For 106 Years, Girls Thrive In A Childless Woman's Dream
First of all, this post is decidedly #NoAd. Every March, The Not Mom recognizes Girl Scouts of the USA as the enduring NotMom legacy of Juliette Gordon Low (below).
Me, I was a Girl Scout through middle school Cadettes. That’s why I’ve known since third grade that March 12 is when Juliette Low (left) of Savannah, Georgia founded the Girl Scouts in 1912. The video below will tell you more about her, but meanwhile, spring is Girl Scout cookie time.
In 2018, March 11 - 17 is Girl Scout Week, a very big deal on the annual Girl Scout calendar. There’s Girl Scout Sunday, National Girl Scout Day, and Girl Scout Birthday. After more than a century, the Girl Scouts organization is fighting to stay alive in a fragmented pre-teen world of urban vs camping; public school vs private; SnapChat, Kardashians and more.
There was a time when I really, really wanted to work for the Girl Scouts Lake Erie Council. I had decided that using my communication skills to support a non-profit organization that I already loved was the way to go. But, when I interviewed there for a suitable job, I learned that A) it would require a 35% salary cut, and B) it would provide a 50% cut in the staff support I previously enjoyed.
So, I passed on the job and instead, I joined the Board of Directors for a year. That's how I know, better than most, the new millennium challenges kicking Girl Scouts' corporate butt. These days, I buy cookies that diabetic-me can't eat, and hop on the web to tell the world why Girl Scouts rock, and so does the childless woman who birthed them 106 years ago.
Here's a bit of why I'm loving Girl Scouts in 2018:
A creative' new partnership with Dunkin Donuts! Through May 2018, stores will offer three new coffee flavors inspired by iconic Girl Scout Cookies: Thin Mints, Coconut Caramel and Peanut Butter. Get them in hot or iced coffees, lattes, macchiatos, frozen coffee, and frozen chocolate.
Now that California has legalized recreational marijuana, Girl Scouts are making money by identifying marijuana stores. C'mon. You know it's genius.
A Massachusetts troop welcomed soldiers returning from the Middle East with cookies and hugs.
In 2015, Girl Scouts staffed their own booth at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas to introduce their Digital Cookie™ software. Digital Cookie allows each Scout to set sales goals, track progress and manage orders and inventory. There are age-specific Cookie Business badges for Scouts to earn, too.
The 2018 Girl Scout cookie sale runs through April 2018, and Thin Mints are vegan!
