2017 Guide for Service Unit Cookie Chairs

Inside you’ll find:

Glossary……………………………………………………….. Page 2

Responsibilities of the Service Unit Cookie Chair…….. Page 3

Phases of the Sale…………………………………………… Page 4

eBudde…………………………………………………………..Page 5

What’s the Buzz...…………………………………………….. Page 6

Digital Cookie…………………………………………………. Page 6

Rewards and Awards Details………………………………..Page 7-8

Gift of Caring………………………………………………….. Page 9

Delivery………………………………………………………….Page 10

Money Matters………………………………………………….Page 10-11

Key Cookie Dates ……………………………………………..Page 11

GSHH 1500 Club members at Matilda! The Musical, NYC August, 2016.

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ACH: ACH is short for ” Automated Clearing House” and refers to an electronic banking

network. We use this system for cookie money owed to Council.

Booth Sale: Girl Scouts, with appropriate adult supervision, set up a table at a public place, with cookies

on hand to sell.

Bubble Sheet: Page with colored circles corresponding to cookie colors. One sheet for each troop, indicates how many cases of each variety a troop should get at delivery.

Cookie Credits: Rewards earned by girls based on amount of cookies they sold, issued in card form.

Cookie Cupboard: Location where cookies can be obtained, after Initial Order has been placed.

Cookie Finder: App to help customers search for Girl Scout cookie booths.

Council Proceeds: Amount due to the Council for cookies.

Dashboard: In the eBudde (defined below) program, the first screen you see is the “dashboard”.

Delivery Station: The location to which cookies are delivered for a Service Unit or a group of Service Units.

Digital Cookie (DOC): Online platform girls can use as an additional way to reach customers.

eBudde: The computer program utilized to place orders and maintain records of the cookie sale.

GOC/Gift of Caring: A program enabling customers to purchase cookies to be donated to a specific group.

Goal Getter: Orders taken by girls after Initial Order has been placed. Cookies are picked up at a cookie cupboard.

GSHH: Girl Scouts Heart of the Hudson

Initial Order: Orders taken by girls on the colorful order card and entered into eBudde by a specific due date.

LBB: Little Brownie Bakers - the company that bakes and supplies the cookies, order cards and other forms, and cookie patches.

Operation GSHH’s council Gift of Caring project that sends thousands of packages of cookies Cookie Drop: to our men and women in the armed forces.

PSM: Product Sales Manager (council staff).

Troop Profit: Amount earned by the troop based on number of cookies sold. For 2017 the base amount is $.70 per box.

Troop Sales Report: eBudde report that shows total sales, total payments, troop profit due, and council proceeds

due. Printed at end of sale and should show a zero balance after all ACH sweeps.

Glossary of Girl Scouts Heart of the Hudson “Cookie Speak”

GSHH’s website has timely information and tips about the cookie program. Advise your troops to visit

frequently. The Cookies+ page has lots of cookie info : www.girlscoutshh.org

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Your Responsibilities As Service Unit Cookie Chair

Contact SU Registrar and/or SU Manager for a list of registered troops in

your Service Unit.

Remind Leaders that all troops, girls and Troop Cookie Chairs must be

registered.

Train all the Troop Leaders/Troop Cookie Chairs in your Service Unit.

Give troops access to eBudde, entering new Troop Cookie Chairs’ emails.

Assemble troop packets, go over paperwork and hand out materials to troops in a timely

manner.

Communicate regularly with Troop Cookie Chairs and Leaders to keep them informed and

on schedule.

Confirm all Initial Orders are put into eBudde; check with troops that have not entered to

see if they have Initial Orders.

Monitor troop Initial Orders in eBudde to ensure existing troops

reach or surpass 2016 Initial Order to earn additional $0.05 per

box. Compare the total cases in the 2016 Initial Order to those

in the 2017 Initial Order. Send a list of the troops that qualify to

your Product Sales Manager by March 20, 2016.

Monitor new troops to see if they reach a PGA of 100 to earn

the Super New Troop Award. Provide a list of these troops to

your PSM by March 20, 2016.

Review troop Initial Cookie Orders and Initial Rewards Orders to ensure all have been

submitted.

Submit your Service Unit Initial Cookie Order and Initial Rewards Order in eBudde.

Perform tasks associated with the type of delivery in which your Service Unit will

participate.

Sort and hand out Initial Order rewards in a timely manner after delivery to you.

Ensure that all Troop Leaders and Cookie Chairs understand the dates and procedure for

ACH debits for cookie monies owed.

Monitor post-initial troop sales and encourage troops to help reach Service Unit goal.

Assist troops with troop-to-troop transfers of cookies.

Approve cookie booths for troops in Service Unit.

Submit Service Unit final rewards order.

Distribute final rewards in a timely manner.

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Phases of the Cookie Sale

Initial Order Phase: February 3 - March 5

Troops must have Initial cookie orders and Initial rewards orders entered into eBudde by March 12th. Service Units must have Initial cookie orders and Initial rewards orders submitted by March 15th.

Goal Getter Phase: Immediately follows Initial Order Phase - ends May 17

Troop Leaders or Troop Cookie Chairs collect Goal Getter cards periodically from girls and pick up cookies at a cookie cupboard. These sales can add greatly to the Troop’s profit, Service Unit bonus level, and the girl’s rewards.

Booth Sale Phase: 2 opportunities:

March Booth Week - March 10 - 19

Regular Booth Sales - April 7 - May 13

A booth sale is a direct sale to customers, at a specified location, like a grocery store, or as

a “rolling” sale (cookies in a wagon or car). Encourage troops to have booth sales so that

your Service Unit can reach its bonus goal.

The flexibility of the sale gives every girl the opportunity for success. These options

mean girls can sell cookies from February thru mid-May.

Booth Sales

GSHH has a “No Return” policy for booth sales. We encourage Service Unit Chairs to assist Leaders by sharing information about troops that have extra cookies and helping troops to do “troop-to-troop” transfers of cookies. Instructions are in the “eBudde Guide for Service Unit Chairs”.

March Booth Sales: March 10 - 19

Council-sponsored mall spots for the March Booths will be by drawing. The form will be on the website on January 14 and the deadline date for entering the drawing is

January 28.

Troops are required to pre-order their cookies. Order forms will be on the website on

February 1 and deadline for orders is February 10. Pre-orders are required!

NEW: Limits Increased: Troops can have up to 3 booths, only one at a council-sponsored mall site, and 30 cases per booth.

Regular Booth Sales: April 7 - May 13

Orders for cookie booths during the Regular Booth Sale Period will be placed as pending orders via eBudde “Transactions” screen. Instructions for pending orders are in the Troop Guide.

Sign-up for council-sponsored mall locations will be via eBudde. Opening date will be sent out via email from eBudde and will be posted on dash-boards.

Juliettes can have booth sales—all they need is a registered adult to be with them! Make sure your Juliettes know this!

Their sales help you reach your bonus goal!

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eBudde

eBudde is the software established by Little Brownie Bakers for placing orders and main-

taining records of the cookie sale and it is your Best Friend! eBudde provides awesome infor-

mation and communication ability! And it has a manual that will tell you how to do everything you

need to do. Just click on “Help Center” in the blue bar across the top of the dashboard, then on

“Manuals”.

Website: ebudde.littlebrownie.com

Login Information:

First time users and any previous user who has not logged in since July 2016 will use

their email address as the User ID and Dosi@4941 as the password. Change your pass-

word as you are prompted and complete all the contact information and security questions

requested. This is very important!

If you have logged into eBudde since July 2016 and have already changed your password

and updated your information, use the same password.

Communication via eBudde:

Please check your emails and log on to eBudde regularly throughout the sale to receive im-

portant notices on your dashboard.

To email your Troop Leaders/Troop Cookie Chairs, click on “Contacts”, next select ”Email

Branch”, then compose and send an email. You can attach other documents to your email.

To put a message on the dashboard of each troop, click on “Settings” tab and then “Edit Mes-

sage”. Message remains until you delete it.

Tell your Troop Cookie Chairs/Leaders to check their dashboards and emails regularly and to

be sure that “receives emails” is checked in their contact information. In some cases we will

communicate information directly to them—for example, the date to sign up for mall cookie

booths!

Be Sure To:

Add any new Troop Leaders/Cookie Chairs to eBudde and make sure existing ones have up-dated their information.

Advise troops to check girl names and report to council any girls not listed. Council must add girls and Leaders should contact GSHH with this required information :

Avoid putting any numbers on the SU line in the Initial Order screen unless you truly want to

order cookies for the Service Unit! eBudde will total the order for your Service Unit.

Contact a Product Sales Manager with any questions you have—don’t guess!!

Service Unit Name or Number

Troop Number

Girl First & Last Name

Girl Date of Birth (mm/dd/yyyy)

Girl’s grade in school

Parent First & Last Name

Parent email address (must be the same as the email entered when the girl was registered or re-registered.)

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Cookie Varieties

Varieties for 2017 include the six core cookies (Thin Mints®, Samoas®, Tagalongs®, Trefoils®, Do-

si-dos®, and Savannah Smiles®) and 2 “ Specialty” varieties (Toffee-Tastic®, the gluten-free

cookie, and S’Mores®, the cookie honoring 100 Years of Girl Scouts Selling Cookies). All 8 varieties

will be on the Girl Order Card and will be part of the troop’s Initial Order. The six core varieties are

still a bargain at $4.00 a box. The Specialty cookies are $5.00 a box.

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What’s the Buzz?

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Girl Rewards

Cookies sold in Initial Order, Booth Sale and Goal Getter Phases count toward

patches and final rewards. Girls work toward rewards from the first package

sold, until the last day that cookies are available, May 17, 2017.

Rewards and Awards

Overall Reward

30 or more packages-Theme Patch

70 or more packages - Super Seller Patch

250 or more packages - Anniversary Owl Plush

“Match the Year” - 2017 patch and Musical

Jewelry Box

Troop Profit

Troops earn $0.70 per box troop profit. If a

troop meets or exceeds its 2016 Initial Order in

2017, it will earn an additional $.05 per box sold.

To determine if the troop earns the $.05, com-

pare the number of cases in the 2016 Initial Or-

der to the number of cases in the 2017 Initial

Order. Send a list of qualifying troops to your

Product Sales Manager by March 20, 2017.

Product Sales staff will adjust the troop profit to

$0.75 per box after the Initial Order has been

submitted for qualifying troops.

Super New Troop Award

New troops (did not sell in 2016)

that reach a 100 package PGA (per

girl average) earn a Super New

Troop patch for each girl and a $15

gift certificate to any of our shops

for the troop. Leaders will also

receive a personal gift (limit of 2

per troop). Please send a list of

these qualifying troops to your

Product Sales Manager by March

20, 2017.

Troop Rewards

Initial Order Rewards

Rewards are earned for the levels listed below and will be shipped directly to the Service Unit Cookie

Chair after the Initial Order has been submitted. Girls have choices at each level. Rewards are

cumulative. Reward levels are 110 Packages, 150 Packages, and 175 Packages.

Special “100 in the 100th” Reward

In honor of 100 Years of Girl Scouts Selling Cookies, each troop that has a 100 PGA

and 100% girl participation, will earn a 100th Anniversary patch and Feathers and

Flowers Bandana for each girl and a commemorative 100 Years of Girl Scouts Selling

Cookies serving tray for 2 Leaders.

110 packages

Wish Necklace

175 packages

Bubble Top Cup

150 packages

Cookie Sticky Note Set

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Service Unit Growth Bonuses

Energize your troops to stimulate sales and earn a bonus for your Service Unit!

Bonuses are earned as follows:

10% increase in sales over 2016 final order—$100.00

20% increase in sales over 2016 final order—$200.00

30% increase in sales over 2016 final order—$500.00

Bonus payments are done via ACH to the Service Unit account after both the Service Unit

and Troop financial reports have been received by the Finance Department. Please be sure

your Service Unit Manager and Treasurer know if the Service Unit qualified for a bonus.

They will need to ensure that all financial reports have been submitted in a timely fashion so

the bonus will not be delayed.

Watch your Service Unit Sales in eBudde—a few packages could make all the

difference!

Rewards and Awards (cont.)

Ideas to increase sales to earn the SU bonus

Increase the number of girls in the Service Unit by year-round recruitment.

Encourage all troops to participate in the Cookie Sale Program.

Encourage all girls to participate.

Encourage wait-list girls to register in the Independent Pathway (Juliette) and encourage all Juliettes to participate in the Cookie Sale Program.

Encourage troops to contact military-related and service organizations (for example: VFW, American Legion, Lions Club) to support Operation Cookie Drop.

Set a goal for each girl to sell one more case than in 2016.

Encourage Booth Sales in your Service Unit.

Have a Service Unit contest such as a “Bling Your Booth”, highest PGA, highest Initial Order, most post-Initial Order sales, etc.

Share the Service Unit progress with the troops throughout the sale.

Keep checking eBudde figures—you may only need a case or two to reach your bonus!!

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Troop GOC

Troops can identify their own Gift of Caring recipient. These cookies will be taken from the extras

troops have as a result of eBudde rounding up. If there is an insufficient number, then troops will

order the balance of cookies needed from a cupboard or use booth sale extras to fill those GOC

orders.

In eBudde, on the Initial Order screen, enter the number of boxes for each girl in the last column,

which is for Troop GOC.

Gift of Caring

The Gift of Caring program allows customers to purchase cookies to be do-

nated to charitable programs/organizations. GSHH will again offer two Gift of

Caring options – the Council Gift of Caring (Operation Cookie Drop) and the

Troop Gift of Caring. Troops can participate in one or both programs. Please

consult the Troop Guide for details on entering these packages in eBudde.

Council GOC: Operation Cookie Drop

In 2016, Girl Scouts Heart of the Hudson, through Operation Cookie Drop (Op Drop), donated

over 90,000 packages of cookies to troops abroad, to VA Hospitals within our council area, and

to other military-related organizations. This is our council Gift of Caring Project. Girls and

troops can participate at the load-in event in Westchester County in June. Date and details will

come via eBudde.

There are two options for ordering Op Drop cookies:

“Virtual” - These cookies will be held at the warehouses and supplied directly from the ware-

houses to the Operation Cookie Drop load-in event. Troops/girls are credited for the sale, but

do not physically have the cookies.

On the Initial Order screen, the first column is for “Op Drop”. Put the total for each girl’s Op

Drop order in that spot.

“In-Hand” - On the Initial Order screen, the last column is for Troop GOC. This can also

be used for Op Drop if the troop wants to use the extras from their Initial Order to fulfill their Op

Drop orders. Put in the total number of cookies for each girl in the “Troop GOC column.

A combination of both options can be used.

NOTE: Cookies ordered “ virtually” will not be received and therefore cannot be turned over to the Service Unit. If a troop regularly gives their Op Drop cookies to the Op Drop volun-teer , then the Troop GOC column should be used for these cookies. Troops need to be re-minded that if their extras are not sufficient to cover the GOC cookies ordered, they need to pur-chase those cookies from a cupboard.

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Cookie delivery dates are April 1 - April 8, 2016. Your delivery date will be provided to you by the Product Sales Team. Counting is a very important part of delivery! Count, count, and count again! Make sure troops sign for what they pick up, making them responsible for that amount of cookies. Accuracy is essential. There are two types of delivery:

Regional—several Service Units join together for delivery at one central location. Service Unit volunteers work as a team to manage the delivery. Previous groupings of Service Units for regional deliveries will continue unless you are otherwise notified by a Product Sales Manager (PSM).

Service Unit Deliveries—delivery to one Service Unit. A Delivery Station Form will be emailed to you by the Product Sales Team. It must be returned by the date due. You can indicate preferred dates on this form, as well as indicate any day(s) you cannot have delivery. The agents will do their best to accommodate your requests. You will print the pickup sheets for each troop and the pickup schedule. Bring with you a contact list for each troop, pens and duplicate pickup sheets or a receipt book. Make sure to count as the cookies come off the truck, count again and then count with the person picking up and get their signature. Recruit several volunteers to assist with counting and with traffic control.

NOTE: Any cookies not picked up at delivery go back to the agent’s warehouse and Leaders must schedule a pickup time through a Product Sales Manager.

Delivery

Money Matters

Cookie proceeds owed to council will be withdrawn directly from troop bank accounts via ACH. Any funds owed to the troop will be deposited via ACH into the troop bank account on record . No physical checks will be issued. Troops are required to provide an ACH authorization form to the GSHH Finance Department if they have not provided the authorization form previously, or their bank account information has changed.

ACH Troop Authorization for Debit/Credit Form: This form should be completed by any authorized signer for the troop account and gives GSHH permission to access the troop bank account for ACH withdrawals or de-posits. This form must be completed and turned in for a troop to participate in any Council sponsored product sale. In order to participate in the 2017 Cookie Sale, this form needs to be provided to the Finance De-

partment by February 4, 2017.

ACH Extension and Discrepancy Form: This form should be completed and submitted to Council Finance at councilfinance@girlscoutshh.org for the following reasons:

If there are not enough funds in the Troop bank account to cover the 5/1/17 or 5/15/17 withdrawal, a troop can request to have the amount or the date of the ACH withdrawal adjusted.

ACH credit due to NSF or bounced check: If a troop receives a check that bounces once it has been deposited into the troop account, the troop must submit the ACH Deadline Extension Form indicating that their ACH withdrawal should be adjusted. A copy of the bank notice and NSF check must be submitted along with the completed form. The amount to be withdrawn from the troop bank account will be adjusted for the amount of the NSF check, as well as any bank fees assessed.

Counterfeit Bills: documentation from bank must be attached.

Lost or Stolen Money: a police report must be attached.

Outstanding Cookie Balance Form: If a girl/parent/guardian has an outstanding balance due to the troop, the troop must complete and submit this form to the GSHH Finance Department, by May 26th. Sub-mit the form via email to: councilfinance@girlscoutshh.org The amount to be withdrawn from the troop ac-

count will be adjusted for the uncollected amount. Troops should not pay with troop funds!

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Cookie Materials Distribution

Girl (1 each)

Permission Slip

Order Card

Goal Getter Card

Money Envelope

Troop

Troop Guide (1)

Receipt Books (2)

Service Unit

Bubble Sheets

Receipt Books (extras)

Key Cookie Dates

Date Date

January 9-14 Service Unit Cookie Training March 6 Goal Getter Phase Begins

January 14 Form to enter drawing for mall

spots for March booth sales is

on website

March 10-19 March Booth Sales

January 28 Last day to submit forms for

March council-sponsored mall

spots

March 12 Troop Initial Order and Initial Rewards

Orders due in eBudde

February 1-10

March Booth cookie orders

form on website. Orders can

be placed thru 2/10 and are

required

March 15 Service Unit Initial Cookie Orders and

Initial Rewards Orders due in eBudde

February 3 Initial Order Phase Begins April 1-8 Service Unit Cookie Deliveries

February 6 Troops notified if they received

a mall spot

April 7 Regular Booth Sale Period Begins

February 24-

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National Girl Scout Cookie

Weekend

May 13 Regular Booth Sale Period Ends

March 5 Initial Order Phase Ends May 17 Last day to pick up cookies

Have questions? —Call one of the Product Sales Managers!

914-747-3080

Aurora Orozco—Pleasantville Office— x 736

Dina Hamil—Kingston/Middletown— x 234

Marianne Brehl—New City Office—x 423

Roberta Perrego—Poughkeepsie Office—x122

We are happy to help!

Important Dates:

May 1, 2017: 1st Cookie ACH withdrawal (50% of Initial Order and all cupboard orders placed through April 22) Deadline to submit extension form: Friday, April 28.

May 15, 2017: Second Cookie ACH withdrawal (Balance of amount due for Initial Order & all cupboard orders placed through May 5, 2017) Deadline to submit extension form: Friday, May 12.

May 30, 2017: Third and Final Cookie ACH withdrawal (for any remaining balances owed to

Council) No Extensions

Money Matters (cont’d)