Girl Scouts of Hawai‘i adds online cookie sales

In an effort to boost membership, Girl Scouts of Hawai‘i is following the lead of its national organization by offering new programs that embrace technology, including a mobile app and personalized websites for selling cookies.

The Digital Cookie program, now in its second year, also offers online games, quizzes and videos to teach girls business skills.

“The cookie program is not just selling cookies,” said Shari Chang, chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of Hawaii. “It’s a program where girls learn financial literacy and skills that help them become good entrepreneurs. They learn how to plan a budget, how to market and help customers.”

At the inaugural Cookie University, held Jan. 9 at ‘Iolani School, Scouts got advice and mentorship from female executives such as Michele Saito, president of DTRIC, and Cara Goodrich, vice president of revenue management at Castle Resorts & Hotels.

Girl Scouts will still sell cookies the old-fashioned way, walking door to door and setting up booths at shopping centers. But Chang said the ability to sell cookies online through Digital Cookie opened up new markets, including friends and relatives on the mainland or people who simply like the convenience of having the cookies sent directly to their home.

The cookies cost $5 a box, except for the Toffee-Tastic gluten-free cookie with crunchy toffee bits — created in response to consumer trends, these treats will cost $6. Girl Scouts in Hawaii sold about 415,000 boxes of cookies last year and aim to sell 10,000 more this year.

Presales of the cookies began Monday, with delivery expected in late February.

Girl Scouts of Hawai‘i has more than 2,500 members in kindergarten through high school and 286 troops throughout the isles, along with more than 2,100 adult members.

Nationally, at 2.66 million, Girl Scouts membership is down more than 15 percent over three years, according to the Associated Press, and down 30 percent from a peak of more than 3.8 million in 2003.

Chang, a veteran marketing executive who took the reins of Girls Scouts of Hawai‘i in October 2014, said local membership followed the national downward trend but is on track to rebound by about 4 percent this year. So far this year, membership is up by about 100, with recruitment running throughout most of the school year.

She’s confident that new initiatives the national organization has taken will further help, such as an online toolkit for troop leaders that will make it easier to plan meetings and activities.

“The Girl Scouts of today is much more relevant to today,” Chang said. “The three things we focus on are leadership development, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and outdoor experiences. The outdoor experiences are part of leadership training, helping girls to be more aware of the environment and environmental stewardship.”

GIRL SCOUTS decide how to spend the proceeds from their cookie sales, including funding community service projects or attending camp.

Madison Frisbie, a seventh-grader at Kaimuki Middle School, has set a goal of selling 1,500 boxes of cookies this year, up 500 from last year. With the proceeds, she and other Scouts plan to donate toiletry kits to the Next Step homeless shelter.

“I’ve learned how to set goals,” said Frisbie, an aspiring veterinarian who also started a hand-sewn tote bag business with the business skills she’s learned. Next year she plans to be a Cookie Captain, mentoring other scouts selling cookies.

Anne Rice of Aiea, a parent troop leader, said she’s looking forward to using the online toolkit. A former Girl Scout, she was excited to get her daughter, Hayden, now 8, involved in the organization when she was in kindergarten.

Rice credits Girl Scout mentors with encouraging her to pursue a career as a structural engineer. Now a stay-at-home mom, she is passionate about offering scouts STEM opportunities through a camp and other events she helps organize.

“If we have one girl that goes into a STEM career that wouldn’t have before, we’ve succeeded,” she said. “It’s extremely rewarding to see the girls grow socially and emotionally. You just see their eyes light up.”

Her daughter has also blossomed through Girl Scouts from a once-shy little girl to a budding entrepreneur who is confident approaching potential customers and selling them a box of Thin Mints.

In another push to boost membership locally, Girl Scouts of Hawai‘i has partnered with Hawaii’s Boy Scouts at recruiting events. Chang, who sits on the Boy Scouts advisory board, said it offers convenience for families with both sons and daughters.

Girls Scouts of Hawai‘i has other attractions, such as three outdoor camps at picturesque locations: Camp Paumalu on Oahu’s North Shore, Camp Pi‘iholo in Upcountry Maui and Camp Kilohana on Hawaii island.

At its foundation, Change said, the core mission of the Girl Scouts remains the same as when it began in 1912.

“We’re empowering the girls to become leaders and find a voice and stand up and be heard,” she said.

For more information, visit girlscouts-hawaii.org or call 595-8400.