fundraisers

[Word Nerd]

Ugh! How do you handle school fundraising projects? Participate in all of them? Select one or two? Give a donation instead?

[burleygirl]

Well my daughter attends a small private school for children with dyslexia so I generally participate because the money provides scholarships for students to attend (however this is a big fundraiser involving the community). We do a small one at the beginning of the year to raise money for athletics, art and other activities. When she attended public school I didn't bother for numerous reasons but one of the them was they told her in K5 that caffeine was a drug and then that spring they are raising money by selling coke products which contain caffeine.

[Amy loves Bud]

We just had our first experience with this since Luke is in PS for the first time. In the past we have rarely bought from school fundraisers, as we feel we pay plenty of taxes as it is. Plus, the fundraisers are often raising funds for the company more than the school.

 

Our good friend told us that they have their children pick only one fundraiser per year to participate in, and beyond that they decline. That's what we plan to do. Since Luke is in orchestra, we will probably participate in whatever they do. So he declined to participate in the athletic department fundraiser selling logo cups.

[Spy Car]

This year my wife is the Booster Club president at our school, so fundraising is a big part of our family life at the moment. We give a sizable contrabution to the school's Annual Fund, and support all sorts of other fundraising activities as well, with both sweat and dollars.

 

Bill

[LimitBreak]

Last year, we volunteered for the PTA. We also participated in most of their fundraisers.

 

This school year we decided not to participate because most of the items that we were buying, we considered junk. Also, we feel that the PTA at my son's ps is a clique instead of a collaboration. 100% of the time, the board members came to the meeting with their minds already made up. The rest of the members were only present to hear what the board members had already decided.

 

My husband and I decided not to rock the boat because it wasn't worth our time.

 

Instead of buying 'junk', we are going to give monthly to the school's foundation because we feel that they use the money more effectively. For example: the school's foundation focuses on providing after-school enrichment to the needy families of the school.

 

 

Mia

[Spy Car]

At our school we (the parents) decide how our funds are spent. We naturally work with our principal and teachers, but at the end of the day, we decide how funds are used. And we make sure the money goes into the classrooms and enrichment programs for the children.

 

The Booster Club fundraising makes all the difference in the world.

 

Bill

[Barb_]

A little girl from our neighborhood came by a couple of weeks ago selling stuff for a fundraiser. She told me the school told her to be sure and let me know the 6th grade is going on so many really cool field trips this year (like Washington DC) that they needed to raise over $10,000 per student.

 

:confused: and :glare: and :lol:

 

Good luck with that on cookie dough and wrapping paper.

 

Seriously since when is $10000 worth of field trips the sign of a great education? I feel like calling the school and telling them to stop sending their kids to my house unless they're okay with funding my family's trip to Disneyland.

 

The charter my kids went to raised funds for things like the building fund. Field trips weren't even on the table.

 

Barb

 

PS Not really sure this has anything at all to do with the OP but thanks for letting me get that off my chest, LOL

Edited October 1, 2010 by Barb F. PA in AZ

[Carol in Cal.]

I make small purchases within our extended family only.

 

I prefer to make donations, especially since both my DH and I have jobs with employers that provide matching funds for a lot of charitable donations.

[Nature]

We’re homeschooling now, so thankfully don’t have to deal with school fundraisers anymore. I hate them!! Whatever they’re selling is so overpriced . . . . the company is probably making much more money than any school doing a fundraiser. Then if some of friends and family buy whatever my child is selling, I feel obligated to buy wheat they’re selling. I gladly gave a donation and volunteered my time, but avoided fundraisers whenever possible.

[Shay]

We do not participate in selling, as I don't like the gimmicky salesperson trying to get my kids to sell a certain amount to win a cheesy prize. I do not want my kids putting people "on the spot" by asking them to purchase cookie dough, wrapping paper, etc. If I know just what the money is going for, I'd rather make a donation.

 

However, when they are selling things that my family can actually use (such as t-shirts, hoodies), I sometimes buy them for my kids to wear. Oh, and we will buy World's Finest Chocolate bars from time to time. So, basically "no" to buying and selling junk, but yes to clothing and candy bars, LOL.

[LibrarianMom]

I buy things in the school fundraisers, but I don't have the kids sell to anyone else. The teachers sponsor a magazine sales drive at the beginning of the school year. The booster club has a fall wrapping paper and gifts sale and then a spring frozen pizza sale. Their funds go to purchase supplies for the teachers.

[talexand]

I am in so deep in fundraising. The kids go part time to a small school, about 200 students K-6. We need to raise anout $60,000 a year total which is beyond huge. The bulk of the money goes to pay for our half time dedicated accelerated math teacher. She is worth her weight in gold but I think we are paying at least that much. The school district won't pay for her and we refuse to lose her. Its frustrating. I'm the co-president of the math fundraising parent's organization so I'm in deep.

 

We also have a PTO. The PTO pays for an Americorp volunteer, outdoor school, enrichment assemblies, and other enrichment costs.

 

We just finished selling cookie dough. Next month we have an auction. I hate this stuff. I don't know how I got so involved in fundraising. But I can't let the math program fail.

[Amy loves Bud]

I prefer to make donations, especially since both my DH and I have jobs with employers that provide matching funds for a lot of charitable donations.

 

Yes! Luke's orchestra in our PS has an activity fee of somewhere around $65. When you pay this fee, there is a blank to add a donation to fund orchestra participation for students who can't afford this. I was more than happy to contribute to this.

 

I would much rather just have the need presented and contribute to it than be asked to buy overpriced junk that will clutter my house and fund the fundraising company better than the school itself.

[Word Nerd]

My biggest issue is the selling of overpriced junk that no one really wants or needs. I would rather they just say, "We would appreciate $x per student to fund XYZ." I like fundraisers like the Scholastic book fair and will help with our PTO's fall carnival. But I really have no interest in the ones where you have to sell things or—like the one we're getting info for next week—fill out a packet with names and addresses so some company can solicit my friends and family directly.

[Starr]

I always felt like we were exchanging money in the neighborhood. I'll buy from your child and you'll buy from mine. lol It was easier just to make a donation. I loved the year I bought from family friends and then found out the class used the money to go see Harry Potter at the movie theater. All the kids had already seen it that were going to see it and I was paying for the 2nd trip. lol

[HistoryMom]

I never participate in the official fundraisers, but we try to come up with a money-making project my kids can do to earn and donate some money, and we'll match it.

 

For example, when DD was in K last year, rather than sell the cookie dough, she did a read-a-thon and asked for pledges per book. She read 25 books over a couple of weeks and raised over $300 from friends and family (which I pitched once on Facebook, and got a ton of responses). The proceeds went directly to the school, 0% to the fundraising company and 40% to her classroom.

 

This year, she's doing extra chores for a month around the house, and I'll match anything she donates. She's proud of her contribution, we don't have to buy or sell junk, and the school ends up with more money they can use.

[Word Nerd]

We got our packets of information yesterday, and I was really irritated by the emotional manipulation being used by the outside company that will give the school a pittance when people order from them. Not only was there a lot of pressure put on the kids to help the school earn money (it's not their responsibility—they're children), there were instructions to be sure and include a personal note like "I love you" or "thanks for caring" from the child on the postcards we were to address to family members. I can almost hear the sound of grandmothers' heartstrings being played.

 

Both of my girls are upset with me because they feel like they're letting down the school by not participating, and of course they're missing out on the stupid T-shirt and other prizes they might get if their family members went along with the guilt trip and ordered from this company. I don't think it's fair that they're penalized for my decision, so I'm going to let them pick out a new T-shirt. I'm also going to send a direct donation along with a respectful but forthright note to the principal explaining why we won't be participating in any fundraisers such as this. I suppose as a former homeschooler it was bound to happen that I'd earn a reputation as one of "those" parents.

Edited October 5, 2010 by WordGirl

[Amy loves Bud]

one of "those" parents.

 

It's a badge of honor. Wear it proudly. :D

[MBM]

Ugh! How do you handle school fundraising projects? Participate in all of them? Select one or two? Give a donation instead?

 

I only participate if I need or want any of the items being sold, usually gift wrapping paper. My kids don't participate in selling except for the few items they might sell to me.

[MBM]

We got our packets of information yesterday, and I was really irritated by the emotional manipulation being used by the outside company that will give the school a pittance when people order from them. Not only was there a lot of pressure put on the kids to help the school earn money (it's not their responsibility—they're children), there were instructions to be sure and include a personal note like "I love you" or "thanks for caring" from the child on the postcards we were to address to family members. I can almost hear the sound of grandmothers' heartstrings being played.

 

Both of my girls are upset with me because they feel like they're letting down the school by not participating, and of course they're missing out on the stupid T-shirt and other prizes they might get if their family members went along with the guilt trip and ordered from this company. I don't think it's fair that they're penalized for my decision, so I'm going to let them pick out a new T-shirt. I'm also going to send a direct donation along with a respectful but forthright note to the principal explaining why we won't be participating in any fundraisers such as this. I suppose as a former homeschooler it was bound to happen that I'd earn a reputation as one of "those" parents.

 

Refuse to sell or buy anything, and then send the powers-that-be a copy of The Chocolate War.

 

"Do you dare disturb the universe?" Yes, of course!

 

(And, yes, I'm one of "those" parents, too. LOL.)

[mich311e]

I don't mind selling good products. Our school has sold the Gold Canyon Candles. In the spring our order was for 5 candles, between grandmas, aunts and us. Then we just had it again last month. So I just bought one, I wasn't going to ask family to spend $16 on a candle again.

 

Our school does a lot of the "restaurant night" fundraisers which I find are good. We will only go to restaurants we like and it's fun for my son to see his friends there. The restaurant night last month was McDonald's so we skipped it. ;) They do Chuck E Cheese and Chick Fil A each once a year and there's always a good turn out.

 

Barnes & Noble nights also have a good turnout and it's fun for my son. The Principal comes and reads for story time and B & N donates 10 or 15% of sales (with the school flier) to the school. I can't say no to books! :)

[Bird Girl]

My policy was that I was glad to participate in fundraisers which built the school community, like the annual pancake breakfast, but I would not participate in fundraisers which involved a corporation who used children as salespeople.

 

Taxes are a much more economically efficient way to raise funds anyway; how much money can one make selling wrapping paper or popcorn?

[Kates]

I pick and choose; we homeschool, so the fundraisers we participate in are generally for Scouts - and I know for a fact that 35% of whatever my son raises goes straight into his account to pay for things that we couldn't otherwise afford, while another 35% goes to the local council to put on training events, day camps, etc. that they lost funding for from United Way several years back.

 

Other than that...well, if a kid I know well is selling candles, or Amish jams, or whatever to help them raise funds for something they're working toward (going to state, a missions trip, whatever), I'll help them out. If it's just to put $$ into the bottomless pit called our local school system...no thanks. I'm pretty sure I put enough money into that already, and I can't see where it's done much good. (Our schools kinda...well, suck, to be quite honest, and those in charge of running them really aren't interested in doing much to change that. Hence, I'm not really interested in giving them any more money to waste. ;))

[amey311]

We're strictly homeschoolers, but my older son is on a travel hockey team. Rather than tell us up front the GRAND TOTAL of money they needed from us, we were told a smaller amount and that there would be fundraising for the rest. With each fundraising incident, we find out how much they're expecting each player to earn and we write a check. We agree with the previous poster about the "buy this stuff" fundraisers basically funding the company who makes the stuff, not the school/team.

 

I'm sure if we lived close to family, the grandparents would be quite willing to buy stuff from my son, but he hates asking and selling stuff and there's a limit to how much of that stuff some people would need. I can see that some family members would rather write a check, which to me translates as "can you help pay for my son's season of hockey?" We wouldn't have signed him up for it if we couldn't pay for it.

 

I feel for the parents who are getting hit with this stuff from school AND hockey AND whatever activities their other children are in. Ugh!

[emonline]

We personally buy and I will ask extended family, but we no longer ask in our neighborhood or ask friends. It became ridiculously expensive to reciprocate and we bought a lot of things we just didn't want or need.

[Gwenhwyfar]

when my kids were in ps a few years ago, it was mostly just chocolate bars ~ we didn't mind that... it's not hard to sell off a box of toonie bars. if they didn't all go amongst family/friends, we took the rest door-to-door.

 

the girl guide cookies were a bit more difficult as they cost more - until my best friend took dd (9 at the time) to his workplace ~ a big rig garage full of gruff mechanics who didn't stand a chance against a pair of big brown eyes and swingin' pigtails :laugh:

[Firestar Academy]

ahhhhhh.. 'tis the season for fundraising....

 

I buy if I want it....I do ask friends and family (sometimes). I have my children ask friends and family, too. Especially for GS cookies. i feel it is important for girls to learn to ask for what they want and to converse with adults about their product.

 

i also expect my friends and family to ask me. I LIKe to see what other fundraisers are. I enjoy looking at the catalogs! I say no if it something I don't want and I would expect others to say no to me, too. I teach my girls that it is ok to ask and it is ok for the people to say no thank you.

 

Robin

[BabyBre]

Ugh! How do you handle school fundraising projects? Participate in all of them? Select one or two? Give a donation instead?

 

We pick one, period. Since our efforts translate to direct benefits to our kids and family most through Cub Scouts, that's the one we do. Our numerous PTA fundraisers are irritating to me, to say the least, taking up far too much instructional time for assemblies showcasing the cheap prizes kids get if they peddle products. If dc want to go out on their own to sell (to grandparents or close neighbors) I let them, but I don't hike door to door. The benefits of this are at least two-fold: The kids are taught not to place so much value on those cheap material items; and if they do decide they want something, they're forced to decide if their effort is worth reward.

 

I can hear the laments over the other lessons they learn from this - self-service, not contributing to the greater good, etc. We are contributing very little to the PTA's efforts, but that speaks directly to the value we (dh and I) place on the PTA's efforts. We prefer to focus our time and money in places that are more consequencial than Bingo Night, like affecting learning in the classroom, or benefitting the efforts of our friends who just lost their son to Lieukemia.

 

I think my kids are learning to be discriminating with their time and money, and that's a good lesson.