Financial Literacy through Cookies
It might just be the best financial literacy program in America.
A youth organization runs an operation that gives its members hands-on experience running a mercantile business, one that sends them door-to-door, teaches them how to market their wares online, and puts its proceeds right back toward programs for the young merchants. Furthermore, the operation is focused on giving girls this opportunity to learn business sense on the fly, thus working to eradicate the under-representation of women in the workforce.
What words does this idea evoke? Savvy? Genius? Yes and yes, but how about… delicious?
The organization in question is Girls Scouts of America, and their wares are those omnipresent cookies–Thin Mints, Samoas, and all the other savory flavors we’ve all been munching down since time out of mind. Everyone knows this is an effective fundraiser, but lost on many is the fact that these girls are learning lessons that will help them raise their own funds (salaries) in the future.
GSA is going online to market cookies for the first time this year, adding a new facet to both the fundraising and financial literacy portions of their project. Cookies will not be sold directly online or via e-mail–too many safety concerns arose to expand that far–but the Internet will be used as an advertising resource. Thus one more important aspect of the business world will be added to the slate of working-world training these young saleswomen are receiving.
Cookie sales are still active this year–they end March 7–and it would benefit all of us, not to mention the girls involved, to purchase some.