Amy Winstead of Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana is a troop leader and area cookie chair. When we talked to her in early January, she was busy helping 30 troops prepare for booth sales. She had the challenge of working out logistics and resolving issues along the way.
The eBudde Troop App Plus is a tool Amy says she uses to get things done on the go, and she has several tips for volunteers who are just learning how to navigate the app and its features.
Amy’s tips for new cookie volunteers
- Explore the eBudde desktop site first to get a good feel for what’s there. The large format helps you get a bird’s-eye view of the system.
- Then, download the eBudde Troop App Plus. Almost everything that you see on the desktop is on the app, so you can do most of your work from your phone on the go.
- Keep eBudde and the receipt book updated, and you’ll have everything you need.
- Keep it simple and don’t recreate the wheel. If all the information is in eBudde, someone can easily get remote help when needed.
- Amy is looking forward to seeing how the app’s Cookie Exchange feature helps troops manage their inventory this year. There are always troops that need to exchange with other troops, especially toward the end of the season.
Amy’s tips for experienced cookie volunteers
- Tired of leaving a meeting only to have “homework” to do? No more. Pull up the eBudde Troop App. Plus, write your receipt and do your data entry right there, where the girls can get more cookies.
- You know certain booth locations are big opportunities and they fill up fast. Use the app to sign up to be notified if a time slot becomes available in a particular location you like.
- Remember, if you can’t make your booth time, be sure to drop it in eBudde. The app makes it easy to do this, so we can be considerate of others who would like that slot.
- If you’re leading older girls, consider letting them enter their own cookie orders into the app.
Because the app is formatted to show one girl at a time, you can keep the other girls’ information private.
“Our goal is to have the girls run the business in high school, so the technology aspect is important,” says Amy, whose own troop is comprised of Girl Scout Cadettes. “We want to get the girls involved in the app, so they are truly managing their own sale.”
Amy’s tips for area cookie chairs
- Sometimes, two troops arrive for the same booth time and location. Use eBudde as the final word. Have everyone open the app to see who is supposed to be at the booth—and then use the app to find a nearby open booth for the other troop.
- Helping troop volunteers with eBudde is easy with the app. You can walk them through issues step by step because you can see everything they see.
- To prevent errors or misunderstandings, it’s generally best to refrain from editing a troop’s information unless you have permission from the volunteer.
- One of the main jobs of the area cookie chair is connecting who needs cookies with who has too many. Encourage people to use the app’s Cookie Exchange feature to make it easier on everyone.
