Posted on 03/21/2009 5:30:40 PM PDT by JoeProBono
Just as is the case with the newspaper industry, it seems as though the organization behind the Girl Scouts hasn't fully grasped how to integrate the Web into its business model. After one enterprising scout tried promoting her cookie sale online, the Girl Scouts of America got wise and stopped the little operation because it was against its rules.
Little Wild Freeborn, 8, of Asheville, NC, wanted to sell 12,000 boxes of the cookies so that she and her troop could get a free trip to Scout summer camp. After doing the door-to-door bit, Wild posted a YouTube video to advertise her goal and set up an order form, all with help from her dad, Bryan, a Web site designer. Some lame-o parents got wind of Wild's tactics, snitched to Scout officials, and the cute cartel was kaput.
The reason for stopping Wild, the Girl Scouts say, is because the organization prohibits online selling, so the girls aren't exposed to online predators. Bryan Freeborn said they thought they were playing by the rules, as they only accepted orders from Asheville and Wild personally delivered the cookies. Now, the adorable girl and her attempt to take down an old-fashioned business model have drawn national attention, pretty much guaranteeing that she'll reach her sales quota.
(Excerpt) Read more at switched.com ...
If that’s the rule then that’s the rule. Besides...I like the reasoning behind the organization for prohibiting cookie sales online. Good for them taking responsibility for all these kids. Don’t break the rules...makes sense.
What a cute kid, enterprising too. heh :)+
Unfortunately the Girl Scouts support Planned Parenthood and abortion, so I can’t buy any whether they are online or door to door.
Y’all evidently don’t know the rule that rules don’t apply to cute people.
When will organizations and schools find the guts to tell these busy bodies to sit down and have a nice hot cup of STFU?
have drawn national attention, pretty much guaranteeing that she’ll reach her sales quota
Proving that it’s better to ask forgiveness than get permission. Of course we wouldn’t want to reward innovation and competitiveness, either.
First of all this stinks.
Second of all, who names a girl Wild? That is like tempting fate.
Do you have a source for that information? We always buy GS cookies from our nieces and if there is a REAL link between the GS and PP I would like to tell my sister in law about it...
Reminds me of my niece. Nice name too. It beat knocking on doors during the initial sale when at least more than 50% will say no, but she knows that it saves time if she sells online.
Wait til Obama tax her business to death, then off to Obama Youth camp for indoctrination.
Mmmm...they knew the rules. Unfortunately, some parents ignore them.
I realize that this little girl is just trying to earn a free trip to camp—but so are ALL the other little Girl Scouts out there selling cookies! lol
I don’t know about the PP connection...it doesn’t change my opinion about our troop. We donated SEVERAL cases of cookies to our US troops overseas in addition to meeting our cookie sales goal.
The parents should have signed her up to work a booth outside of Walmart, the bank, Kroger, etc. That’s what everyone else does.
I forgot to add....the article says they tried the “door to door” thing. That’s also pretty much discouraged unless it’s someone you know. It’s just not safe to sell cookies like they used to.
You are right about not breaking rules, BUT this is a stupid rule that should not have been made in the first place. I’d rather see them ban scouts from going door to door.
Ours is not affiliated with PP. It pays to pay attention to what your kids activities directors are doing rather than just drop them off and pick them up an hour later.
And people wonder why I gave up the Girl Scouts for Lent when I was 10 and never went back. Stupid rules. Enterprising young girls should be encouraged, especially when they have the protection of a father at their side.
Well, if it keeps the scouts from predators I am all for it. Besides...isn’t going online to sell the cookies a little over the top? Seems years ago the sales were competetive but not to the degree of going online to win a trip. Just seems excessive to me but then again...that’s the culture in which we live today.
That link goes back to 2004, 2005...I’ll have to let my sis in law check with her council directly. Thanks!
“Do you have a source for that information?”
It appears to be up to the local leaders. Some have ended the relationship but apparently not all.
http://www.cwfa.org/articledisplay.asp?id=5431&department=CWA&categoryid=misc
‘The alliance between the Girl Scouts and Planned Parenthood appeared at first to be limited to the Bluebonnet Council of Girl Scouts in central Texas. It has since been revealed that the close association is nationwide and reaches to the top of the Scouting organization.
Girl Scouts CEO Kathy Cloninger admitted on NBC’s Today Show that many troops have alliances with Planned Parenthood and that those relationships would continue.
Across the nation the alliances have taken many forms:
* In Waco, Texas, the Bluebonnet Council places the national Girl Scout logo on posters for Planned Parenthood of Central Texas’ annual summer sex-education seminar for fifth to ninth graders.
* That Council also gave a “woman of distinction” award last year to the executive director of Planned Parenthood of Central Texas.
* Nevada’s Frontier Council Web site advertised a March 20 feminist conference featuring Planned Parenthood President Gloria Feldt and a workshop on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered issues.
* In 2003 the Girl Scouts of Connecticut honored a Planned Parenthood official for her outstanding work in promoting “healthy practices” in local troops.
* The Girl Scout leadership manual gives visits to health clinics like Planned Parenthood as an acceptable option for Brownie troops. Brownies are for girls six to eight years old.”
Other sources -
http://www.cbn.com/CBNNews/News/040604a.aspx
“About 99 of the 315 Girl Scout councils responded to the survey. Of those 99 councils, 23 percent said they have some type of relationship with Planned Parenthood.”
“And in some Girl Scout councils, kids can even work towards earning their “becoming a teen badge” by attending lectures and seminars given by Planned Parenthood.”
http://www.usatoday.com/life/2004-03-22-american-heritage-girls_x.htm
This one is supposed to have a link to see what your local org is doing.
http://www.stopp.org/scouts/
Do a search on the girl scouts website and you’ll find they consider sex education to be important for their organization. http://www.girlscouts.org/research/facts_findings/sexual_activity_and_pregnancy.asp
As to the rules on not selling online: I bet they will meet more child molesterers selling door-to-door than they will selling online.
So the reasons given are bogus. More likely it is a distribution issue. If every Girl Scout in the world were allowed to sell cookies online, who’s to say that some Girl Scout from Wichita KS won’t be selling to someone in Dunedin, New Zealand; or some Girl Scout in Montreal PQ won’t be selling to someone in Berlin Germany — and flying a $2 packet of cookies halfway ‘round the world. The cost of postage alone would negate any profit made.
The Internet isn’t always a good thing. Girl Scout cookies by Internet would actually require some serious Fulfillment software and systems. Expensive to implement and expensive to run. Better to keep it simple.
What her family did may have been enterprising and "smart" but that's just not how it's done.
Unfortunately, there have always been parents who don't want to take the time to stand with their daughters in good weather or poor to help them sell cookies in safe, designated areas. In the last 2 Saturdays, my husband and I have worked a combined total of 18 hours working booths to help the girls earn their money for camp and other activities.
Maybe we aren't as smart and enterprising as the "Bornfree" family but my daughter and her troopmates didn't trample over any other Girl Scouts to get their sales made. Everyone has the same goal.
> Unfortunately the Girl Scouts support Planned Parenthood and abortion, so I can’t buy any whether they are online or door to door.
I understand your rationale, and I have struggled with that one myself. However, this grumpy ol’ Boy Scout always buys a packet or two to help support the Girl Scouts. I haven’t always, but I’ve now decided that I will.
Plain fact is that Scouting is good for kids, and these little girls cannot help it that their organization is run be abortion-supporting lesbo-psycho feminists back at Head Office. And they are too young to understand my reasons for saying “no” when they’ve gone to all the bother to try to sell me a packet of cookies.
Saying “no” is a bit like directing friendly fire against thse little kids: they are unintended targets. The ones who will suffer from no sales isn’t the lesbo-psycho feminist leaders at Head Office, it is the troop of little girls that can’t do stuff because they got no money.
Fighting evil is an adult job: us adults should oppose their lesbo-psycho feminist leadership on Policy at every turn and in every way and at every opportunity, and we should take no prisoners when we do oppose them: while we play fair we also play mercilessly and for keeps. That’s the Boy Scout way of doing things.
But, in my humble opinion, that oughtn’t extend to denying little girls a couple bucks for their troop.
Just my $0.02 worth.
“But, in my humble opinion, that oughtn’t extend to denying little girls a couple bucks for their troop.”
And thats where they get ya, they send these little girls around to sell you cookies. They use some of those profits to teach those cute adorable little girls that being gay is ok, that abortion is a choice, and that promiscuity is normal.
So are you really doing that little girl any favors?
> And thats where they get ya, they send these little girls around to sell you cookies. They use some of those profits to teach those cute adorable little girls that being gay is ok, that abortion is a choice, and that promiscuity is normal.
There is alot of truth to your argument, and alot of merit as well.
Here in NZ Girl Scouts is usually led by moms — I dunno how it works in the US. So the front-line teaching comes from their moms, irrespective of what the lesbo-psycho feminists at Head Office think. To that extent all is well in that department.
That said, what you say is quite true — which is why I have struggled with the issue a bit. Undeniably some of the profits feeds the lesbo-psycho feminist monster back at Head Office that seems to have captured the organization by stealth.
With no money, however, their troops shrivel and die, and the little girls don’t get Scouting at all. That would be a real loss IMO.
> So are you really doing that little girl any favors?
Like I say, tough call. At one level — where your argument is coming from — definitely not. On another, I can see some good coming out of supporting them.
The real answer is to re-take their organization and drive out this noxious lesbo-psycho feminist agenda from the leadership ranks. To do that will require some strong, principled women to challenge for the leadership and be ready to take charge: it is not something us men can do, even if we wanted to. Even if we are Boy Scouts (ret.)
(I made the mistake of saying “ex-Boy Scout” earlier — of course there is no such thing. Once a Scout, always a Scout!)
They need to bring back bake sales and school fairs if they want to raise money. I went to a school fair in the UK that sold goods and received donations from local businesses. It was VERY successful and everyone had fun. Hell they even served alcohol at the fair (very profitable endeavor I may add)!
As for the girl scouts, they should do bake sales or crafts and should be allow to sell any way they feel will make them the most returns. They need to be taught how capitalism works and selling on the web is the latest marketing technique being used by retailers. Scouts are a learning experience and our heritage and beliefs should be represented in their teachings, that includes raw capitalism.
You are out of your mind. Since when do we now say that “this age” or “ that age” is correct for MY CHILD? GET OUT OF MY LIFE.Leave my child alone to do whatever she feels is okay. (oh crud..sorry my little girl but the pc nazis do not like Barbie anymore, we are supposed to turn them in and get an obama doll.
wont’ be reading your post so don’t bother sending one. You have no clue what I meant. None!
Sorry, sometxmas fb2 madonna333.
From her picture and name I'm guessing that she's Native American.
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