I read somewhere that less than 5% makes it to the local group
he asked if the cookies were made OF girls, fyi
Was curious abut this, too...
"Q: How does the cookie revenue benefit girls?
A: All of the revenue earned from cookie activities —every penny after paying the baker—stays with the local Girl Scout council that sponsors the sale. This includes the portion that goes directly to the group selling cookies. Councils use their cookie revenue to supply essential services to troops, groups, and individual girls, such as providing program resources and communication support, training adult volunteers, and conducting special events. The Girl Scout council's volunteer board of directors:
Chooses the baker
Determines the price per box
Decides how this revenue will be used to provide vital services—such as adult recruitment and training and operation of camps and service centers—and other indirect expenses
Decides how much money will be returned to groups selling cookies for their projects and activities
Return to Top
Q: What portion of the cookie revenue is shared with the group selling cookies?
A: This decision is made by each local Girl Scout council, so the portion varies from one council to another. Nationwide, girls receive an estimated 10 – 20% of the purchase price of each box of cookies sold. Cookie proceeds are held in a group or council account and allocated for activities based on the way a girl has joined Girl Scouts, e.g. as a member of a troop, as a special interest group, as a camper, or in a travel group. In many councils girls earn "cookie credit" after a certain number of boxes are sold, which may be used towards council programs, travel or Girl Scout related purchases in the council shop."
http://www.girlscouts.org/program/gs_cookies/cookie_faqs.asp#money_where+
"For each box sold, 85 cents per box goes to the baker to cover production, packaging, shipping of the cookies to the troop, and other incidental costs. Out of the remaining $2.65, 50 to 57 cents goes to the selling troop, which will use the funds to cover the cost of programming, community service projects and scholarships, and to offset the cost of participating in Girl Scouts.
Of course, then there are the prizes that some troops dole out to their top-selling scouts. Prizes can cost anywhere from 5 to 7 cents per box, says Ceravolo. So if a troop opts to award prizes, they'll get about 50 to 52 cents per box. "But if a troop votes to eliminate prizes, they get about 57 cents per box," she says.
Of the remaining funds, about 1 penny per box goes to the neighborhood "service unit" -- another level of scouting -- and stays within the community. The rest goes to the regional council, which is usually comprised of numerous troops that are located near each other, Ceravolo explains. The regional council of Nassau County, for instance, focuses solely on the troops in Nassau County, New York. "The remaining $2.14 to $2.07 is used to fund local programming, support summer camps, train adult volunteers, and so on," says Ceravolo.
Contrary to urban legends, the proceeds from Girl Scout cookie sales are not funneled to the national scouting organization. "Girl Scouts of the USA has a deal in place in which they receive royalties directly from the two national bakers of the cookies," Ceravolo says. "The regional councils do not send cookie money to the national organization.""
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/02/06/girl-scout-cookies-by-the-numbers-just-where-do-all-those-dolla/Fwiw. Cheers!