By: Leslie Flood, Chief Business Officer

We all know that each box of Girl Scout cookies is filled with yummy goodness, but have you ever considered what goes hand-in-hand with those delicious treats? The Girl Scout Cookie Program is filled with activities that can help girls build skills for a lifetime. Goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics are all necessary skills for successful leadership – and they are all skills learned while selling Girl Scout cookies.

While participating in the Cookie Sale Program, girls can strengthen their skills by earning special badges that enhance their knowledge of business and teamwork. The Cookie Activity Pin is a great recognition for girls who focus on the activities involved in building the 5 Skills identified as part of the Cookie Sale Program. Girls can also choose from a number of badges from their Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting.

Girl Scout Daisies can learn how to make decisions with the Making Choices badge and how to decide what they will do with their cookie proceeds with the Talk it Up badge. The Girl Scout Brownie Meet My Customers badge and the Junior Cookie CEO badge are great in helping girls strengthen their customer and cookie business skills. Girl Scout Cadettes can learn about business and marketing with the Business Plan and Marketing badges. Girl Scout Seniors can learn about keeping and increasing customers with the Customer Loyalty badge, while Girl Scout Ambassadors can learn about credit with the Good Credit badge and even explore how new products are developed with the R&D badge.

Which badges are your girls working on? Have they identified the skills they will focus on in COCO?