Could someone please tell me why schools have fundraisers?!

[Colleen A.]

In the fall, my kids 'team' at middle school had a flower bulb fundraiser. This was for the class trip. Sounded good and I purchased bulbs from both kids. The other day, the kids bring home the permission trip for the class trip (which they aren't even sure they are going to be able to go on due to the situation in Iraq....). They were asking for a $10 donation to cover the cost! I thought thats what the fundraiser was for!
I signed the permission slip, but attached a note asking this very question. The teacher called my son aside and asked him if we were having difficulties and needed some help! He was mortified! I sent the $10 in today along with a second note telling her that I was only confused about the fundraiser and where that money actually went.

The schools don't seem to understand that as parents, we are constantly getting fundraisers sent home, but when it comes time for the kids to do something, they still ask for money!
I don't think I'm going to buy anything anymore...why bother?

 

[December99]

It was pointed out clearly in a letter sent home for a band/chorus fundraiser that basically if not enough funds were raised, some money would be needed to go toward the expense of the trip. I would say that was probably the case with your son's fundraiser. Sometimes, especially in these times where the economy is so low, people just don't have money to buy toward fundraisers so that means more money out of the parents pocket.

 

[Robin]

Caitlyn goes to a private preschool.... with a very high tuition compared to others in the area. They still try to have fundraisers, I just don't participate... I already fork over a hefty amount to send her to school there!

 

[grinningghost]

I'd like to know too. I only have one kid and I buy more junk than I could ever want. We have a small family. I'm an only child, my DD is an only child. My DH's side of the family is too broke to buy anything. She's already brought home - Entertainment Books, raffle tickets, candy from band and Honor Society, bath products - and that's just this school year. Not to mention selling patrons for the musical program.

I've had it. I'd rather just donate a couple hundred bucks in September and be done with it.

 

[Libbysmom2000]

Did you ever get an answer from the school? It sounds like they need to be more clear about the nature of the fundraiser. It may be used only to help defray the cost of the trip not to cover the entire thing. Hiring buses is expensive and most districts don't have money for this. Although my DD is only 3 1/2 her preschool used to have a lot of fundraisers for different events until parents united and said we'd rather pay the entire thing than bother with fundraisers. The amount collected by a fundraiser is often not worth the aggravation.

 

[Mskanga]

I have two kids in the same school, we have lots of fundraisers too but I do not feel obligated to buy from anything I don't want to. Honestly some fundraisers I purchase things from but when it comes to Gertrude Hawk sale and things like that , I stay away from it and the catalog goes right into the garbage when it comes home.
I do buy stuff from the Santa's workshop , book fair , plant sale and donate and participate with the anual tricky tray.

 

[wvjules]

My DD's school has fundraisers, but they never go anywhere.

 

[jamsmom]

I got frustrated with "If you sale X Liberty Cards, then you get to go in a limo to eat pizza" Well, of course, I am going to make sure he sales that many. He only had it 2 years. The last time, I bought most, them gave them as presents

I get tired of others asking me, so I don;t want then to feel the same.

 

[December99]

I found something interesting yesterday, this is in regard to grinninghost's comment about just paying X amount at the beginning of the year and be done with it, when dd was visiting a high school she is interested in going to. The parents pay X amount upfront and that covers field trips, retreats, and fundraising. And then the also contribute to a building/maintenance fund. I thought that was very interesting and also what I feel is a good idea.

 

[montessori]

I have a private pre-school and kindergarten and we never do fundraisers. I just don't agree with the idea of them and they are so much trouble for the parents.
We don't have enough funds though.

 

[hercamore]

When my kids were in high school, we usually just paid a $25 fee up front.


herc.

 

[minniecarousel]

Public middle and high schools around here ask for a flat amount to help with the costs of certain programs. (band, chorus and sports still have their fees too.)
It appears that a lot of schools are not held accountable for exactly where the money raised from fundraisers actually ends up. I think that too much is asked of parents & too little explanantion is offered.

 

[JimB.]

Many programs, especially those considered "extra-curricular", recieve absolutely no funding from the school itself.

Case in point: My daughter's Winterguard team at her middle school (17 girls) required a budget of over $11,000 for the teams equipment, travel, uniforms, etc.

The amount the school provided - - $0

We (the kids AND parents) had to fundraise our a**** off. The first 1/3 of the school year was focused on that alone.

It was a simple equation....... no $$$ = no program.


Personally, I was so sick of worrying about money, that I did what others mentioned here, and just wrote a check when some money raising requirements arose for my son's scout troop.

Fundraising - it's a pain in the you-know-what, but necessary in many caese.

 

[DiznEeyore]

When we were looking into private schools for ds, the majority of them had mandatory fundraisers, where if you didn't sell enough whatever (gift wrap, popcorn in tins, etc. ) you had to *make up the difference* with your own money. Some also required parents to work carnivals or fairs.

The school we chose is pricier than the others but fortunately does not have mandatory fundraisers. Their fundraising is done through a yearly auction and SCRIP (I still don't know what that's an acronym for), which is where the school buys gift cards/certificates to stores at a discount and then sells them to us. They keep track of who participates, and I do buy grocery store SCRIP every two weeks, along with others like Best Buy or whatever if I know I'm going to be shopping there. The school says SCRIP proceeds offset each student's tuition by about $250 per year.

(They also do the usual Campbell soup labels and Box Tops for Education. )

I will say though that we are constantly having to send money in for something or another. But I suspect that would be the case whether or not there were the typical fundraisers.

 

[jcemom]

I was PTO president for 2 years at my sons' school. They don't receive funding for anything but the basics. We had to raise money for programs, field trips, class parties, holiday celebrations, library books, and the list goes on. Even if a grant/other covered the cost of an "educational" field trip, WE had to pay for the bus to get there! (approx $175 for 10 miles round trip!!!!) Some families participate in EVERY sale, others NEVER participate. The ones who do have to compensate for the ones who don't. We were grateful for any donations, so you may just want to call your child's school and ask who is in charge, and if they would accept a donation in lieu of fundraising. I wish more people would have done that -- it would've been much easier for me! (But most want something for their money, even if it's junk.) You'd be surprised at how little your tax money provides!! (At least in my area!)

 

[December99]

We do the SCRIPT program at our school too - it is an awesome way for schools that charge tuition to give the parents a bit of a break. I love it and use it more and more. Money goes toward the school and to my tuition payment.

 

[Disney Ella]

I would rather just pay a flat fee upfront for everything too. We just got another fundraising catalog for the PTA last week. After selling candles, wrapping paper, etc. in the fall and then girl scout cookies, I'm not about to bother the people at work again. I plan to just make a donation this time. That way, all of the money goes to the PTA and not just a percentage.

 

[CourtasanSatine]

I've only been out of HS a couple of years and suffered my share.Most of the stuff is really junk and we were somehow conviced to sell or else(ok,i got around it by selling the mimum to family)

 

[Ellen aka Snow White]

I have been PTA President for 5 years. If a group is raising money they should show exactly what it is being used for. We have a budget where every penny of profit goes back into our school. We do have "too many" fundraisers, however, we have a large variety. NO ONE is required to participate - however the whole school benefits!. We do accept donations, if the parent choses to do so. If we did not do the fundraising, our school would not have a beautiful butterfly garden - that has an outdoor classroom in it. We would not be able to do our drug awareness programs, our Accelerated Reader Program, our Reflections program, Artist in Residence program, and the list goes on and on.
Do ask WHERE is my money going. If you don't get a clear answer - don't participate - but be sure to tell them that is why.

 

[rachael95]

One thing you might want to check into is what percentage of $$ the fundraising items you buy actually makes it to the schools. You'd be surprised at the tiny amount most schools make off of each item.

Just an example, the girl scout troops here make less than $1 per box of cookies they sell. It's closer to about 73 cents. Many of the candy bars the kids sell, if the bar sells for $1, the schools only get about 15 to 25 cents per bar.

In Knoxville, we have a great thing the schools do. They are School Coupon books. These aren't the Entertainment or the Lifestyles books, these are published in town. Each book has coupons for local businesses. The businesses get ads, the people get their money back through $5 off $20 orders at restaurants, etc. and the schools get $7.50 out of each $10. This is the highest rate of return of any thing the kids sell. Our best friend is a Latin teacher at one of the local high schools, so they use these books for their fundraiser also. Every child in the county sells these books, the sale only lasts for three weeks, and people look forward to them each year. The top selling kids usually end up on the local news. Since it's such a successful thing, the schools don't have to run as many fund raisers.

My DH and I have no kids yet, but we usually buy about 5-10 of these books each year because so much of the money does get to the kids and we have never not made back more of our money in the coupons we use.