product Program team at customercare@girlscouts-swtx.org.
Girls participating in the Girl Scout Cookie Program earn proceeds based on program criteria. Girls can utilize these funds for Girl Scout programs, events, and activities throughout the year. Funds are not allocated directly to individual girls based on their sales due to the IRS Tax Exemption requirements stating that no individual can receive a personal benefit from a fundraiser held by an organization with a non-profit status.
All IRG proceeds will be pooled at the council and tracked by the Product Program Department.
They funds cannot be transferred to another Girl Scout or council and cannot be exchanged for cash.
IRG Fund Application (pdf)
IRG Program Registration (pdf)
At the end of the program, IRGs will be notified via email if they qualify to apply for IRG funds and will receive the application form.
Girls may apply to use the IRG Fund to purchase merchandise in the Girl Scout Shop that will help her in her leadership experience.
This can include:
The IRG Funds Committee will consider applications for use of funds until the IRG Fund pool is depleted or until the funds for the membership year have expired. (For example, individual girl proceeds from the 2023 Girl Scout Cookie Program will expire December 1, 2024).
Current funds still available:
The Product Program Department will email IRGs who qualify to apply for IRG Funds quarterly updates on the IRG Funds pool and how much time they have left to apply.
Funds left over in the IRG Funds pool will be used by GSSWT for council-sponsored activities and scholarships.
For some reward levels girls can select Cookie Credits in place of physical rewards! Girls can accumulate Cookie Credits until they hit at or over the 1600 package level and then they will receive a lump sum of Cookie Credits and should instead select physical reward items at any of those lower levels.
Cookie Credits CAN be used for:
Cookie Credits CANNOT be used for:
Cookie Credit FAQ:
How can my Girl Scout use her Cookie Credits?
Your Girl Scout can use her Cookie Credits in-person at the Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas’s Shop – OR – for Camp La Jita/Metro sessions, GSSWT events or programs email customercare@girlscouts-swtx.org with the applicable registration paperwork.
I tried to use my Cookie Credits online, but the purchase wouldn’t go through?
Cookie Credits CANNOT be used online, but you Cookie Credit info can be emailed to customercare@girlscouts-swtx.org for GSSWT to apply towards the registration of GSSWT camps, events, and programs (along with applicable paperwork).
If I make a camp/event/shop purchase for my Girl Scout, can I use Cookie Credits to be reimbursed?
We CANNOT reimburse parents BUT we CAN reimburse troop/community. Per IRS guidelines, we cannot directly reimburse PARENTS for Girl Scout purchases. However, we CAN reimburse TROOPS and COMMUNITIES for Girl Scout payments, so if the troop pays for the Girl Scout event/program/shop purchase GSSWT can reimburse the troop or community with a completed Cookie Credit Usage and Reimbursement request.
My family/Girl Scout is moving to a new council soon, am I able to transfer the Cookie Credits to be used in my new council?
No, unfortunately Cookie Credits are not able to be transferred to another council or Girl Scout.
Can I use Cookie Credits earned by one Girl Scout for another Girl Scout?
Nope! Cookie Credits are NOT transferable, and they may NOT be transferred to another girl, troop or used in another council.
When do Cookie Credits expire?
Cookie Credits will expire December 1st the year after they were earned, e.g. 2024 Cookie Credits will expire December 1, 2025. This gives girls about a year and a half to use them!
Can you request Cookie Credits to be extended?
Yes! Girls can requests to extend the expiration date of their Cookie Credits for troop or council trips, higher awards (Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards), or other community projects.
The request must be:
These resources will help you support Girl Scouts as they run their veryown cookie businesses and gain skills essential for success.
FIND RESOURCESFind handouts, posters, videos, and other materials to help you have funand stay safe as you build your cookie business.
FIND RESOURCESDesigned for busy troop volunteers: Get started on your Girl Scout journey or find answers throughout the troop year.
LEARN MORE