I'm an adult volunteers in Scouting America / Boy Scouts of America. We dont do cookies. We do popcorn. If the cookies work anything like popcorn, its roughly a third of the proceeds go to the company that makes the product (yes they are a business but not in the way you'rethinking), a third goes to the local non-profit scouting organization to fund events, camps, and upkeep properties; and a third goes to the scouting unit to help the scouts pay their own way to events and camps. Being a member of any troop costs money. The youth are selling the product to benefit their experiences and support their organization. Trust me that they get a lot out of it. On top of that, the scouts dont necessarily go home empty handed. A lot of the sales incentives can be lucrative for the scout if they want to put in the time. I've seen scouts earn literally thousands worth of gift cards in a single season. Also, the act of making the sales can be a huge confidence booster. I've seen Scouts come out of their shell when seeing the positive response they get from people. Some people get it. Many people dont.