Girl Scout Cadette Katie Francis Breaks the National Cookie Sales Record

Katie Francis, 12, set her sights on breaking Oklahoma state cookie sales records two consecutive years and in doing so broke the national cookie selling mark on Sunday by selling 18,107 boxes in seven weeks – surpassing Elizabeth Brinton’s 1980 record of 18,000 sets sold during one season! Oklahoma City sixth grader says that commitment, hard work and enthusiasm have all played key roles in her success.

Katie, who plans on attending the University of Oklahoma this fall, told KOCO she carries a binder containing information on her troop’s projects and goals with her when making sales pitches. In addition, Katie says it helps her connect with people by discussing personal goals – an “extremely valuable skill”.

Katie enjoys helping both her Girl Scout troop and raising funds for various causes by giving speeches. She has addressed Oklahoma Girl Scouts and raised funds for breast cancer research; in addition, the proceeds have been used by her Girl Scout council to construct an urban camp near a city zoo that will offer STEM and high adventure activities to their girls scouts.

Katie has found ways to overcome some obstacles when selling cookies, including wintry weather. She uses cold temperatures as an opportunity for what she refers to as “pity sales,” taking advantage of shoppers on their way into grocery stores or waiting for friends. Katie will sometimes load up her wagon with boxes of cookies and drive around town stopping at various shopping centers so she can make sales.

She uses singing and dancing as additional tools to connect with customers, including asking whether they would like to buy or donate Girl Scout cookies. She has found this approach effective even with people on diets or who already purchased their weekly allocation of cookies.

Katie appreciates Girl Scouting because it provides her with the chance to help others. Together with her troop, Katie has renovated outdoor areas, educated peers and the public on English ivy impacts and assisted other girls with service projects of their own. Katie hopes that proceeds from speaking engagements may go toward funding a new camping facility near her hometown.

Katie has set lofty goals for herself in her future and does not plan to slow down anytime soon. Her current goals include breaking the world lifetime Girl Scout cookie sales record of 100,000 sets as well as writing a cookbook featuring recipes using Girl Scout cookies. Katie has also been invited to speak at corporate events.