Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas (GSNETX) will launch the 2019 Girl Scout Cookie season Jan. 11, celebrating the largest financial investment in girls annually in the United States and a powerful entrepreneurship incubator for the next generation of female leaders. At a time when girls’ needs and issues collect fewer than eight cents of every dollar granted by philanthropic foundations in the country, each Girl Scout Cookie purchase is key to supporting the changemakers of today and tomorrow.
Research shows that female-founded start-ups generate more revenue over time and per dollar than male-founded start-ups, but only 17 percent of start-ups are founded by females. Given that 53 percent of female business owners are Girl Scout alums – like local business owners Andrea Meyer of Bisous Bisous Pâtisserie and Nina Vaca of Pinnacle Group – supporting Girl Scouts as they make sales and learn essential business skills is imperative to ensuring our country has a strong workforce and economy.
Through the Girl Scout Cookie Program® girls not only discover their inner leadership potential but also use their earnings to power amazing experiences for themselves and their troop, including travel, outdoor adventure and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programming. Many girls put the money toward community projects, from supporting animal shelters and food banks to working with local and state legislators to change laws. And the program’s benefits are many; a recent Girl Scout Research Institute study found that two out of three girls who participate in the program learn five crucial skills – goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills and business ethics – while doing incredible things for themselves and their communities. Proceeds stay local, meaning that when consumers purchase cookies that come only from a registered Girl Scout, they’re giving back to Northeast Texas.
From a troop that operates a girl-led corporation complete with appointed CEO and board of directors to a group of Girl Scouts who designed, built and flew a cookie delivery drone this summer at the STEM Center of Excellence, Girl Scouts are doing remarkable things, all made possible by cookie sales.
“Not only has this unique girl-led program been teaching girls critical business and leadership skills for more than 100 years, cookie sales fuel programming for our local Girl Scouts that they can’t get anywhere else,” said GSNETX CEO Jennifer Bartkowski. “Each box of cookies that you purchase helps a Girl Scout in your area experience the outdoors, participate in STEM activities, learn about a different culture through travel, or develop programs to make our community a better place.”
And GSNETX is celebrating a tasty way to support young female entrepreneurs with the return of the Toffee-tastic® cookie to the 2019 lineup. Toffee-tastic is a gluten-free option that features a rich, buttery cookie with sweet, crunchy, golden toffee bits. Like other similar products, it may be priced higher than other Girl Scout Cookies, reflecting the cost of production.
Additionally, Girl Scouts who participate in the cookie program this season will have the opportunity to win the Cookie Entrepreneur Experience of a lifetime featuring the DC Super Hero Girls™ by entering the Cookie Pro™ contest. GSUSA has teamed up with DC Super Hero Girls to inspire Girl Scouts to be as smart and courageous as everyday superheroes. The contest will highlight and reward exceptional cookie bosses who take the lead, set high goals for themselves, bring positive change to their communities and learn valuable entrepreneurial skills.
To find Girl Scouts selling cookies, visit www.girlscoutcookies.org or use Girl Scout Cookie Finder app, free on iOS and Android devices.