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Please review these instructions carefully to assure that incentives are properly entered and to help us toward a smooth financial transaction process.

Final Paperwork and Closing Procedures

As we're nearing the last few weeks of the program, we've created some instructions and a checklist on closing procedures for the 2012 Cookie Program.

Recognitions

Many girls throughout GSEP are excited about this year's recognition plans. Please read the recognition information below carefully so your troop's recognition order is entered correctly in Snap™. This is to ensure  that each girl receives the recognition/s that she has worked toward.

Recognitions are offered for individual girls and are ordered at the girl level. GSEP will mail two Volunteer Patches per troop to each Service Unit Cookie Manager for distribution. 

Plan 1 includes several options for recognitions. Each girl has to make the choice that best suits her goal. Individual girls may only receive one of the following options:

• The Cumulative Plan for all age levels features themed items such as a stuffed penguin, a yearly Girl Scout membership voucher, and an iPod Touch! These items are cumulative. So, if a girl sells 300 packages of cookies she will receive the penguin earbuds, the sunglasses, a yearly GSEP membership voucher, the penguin flashlight, the gel pens, the embroidered bracelet, the theme patch, the "thank you" certificate, and the 300+ achievement bar.
• The Adventure Credit Plan for all age levels is not cumulative, but offers a certificate that can be used toward GSEP retail store credit, GSEP summer camps, reimbursement for Gold/Silver Award expenses, or GSEP programs/events. This year, an individual girl must sell a minimum of 300 packages to earn this plan. Any Girl Scout that chooses this plan will still receive any patches for which she is eligible. 
• The Older Girl Travel Plan is not cumulative and enables Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors to earn travel money for troop-based programs, trips or Destinations. These monies can be banked and must be used within two years. This incentive is only an option for older girls who have sold a minimum of 500 packages per year. Monies cannot be combined with any other plan (e.g. Cumulative, Adventure Credit or Older Girl Option). Girls earn patches but no incentives. Receipts and or confirmations are required as proof of cost. If you have specific questions about this incentive plan, please contact Barb Bankert at bbankert@gsep.org. 

The Older Girl Option is for Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors and provides an additional $.05/package profit in lieu of the incentives in Plan 1. The Older Girl Troop must achieve a per-girl average of 136 packages in order to be eligible for this option. Girls in troops that choose this option will only be eligible for patches. All girls within the troop must be in agreement that this is the plan they wish to pursue as a troop. 

Patches What Can a Cookie Do? Theme patches may be ordered for each girl who sells more than 18 packages of cookies. Achievement Bars can be ordered at the following levels: 100+, 200+, 300+, 400+, 500+, 600+, 700+, 800+, 900+, 1000+, 1500+, 2000+ and 2500+. Achievement Bars are not cumulative. Please order the highest quantity achieved. Note: This year, the number of "Online Marketing Patches" and "Goal Getter Patches"  should be submitted to Service Unit Cookie Managers. 

Creating Recognition Orders in Snap™

• Before creating a Recognition Order, troops will first need to make sure that they transfer the proper number of packages sold to each girl responsible for selling them. If there are girls missing from a troop, the Troop Cookie Manager should notify the Service Unit Cookie Manager. This information needs to be passed along to a Product Program Manager. Cookies should be transferred to the girls by clicking on "Transfer Order" under the COOKIES icon. Under "Type," TCMs should select "Troop to Girl" from the drop down menu. Click on the troop's packages in the box on the left-hand side of the screen. A new window will pop up, prompting them to enter the quantity of packages they'd like to transfer. They should enter the amount of cookies to be transferred to an individual girl and select "Okay." Select the girl to transfer the cookies to in the box on the right-hand side of the screen and hit "Save." Continue this process until all of the cookies in the troop have been transferred to the girls and the number of troop packages is "0." Cookies must be transferred to girls in snap before a recognition order can be created.
• After February 26, Troop Cookie Managers will be able to create Recognition Orders in Snap™. Once cookies have been transferred to the girls, Troop Leaders or Troop Cookie Managers can create a recognition order for their troop under the RECOGNITIONS icon in Snap™.  Select "Create Recognition Order," then "Main".
• The screen will go black with a message that reads, "The system is working to place your recognition order."
• For troops selecting Plan One (i.e. Cumulative, Adventure Credits or Older Girl Travel), the Troop Cookie Manager must select the appropriate recognition plan, if applicable (i.e. Cumulative, Adventure Credit, Older Girl Travel) for each girl selling 65 or more packages of cookies.
• Hit "Save" at the bottom of the screen.  GSEP will provide each Service Unit Cookie Manager with a spreadsheet to share with each troop of the actual recognitions they will receive based on the selection of the troop for each girl and her cookie total. Please refer to the Girl Order Card to view the items that a girl selecting the Cumulative option will receive.
• Note: Once a recognition order has been created and saved, a troop cannot create a new one. If a troop does transfer more cookies to a girl, their recognition order will show "Needs Review" on the Manage Orders screen. To complete or edit the existing recognition order, go to the COOKIE  icon, click on "Manage Orders," select the green arrow on the heading labeled "Recognition Orders," then double click on the recognition order. This will open up the current recognition order and allow changes to be made. After changes are made, they should click "Update" and then "Save." This is very important even if the selections for each girl do not change. If no transfers are made after the recognition order was saved, there is no need to update or make any changes, but please check to see if your order says "Needs Review."
• If a troop has chosen the older girl option, the plan is completely automated.  

Cookie Closing Checklist

Again, this paperwork should be turned in to your Service Unit Cookie Manager by the date that s/he has requested.  

Operation Cookies from Home Process

How does Operation Cookies From Home (CFH) work? Operation Cookies From Home is a partnership between GSEP and the USO to provide Girl Scout Cookies to men and women of the Armed Forces throughout the world. 

Troops may have taken orders for Cookies From Home and the money ($3.50 a package) should have been collected at the time the donation was made. Girl Scouts selling CFH get credit for this sale just like any other package of cookies sold. Below please find the Operation Cookies From Home closing procedure: 

• At the end of the Cookie Program, the Troop Cookie Manager should add up the entire Cookie from Home orders from all the girls' and booth sales.  
• If the troop has any cookie inventory remaining, those cookies should be applied against the Cookie from Home orders. 
• For example, a troop has collected CFH donations for 50 packages and has 36 packages of Thanks a Lots remaining from their sale. Those 36 packages can be turned into the locations at the dates/times listed below. The personnel at the designated locations will use the M3 Receipt Book to accept the cookies. The M3 will have the SU#, Troop#, cookies by variety in packages, and the signature of the person turning them in. Council personnel will counter sign the M3 and issue a receipt to the providing troop/Service Unit. The troop still needs to acquire 14 packages of cookies to fill their CFH order. Using the method below, this troop must transfer the needed 14 packages into their troop account in Snap™ from the CFH Cupboard. This is called a "CFH Virtual Transfer." 
• Steps to complete CFH Virtual Transfers in Snap™: 

1. Click on the COOKIE icon

2. Select "Create a Transfer Order"

3. Select "From a Troop to a Troop"

4. Choose "CFH Cookies From Home " as the Service Unit and 900900 as the troop number

5. Transfer to your Troop#

6. Use "CFH" as the Order Reference number 

7. Fill in the number of packages needed  

8. Save

Physical packages of cookies for Cookies From Home may be turned in at the locations and times listed below: 

• Location near Jane Seltzer TBD, Saturday, March 10 from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM   
• Delaware County Service Center, Saturday, March 10 from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM
• Schuylkill Valley School District, Saturday, March 10 from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM  
• Shelly Ridge Service Center, Saturday, March 17 from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM  
• Valley Forge Service Center, Saturday, March 17 from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM
• Lehigh Valley Service Center, Saturday, March 17 from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM

Please try to place varieties of cookies in their appropriate case (i.e. place Shortbread packages in Shortbread cases, Thin Mint packages in Thin Mint cases, etc.). Also, please do not seal up the cases. These simple steps will help our Cookies From Home process to run smoothly.

We are looking for approximately 10 Cadette, Senior or Ambassador Girl Scouts to assist at each Cookies From Home drop location. If you know girls interested in helping us out, please contact Amanda Harrity at aharrity@gsep.org. Girls will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis at each location.

Service Unit Cookie Cupboards, Leftover Cookies and Transfers

If there are troops in your Service Unit that have extra cookies, a cookie cupboard may be their solution. Transfers can take place at Service Unit Cupboards or between troops in different Service Units. Troop Leaders and Troop Cookie Managers will not be able to enter transfers that occur between troops in different Service Units. Service Unit Cookie Managers should try to enter the information into Snap™. If you are a Service Unit Cookie Manager, please make sure that you are logged into Snap™ as such. If you cannot enter this transfer for your troops, please contact your GSEP Staff contact. Please provide the date of the transfers, who the transfer is between and the T-8 number. Note:Transfers are done at the package level.

GSEP Cookie Cupboards

February 27 through March 2, GSEP will open up Council Cookie Cupboards at three locations:

• Shelly Ridge Service Center 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM; 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM 
• Lehigh Valley Service Center 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM; 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM 
• Valley Forge Service Center

These cupboards will be for individual package pickups only (under one case). If you need a full case of cookies (or more) please continue to place planned orders in the snap system or pick up your cookies at an unplanned pickup location.  No exchanges can be made at GSEP Cookie Cupboards and T-8 forms must be brought with the individual in order for the transaction to take place.

Continuing Sales

If there are troops that still need cookies after March 4 or are looking to extend their sales, please contact Jessica Menefee at jmenefee@gmail.com.

Important--Reorder Trucks Minimum

Nation-wide, there is a 150 case minimum for cookies to be sent out on trailers (due to the cost of transportation and cost of human power to deliver the cookies).  If a Council-Sponsored Reorder Station does not reach a minimum order of 150 cases, troops that have placed orders will be contacted by a member of the Product Program Team to arrange an alternative for pickup. Cookies may be transferred to a different location, troops may be asked to show up early, or the order may be cancelled-this is very situational. Thank you for your understanding.

2012 Mystery Tour: Rock the Mall, Washington, D.C.

This year the Mystery Tour is no mystery! We will be traveling to the National Sing-A-Long-Rock the Mall!-at Washington, D.C. on June 9, 2012. Each girl that sells 1,000+ packages of cookies will receive an invitation to this event (siblings need to sell 800+ packages of cookies each to qualify). GSEP understands that many girls that qualify for the Mystery Tour will be traveling to Rock the Mall with their Troop or Service Unit. In order to accommodate this unique circumstance, we have decided to partially subsidize the trip for girls who find themselves in this situation. Girls who have qualified for the Mystery Tour, but are traveling with their Troop or Service Unit to Rock the Mall can receive a $50.00 credit toward their trip, on the condition that proper notification has been made to Barb Bankert by April 1, 2012.  The Troop or Service Unit organizer for the trip to Rock the Mall must turn in the following information to Barb Bankert at bbankert@gsep.org by April 1, 2012:

• A copy of the bill for which payment/reimbursement should be made
• The name of the qualifying girl and her troop number

Note: GSEP is unable to send a check directly to a girl; checks must be payable to a vendor (i.e. bus company, hotel, etc.). If the bills for the trip have already been paid, we will need:

1. Proof that the girl has paid her portion (i.e. a receipt from the organizer of the trip)
2. AND, proof that the bill/s for the trip have been paid (i.e. receipts from vendors)

GSEP will process and distribute a check in an amount up to $50.00 to cover the cost of any bill pertaining to a girl's trip who is qualified for the Mystery Tour, but is traveling with her Troop or Service Unit to Rock the Mall. The amount of $50.00 is equivalent to the cost per girl of the Mystery Tour bus fare, transit ticket and registration.

Also, this year, parents and guardians are allowed to go on the Mystery Tour with their qualifying Girl Scout, provided that they provide a payment to GSEP of $80.00 by April 1, 2012. Checks can be made payable to GSEP and sent to:

GSEP

Attn. Lindsay Guyer

PO Box 27540