Question for Brownie leaders

[INDISMOM]

I am a co-leader and our cookie season is coming up in January. I cannot get any parent to volunteer to be our Cookie Volunteer. I would try to do it, but between working full time, swim practice, swim meets, and planning our brownie meetings/events I just don't see how I can fit anything else into my schedule. My co-leader is also just as busy, working full time and going to school. If it were just a few girls it probably wouldn't be a big deal, but we have 14 girls in our troop so that's a lot of cookies to coordinate!

I know the girls really want to sell cookies and for 1 or 2 it would be the only way they could afford camp, but none of the parents will step up to help with anything -- we can barely get them to bring a snack to the meeting.
HELP!

So, do I give the ultimatum that if we don't get a volunteer the girls will not sell cookies and parents will have to pay for all activities, or do I bite the bullet and try to do it myself? Or does someone have another suggestion?

 

[shirleyb]

I think if you or your co-leader honestly can't do it, then yes, you need to make the ultimatum. My first year as a leader, I had a cookie mom, and frankly, it was a pain in the neck, because I didn't know what was going on, and yet parents were still asking me what was going on.

The next two years, my co-leader and I shared the duties, and honestly it was not that time consuming. Last year we had too many booth sales scheduled though, and that is a pain. This year, since my co-leader has quit, I am not planning any booth sales, so I don't anticipate it being a huge job.

 

[Melrosgirl]

We had the same problem this year in Juniors. SOOOO I got the call and I accepted the role. Where's the scared blinky icon? !!

 

[ckay87]

Well it looks like they aren't going to sell cookies after all then.

Tough cookies!

Seriously....go ahead and do it and nobody else ever will.

 

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

So, do I give the ultimatum that if we don't get a volunteer the girls will not sell cookies and parents will have to pay for all activities, or do I bite the bullet and try to do it myself? Or does someone have another suggestion?

I would. I was a leader for 3 years before becoming so frustrated that I quit. We had aboslutely no parent involvement and it drove me crazy. Now 3 of the moms have taken over the troop, and they still asked me to be cookie mom. I politely declined.

My younger dd is in a very parent orientated troop and the leaders just assign responsibilites, no questions asked. Maybe you can try that approach.

 

[PaulaSue]

I would put it in the newsletter (we get one a month) that you need a volunteer or the troop won't be selling this year.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Seriously...don't do it.

Send out a newsletter and if no one steps up then pass on it.
Tell them they will have to pay for events. Sounds good to me.

I am the cookie mom for my younger dd's troop.

 

[beavismom]

I would give the ultimatum. I am betting that you give plenty of your time for the troop and it is not unreasonable for you to expect some parent help, in fact that is why they suggest you have cookie moms. You can also offer them the option of sharing it, maybe one handles the ordering and money turn in and another handles the booth scheduling and such. If you take this on too then they will never offer support for anything.

 

[zigzagzerr]

For the last 2 years, I have shared cookie mom duty with another mom from the troop. Splitting up the duties is a lot less taxing than trying to do it all yourself. Maybe you could suggest to the parents that 2 of them band together.

Best of luck!

 

[INDISMOM]

Thanks everyone for the advice! We have a meeting tomorrow and one right before Christmas break. I will send home notes at both and hopefully have
someone step up.

I like the idea of sharing the responsibilities, so I will present that to the parents also.

If no one steps up, then I will have to seriously consider not doing the cookie sale this year.

 

[PlutosFriend]

Oh that stinks Our troop leader assigns the snacks on to a different girl for each meeting. They don't have a choice. I volunteered to be the cookie Mom this year. I figured, why not. I may regret that later, but someone has to do it I would tell the other that someone has to step up, or the girls will not be able to sell cookies.

 

[Mrs.Toad]

For the last 2 years, I have shared cookie mom duty with another mom from the troop. Splitting up the duties is a lot less taxing than trying to do it all yourself. Maybe you could suggest to the parents that 2 of them band together.

I'll second this suggestion. We had no takers for cookie mom this year, either. First we made sure and explained it didn't have to be a cookie mom, it could be a cookie dad, grandma, uncle, older sibling, etc... Still had no takers, then we suggested that more than one parent could do it together as a team, and we had 3 volunteer, so now we have a cookie team.

Try that, then give them the ultimatum.

Good luck.

 

[aprilgail2]

I find it much easier to do it alone than in a team. I was nut mom 2 years in a row and now cookie mom 2 years in a row, no one else seems to want it LOL....it is not that big of a deal. The only thing that I do NOT do is deal with the money. I get the orders, fill out the paperwork, pick up the cookies, sort and deliver them, have the parents sign for them and my job is complete, the leaders handle the money part. It really doesn't take all that much time, I am a single parent and I work full time, my daughter is in scouts, karate, irish step dance and basketball and it really doesn't add all that much to my list to handle the cookies LOL....
Our leaders also assign you a date for snack.

 

[sunlver]

My daughter is a brownie. I am not a leader or a coleader. I just finished being the fall nut/candy mom for our troop. Honestly, I did not like it. There is so much darn paper work, it is not even funny. I had to make several trips to the leaders house for her to help me with it. What I didnt like was all the extra trips to the cupboards. I didnt like for all the parents to tell me they had extra orders, but never notified me. I didnt like to have to call the parents to "Remind" them to pay me. UGH....We have only one parent, that didnt pay right away and it took several visits to get the money. I am so not confrontational, so it was hard for me.
I can honestly see why somebody would not want to do the cookies. The girlscouts sell so many more cookies then the candy/nut product. This year the leader and co leader are doing it together.
Im bringing my final report in tomorrow, and cant wait til its done and over with.

 

[Mrs.Toad]

My daughter is a brownie. I am not a leader or a coleader. I just finished being the fall nut/candy mom for our troop. Honestly, I did not like it. There is so much darn paper work, it is not even funny. I had to make several trips to the leaders house for her to help me with it. What I didnt like was all the extra trips to the cupboards. I didnt like for all the parents to tell me they had extra orders, but never notified me. I didnt like to have to call the parents to "Remind" them to pay me. UGH....We have only one parent, that didnt pay right away and it took several visits to get the money. I am so not confrontational, so it was hard for me.
I can honestly see why somebody would not want to do the cookies. The girlscouts sell so many more cookies then the candy/nut product. This year the leader and co leader are doing it together.
Im bringing my final report in tomorrow, and cant wait til its done and over with.

There is a lot of paperwork, scheduling, trips to leader meetings; shopping for supplies, training classes, dealing with parents who don't notify us, reminder calls, reminder e-mails, research, planning, etc, etc, involved in being a leader, too.

Sorry, but I have little sympathy for parents who don't want to do the cookies because it's a hassle. It's a whole heck of a lot more hassle to be the leader, but we do it because we love our kids and we want them to have this wonderful experience that scouting can give them. It's a volunteer organization. The leaders have already volunteered much more of themselves than the cookie mom does. Someone needs to suck it up and do it for the sake of the kids.

~~Stepping down off my soapbox, now.

 

[MariDisney]

I did exactly what you suggested. No one from the troop would take on the cookie parent role. I am the only leader (no co leader). And, I simply can not do it. For one reason (not that I need one) I live in an apartment. Anyway, I told the parents that once the limited funds we have run out they'll have to pay for all snack, crafts, trips, etc. No one really objected. But, I think they might when they find out how much things will really end up costing.

 

[aprilgail2]

Our troop uses the nut and cookie money for a big party at the end of the year at the kids place of choice. We pay dues for the craft junk and we pay for all the trips out of pocket anyway so the cookie money is only for the fun end of year stuff. I do it either way but it has very little impact on the parents out of pocket expenses.
I have a van and that is where the cookies are picked up and delivered from, I don't even bring them into my house. I pick them up, sort them into sections of the van-front seat, each back seat, back of van etc and then deliver them to each girls house the same day I pick them up so I don't have to lug them in and out of my house.
Last year we had 3 leaders but one moved so we are down to 2 this year, but its a really small troop, I think we have 15 kids now. Even at that size I think it is to much for just one person, all the planning etc...and then what if the one person is sick or away the troop can't meet. Yesterday one leader was sick so they could still have their meeting since the other one was there.