Pre-Season Resources

COOKIE INVENTORY

Your cookie inventory includes:

  • Cookies ordered for members of the troop: Whether they have taken orders, or they’re planning on selling cookies on hand— once cookies are signed for by a parent/guardian, they become the family’s responsibility. 

  • Booth cookies: The troop must order and bring cookies to troop booth sales. Any leftover cookies from the booth sale remain in your troop’s inventory, and can be used to fill orders from troop members or saved for the next booth. 

Five steps to manage your cookie inventory to zero:

How to set yourself up for success from the beginning, throughout the program, and at the end!

  • Before cookie sales start, ask parents/guardians to estimate how many cookies they’d like to order for the troop’s Initial Order using the Girl Initial Cookie Order Form. Combine this with an estimate of what you expect you'll need for your first few booths, use the Initial Order Estimator Tool if you're unsure about what to place for your troop initial order. 

  • Create a simple system (like an online form) for parents to request more cookies, avoiding the need to manage multiple communication channels. Set clear deadlines for submitting orders based on your troop's order schedule and when planned orders are due. 

  • Keep all cookie-related forms, receipts, and payment records organized. Use a Cookie Tracker or receipts (print your own or use the books in your cookie materials shipment) to track planned orders, exchanges, and ensure everything is accounted for throughout the season. 

  • Keep parents informed about their orders, deliveries, and payments. Encourage families to submit payments for cookies as they receive them, rather than all at once at the end. GSGI recommends that troops do not take returns from families, as that limits your ability to manage your troop inventory down to zero, though the goal is that neither the troop nor the individual family gets “stuck” with cookies. 

  • Plan a booth – or several – in the final week of the program. For orders placed on March 15, and/or Sunday, March 22, (picked up by March 19-20 and March 26-27), troops can return any cookies leftover, in any varieties, at select cupboards on March 30. This means you can ensure you have enough cookies for a successful booth, and allows you the flexibility to return leftovers. 

More tips on cookie inventory management: 

  • Troop cookie order forms 

Many troops like to use order forms to help manage their inventory. If you’re looking to build a Google form, or just give some structure for family orders, check out the sample forms (created by troop leaders!) linked above.  

The Girl Initial Cookie Order Form is an option that a leader created for the first order from parents/guardians, with some suggestions to get started. The Troop Cookie Request Sheet (coming soon!) is a sample form for ongoing Planned Orders. The Cookie Tracker can be used in place of individual receipts throughout the program. 

Feel free to use these forms as-is, or customize the options (like transforming them to a digital form) to work for your troop!  

It’s easy to add a disclaimer, like this one, to your form:  

Please check the box below to acknowledge that you understand you will be responsible for turning in money for all cookies ordered by the end of the program. You cannot return cookies that you order, but we can work with you to exchange for difference varieties. (It is required to select this box to move on.)* 

__ I understand that these cookies cannot be returned. 

Note: Google forms are a separate (free) service, not supported by GSGI. There are many quick online tutorials showing you how to create a form and view responses in a spreadsheet. For some leaders, this is a helpful tool that saves time and keeps the process streamlined, but if that is not your cup of tea, you can definitely use emails or another communication method that works better.  

STATEMENT FOR EARLY COOKIE PROGRAM SALES

Provided here is a sample message you may share to a family in the Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa (GSGI) area in the case you spot a post or come across a cookie program order form circulating before the official GSGI cookie program start date of February 1, 2026.

  • Hello! 

    It looks like you are excited about Girl Scout Cookie Season, and we are too! We noticed you were collecting orders for Girl Scout Cookies before the official start of the Girl Scout Cookie Program at Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa—February 1, 2026. Being a sister to every Girl Scout, I wanted to reach out and ask that you refrain from taking pre-orders before the official start date. 

    Just to provide all the information—Girl Scout Cookie Programs begin at various times depending on which council the Girl Scout is registered in across the country. Because of this, you may see posts from friends and family from other councils selling cookies before our Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa start date. 

    At Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa (which includes 67 counties in Iowa, two counties in South Dakota, and one county in Nebraska), the Girl Scout Cookie Program officially kicks off on February 1, 2026. Troops can place an early cookie order, so a Girl Scout family may have been asked about how many cookies they plan to sell. This early order allows a Girl Scout to have cookies on hand to sell right away on opening day, beginning February 1! 

    As a fellow Girl Scout, I understand your excitement about promoting your Girl Scout’s cookie program! As we have personally seen, there will be plenty of opportunities to sell cookies after February 1. Being such a fun fundraising program that so many look forward to, customers seek YOU out knowing you have a Girl Scout selling those delicious cookies. 

    With millions of households in Iowa, the number one reason people say they do not buy Girl Scout Cookies is because they were not asked. Having the February 1 start date allows each Girl Scout selling to have an equal opportunity to reach out and make those asks and reach their goals. 

    Thank you for waiting until February 1 to begin taking orders. If you have any questions about how the program works, feel free to contact info@gsiowa.org.