FAQ
Questions about Selling
Care To Share – Community Service Project
We Need More Nut & Snack Products
iTunes & iPod Online Drawings
OC Bucks
After The Sale
More Information
Glossary of Terms
Questions about Selling
When can we start selling? GSOC girls may begin selling Fall Products on September 29, 2012. Each Council sets its own start date for the fall product & cookie sales. Girls may NOT distribute their order cards or ask for orders until our Council’s start date. Early selling is not acceptable and girls will lose credit for any sales made prior to the official start date.
Can Troops set quotas on how much my daughter should sell? No. Parents determine the number of products to order and are responsible for payment of all products received.
Do we pay for products in advance? No. Troops may not require payment from parents in advance. Payment is collected from customers at time of delivery and money should be turned in to the troop as soon as possible afterward.
Where can we sell? Girls should observe council jurisdiction (by zip codes) when marketing products in person or online, with exceptions for close family members. Girl Scouts in southern California councils may market products at parent/guardian’s immediate workplace even if outside their Council jurisdiction, if permitted by their employer.
Can parent/daughter teams sell Fall Products? Yes! They can make direct sales door to door, at their work place, knitting circle, Bunco group, etc.
Can my daughter & I set up a Girl Scout stand in front of our house? Yes! During the booth sale period, Nov 2—12, 2012, Girl Scouts can set-up “lemonade” type stands to sell on the property were the girl currently resides as their city and/or home owners’ associations permit.
Can girls sell online? Girls may market their sale to family & friends on the internet using the vendor website (QSP/Nuts Online Program) providing they sign the Girl Scout Internet Safety Pledge and follow all Girl Scout safety guidelines. Check with your Leader for more details.
Where do I get the Girl Scout Internet Safety Pledge? It can be printed from the Council website here.
What is a rolling sale? Putting nut products in a wagon and doing direct sales to customers in residential areas. Girls require adult guidance for these efforts. It is not really a “booth sale” because you are not setting up a booth display in one location or at a shopping center requiring permission.
What is a Walkabout? When Girl Scouts work together to map out then walk a neighborhood selling nuts or magazines door-to-door in a residential area. Girls require adult guidance for these efforts. It is not really a “booth sale” because you are not setting up a booth display in one location or at a shopping center requiring permission.
What is a Caravan? Older Girl Scouts (Cadette, Senior & Ambassador Troops) go door-to-door with a buddy in a residential area while the supervising adults follow in a car with the nuts. Girls require adult guidance for these efforts. It is not really a “booth sale” because you are not setting up a booth display in one location or at a shopping center requiring permission.
Can I have a rolling sale/Walkabout/Caravan in a shopping center, park or other public area? No. In order to maintain good relationships with property managers, stores and to be fair, only booth sales are allowed in non-residential areas. All booth sales must be coordinated through your Service Unit Booth Sale Coordinator.
Can we do a rolling sale/Walkabout/Caravan as a Troop at one of our meetings? Yes! What a fun outing for your troop and a great way to help girls reach their goals!
Can we do a rolling sale as a family? Yes! Girl Scouts embraces family involvement.
What is a booth sale? A booth sale is a nut stand placed in front of a business, on a street corner or in any public space. Only Service Unit Booth Sale Coordinators may arrange for booth sale locations and assign troops. They secure the sites by working with the property managers and stores to ensure permission and insurance requirements are met.
Can I have a booth sale on a street corner? Yes, but only if the location is safe for girls and customer vehicles and if the Service Unit Booth Sale Coordinator has verified that the city will allow this.
Can parent/daughter teams run a booth sale at a shopping center? Yes! You must contact your Service Unit to reserve a location in your area. Ask your Troop Leader or Troop Product Manager for more details. Financially, nut products can be considered girl additional sales where the family is responsible for all products taken for the booth sale or as a troop booth sale in which product may be returned to the troop for future booth sales. In terms of site location, selection and assignment of these sales function as Troop Booth Sales.
Can I bring another Girl Scout with me to our parent/daughter booth sale? Unfortunately no, anything beyond one parent/girl booth sale is a troop activity and must meet safety guidelines requiring two screened & briefed Responsible Adults.
Do I need permission slips for booth sales? Yes! Permission slips are required for all troop activities even for your own daughter just like at a father/daughter dance or any troop function.
Our Service Unit doesn’t have any booth sale locations remaining. Can I go somewhere else? Yes, but you must contact your Service UnitBooth Sale Coordinator who will connect with neighboring service units to reserve open booth sale slots for you.
We need to cancel a booth sale due to illness. What do we do? Call your Service Unit Booth Sale Coordinator right away so another troop can have your spot.
Can I take product and to sell at work or to my Bunco group? Yes!
Does my daughter get credit for product sold at booth sales? Yes! Check with your Leader to see what level of recognitions your daughter has achieved so far.
Care To Share – Community Service Project
What is Care To Share? Care to Share is a Girl Scout community service project which allows girls the opportunity to sellvirtual “Care to Share” nut/snack items and magazine vouchers that are distributed to our nation’s soldiers and local food banks. What a great way to help your Girl Scout Troop, Council and community!
How do girls sell Care To Share donations? Selling Care to Share is easy. Girls ask every customer if they’d like to participate in the Care To Share program. Girls collect $6.00 for each order and provide the customer with a Care To Share receipt. Customers do not choose the product or organization and troops do not receive these virtual items. Girls record this sale on their order cards and/or notify their troop. The Council delivers the products and vouchers to the organizations.
Can our Troop sell Care To Share at our Booth Sale? Yes! It’s easy to sell Care to Share everywhere. You can sell Care to Share donations at booth sales, rolling sales, during order taking and as part of door-to-door direct sales. Money for Care to Share is collected at the time of order/purchase. Customers receive a receipt instead of product.
Are Care to Share purchases tax deductable? Yes! The customer does not receive the Girl Scout product and does not benefit directly from paying for them so the purchase price is a charitable contribution.
Can our Troop choose another organization for Care To Share? Yes, but you will need to order and deliver the products as a troop. Girls are still eligible for the patch. Magazine vouchers are virtual Care to Share only.
Where do I get Care To Share receipts? They can be printed from the Council website here: Care To Share receipts
What do girls need to do to get a Care To Share patch? Girls who sell 5+ cans and/or vouchers as a Care To Share donation will earn the Care To Share patch for each girl who participates.
How does a Troop order Care To Share patches for girls? Fill out the patch form on the Volunteer Network and submit with your final paperwork to your Service Unit Product Manager.
We Need More Nut & Snack Products!
Where can I get more products to sell? Girls/parents should contact their Leaders. Troops usually have some inventory on hand. Troops needing additional nut products can contact one of our volunteer cupboards at least 24 hours in advance. See your Troop Plan book for details.
Can Troops get individual cans of nuts at the cupboard? Yes! Nut items are ordered and sold by the product unit. You do not need to take product in case lots.
We’ve sold all of our nuts but we have another booth sale scheduled. What do we do? Contact a cupboard for more nuts and/or sell virtual Care To Share donations.
Can Troops return nuts to the cupboard? No. Food products are not returnable or exchangeable. Only damaged products may be exchanged at a cupboard.
I just found out that my daughter is only a few cans away from the next recognition. Can I buy some more cans so she can earn it? Yes if it’s before the end of the sale. Contact your Troop Leader and/or Troop Product Manager for more products. It’s a good idea for your daughter to keep track of her progress throughout the sale so she can celebrate reaching her goal!
iTunes & iPod Online Drawings
How do I enter the iTunes & iPod drawings? Girls who sell at least one magazine subscription online by the end of the sale will be automatically entered to win one of five $15 iTunes cards. Girls who sell at least four magazine subscriptions online will be automatically entered to win an iPod. Winners will be notified and posted in the GS Updates e-newsletter in December.
OC Bucks
What are OC Bucks? OC Bucks is a girl recognition item earned for selling Girl Scout fall products. It is good for a year, expiring on April 30, 2014 and can be used only with the Girl Scouts of Orange County.
How can OC Bucks be used? OC Bucks may be used to pay for:
- Items purchased in the Council Shop inIrvine, Seal Beach or online
- Girl Scout resident or day camp (Council, Association or Service Unit sponsored)
- GSOC, Service Unit or Association events
- Approved Troop Travel (see Troop Travel packet for specific details)
- Girl Scout destinations (see details at: http://www.girlscouts.org/forgirls/travel/destinations/)
- Girl Scout Lifetime Membership submitted to Council office by September 1st (Ambassadors Girl Scouts who are graduating high school only)
How do girls redeem OC Bucks?
- At the Council Shop – girls submit their OC Bucks at time of purchase.
- For fax, email or mail-in Shop purchases – girls submit their OC Bucks serial number in the credit card section of the order form.
- For Council Resident or Day Camp – girls submit their OC Bucks serial number in the credit card section of the camp payment or registration form.
- For Council Events – girls submit their OC Bucks serial number in the credit card section of the camp payment or registration form.
- For Association or Service Unit Events (local community) – girls submit their OC Bucks serial number with their registration & signed permission slip to the Event Coordinator or Troop Leader as noted on the event flyer.
- For Approved Troop Travel – girls submit their OC Bucks serial number to their Troop Leader.
- For Girl Scout destinations – girls submit their OC Bucks serial number to the Council with their registration form.
- For Girl Scout Lifetime Membership – Graduating high school girls submit their OC Bucks serial number with their signed membership registration form and a check for the balance of the lifetime membership payment to the Council office by September 1.
Can a Troop Use a Girl’s OC Bucks? No. OC Bucks belong to individual girls, not a troop or group, so each girl makes individual choices on how to use it. Troop/groups already benefit from the proceeds of each can of nuts or magazine subscription sold. If a Troop/group has asked girls to contribute individual funds towards approved troop travel (as defined in the Troop Travel packet) girls may pay with their OC Bucks rather than check or cash.
What qualifies as Approved Troop Travel? Troop travel of 150 miles or more (300+ miles round trip) qualifies as a usage for OC Bucks providing the trip has been approved by the Service Unit Manager (as specified in the Troop Travel packet). Girls submit OC Bucks as payment for qualified troop travel to their Troop Leader.
How do Troops get their Travel Approved? Troops contemplating travel of 150 miles or more (300+ miles round trip) must request permission on the Troop Travel Form (see Troop Travel Packet on the Volunteer Network). For trips 150-300 miles (600 miles round trip), Leaders must submit the form to their Service Unit Manager at least 6 weeks in advance. For trips over 300 miles (600 miles round trip) within the state of California, Leaders must submit the form to their Service Unit Manager 6 months in advance. For trips outside California, but within the continental US, submit the form 1 year in advance and for trips outside the continental US, submit the form 2 years in advance.
How does an Association, Service Unit or Troop Treasurer get reimbursed for OC Bucks received from girls? Associations, Service Units and Troop Treasurers complete the reimbursement form on the Volunteer Network. Please include a copy of the event flyer or approved Troop Travel form with reimbursement form and attach signed certificates and/or serial number redeemed prior to the expiration date (regardless of the date of event or travel).
After The Sale
Can we sell Fall Product after the sale ends? Yes. Money and paperwork is due to Troop Leaders on November 9 and cupboards close, but troops/girls that still have nut products may continue to sell until they have emptied their inventory.
Can we have a booth sale in a shopping center after the sale ends? Maybe. It depends upon several factors including when our business permits expire for your city. Contact your Service Unit Booth Sale Coordinator or the Council if you are interested in booth sales after the fall sale ends.
More Information
I have more questions. Who can I contact? Girls & parents should contact their Troop Product Manager and/or Leaders for more information. Troop volunteers will find more answers in the Troop Plan Book and can contact their Service Unit Product Manager for help. You will also find more information on our Website: www.GirlScoutsOC.org.
Glossary of Terms
Ashdon Farms – nut and candy vendor.
Cupboard—a place where additional product is made available for troops. All cupboards are run by volunteers.
Damaged Product Report—form used to report damaged product.
Delinquency Report—form used to report someone who is delinquent in paying for product.
Family Guide—informational guide and responsibility form given to parents/guardians of all Girl Scouts participating in the product program.
OC Bucks—a card worth a certain dollar amount that can be used for any Girl Scouts of Orange County Resident or Day Camp, GSOC, Service Unit or Association event, approved Troop/Group travel, or for items purchased at the Girl Scout Shop in Irvine or Seal Beach.
Parent Responsibility Form— form parents/guardians must complete giving their Girl Scout permission to participate in the product program.
Patch Form—form used by troops to report the number of Goal Achiever, Care to Share and Booth Sale patches earned.
QSP—magazine and book vendor.
Responsible Adult—a volunteer appointed and briefed by the leaders. Must be a registered adult Girl Scout who has completed the Volunteer Application and screening process.
Safety Activity Checkpoints—Guide for planning and implementation of specific activities. They represent the basic minimums to follow; they are not all-inclusive. They are the extensions of the basic safety guidelines and program standards and are also starting points for investigating resources with more in-depth information.
SU – abbreivation for Service Unit
SUPM—abbreviation for Service Unit Product Manager, a volunteer who manages the product program for a service unit.
TPM—abbreviation for Troop Product Manager, the volunteer who manages the product program for a troop/group.
Troop Plan Book—instruction booklet that explains the nuts and bolts of the Fall Product Program.
Nut-E – online system used to manage the Fall Product Program.
VN – abbreviation for Volunteer Network (see definition below).
Volunteer Position Description and Agreement form—position description signed by the volunteer.
Volunteer Application with Background Screening—form all volunteers must have on file at the Girl Scout Council in order to work with girls and handle money. Available on the Volunteer Network.
Volunteer Essentials—GSUSA handbook for all volunteers. Available on the Volunteer Network.
Volunteer Network (VN)—password protected website where forms and other information regarding the Fall Product Program can be found. The Volunteer Network can be found on GSOC’s website (www.GirlScoutsOC.org).
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