Cookie Question: Can my troop accept credit cards?

Yes, your troop can opt to accept credit cards at your booth sales!

You’ve probably heard more than once, “I would love to support Girl Scouts, but I only have my card”

By using a credit card processor your troop can eliminate this sales obstacle AND girls get another opportunity to build skills in money management, business ethics, and technology. For some troops this is a great way to reach higher sales goals, provide better customer service, and reach even more customers.

Please keep in mind that using a credit card processor involves fees and troops should evaluate those fees prior to making a decision regarding credit/debit card sales. Troops will be responsible for the setup, tracking, and fees related to their merchant account.

Here are a few popular outside processor companies (please note we are not promoting the use of these processors but simply stating some popular options):

Square: squareup.com
PayPal: paypal.com/webapps/mpp/credit-card-reader

Please do your own research prior to choosing a credit card processor.
Benefits:

Why should your troop consider spending money on a credit card processing option?

• More proceeds for the troop
• Customers without cash can now make purchases
• Girls can reach higher reward levels
• Instantly improve your troop’s opportunity to increase sales
• Girls increase their aptitude for technology
• Credit cards eliminate the risk of counterfeit money and bounced checks

A Testimony from Troop 20327:

“I don’t know how many people walked by our cookie booths and said, ‘Oh, I would if I had some cash.’ Well, let me tell you how easy it is to respond to that—we take credit/debit cards. Last year my Daisy troop started taking cards at booths. It’s very easy to do, takes very little time and energy, and it just may give you a sale you missed because of a lack of ‘cash.’

I know some of you are asking what the catch is, and I’ll tell you. There is a small fee every time you swipe or manually enter information. Most of you are now asking yourselves, ’Is it worth it?’ Or, ‘What’s the point if I’m losing money?’  There is a small fee associated with each swipe, however, if you would have been missing out on these sales in the first place, the amount you get in proceeds after the fees is still worth it.

I urge everyone to consider this simple, easy way to make a little more money for your troop. It really is easy and I know I had customers who really appreciated not missing out on cookie sales because they didn’t have cash on hand to use at a booth sale. You could even require a 5 package minimum for every credit card swipe helping boost the amount of packages sold!”