Darn overpriced school fundraisers!!

[EthansMom]

In the case of the OP, I would send in a check for $10-15 and tell the niece that I would take her to the dollar store with $5 to spend and then out for pizza. The school doesn't really expect to make $25 or $50 per child off this one fundraiser.

At our grade school, the PTO and school don't believe in rewards for selling fundraising items. They also don't have any of the big sales pitches in the auditorium. Instead, when there is a fundraiser, it's discussed at the PTO meeting, discussed briefly in the classrooms, and then the sales info. is sent home in each child's folder. Our biggest fundraiser is a dinner/dance/auction held in June. But we also do the wrapping paper, Box Tops for Education, Unicef Halloween collection, and a few other small fundraisers. Our PTO is always more than happy to take donations of any denomination.

 

[Becky2005]

I know our school would have no problems with a check.

Actually, our grade school doesn't even DO these type of fundraisers. They just straight up ask for a donation at the beginning of the year. Works for me. I see other posters call it the "no sale" fundraiser...ours has the name of "unfundraiser" for some reason it stuck (I don't think it was originally called that, just people casually referred to it as that & migrated to be the offiical name now as they started the year before my DD was in Kindergarten basically as a test to see if they could raise the funds or if they had to go back. We have never gone back!)

Now they still do things like Market Day, Box Tops, etc... so it's not that they don't do *any* other fundraising but no selling stuff.

The Middle School on the other hand, does magazine sales... which are the QSP sales that oh, the Girl Scouts do around here as their fall fundraising and just about every other group also does. I hate the magazine sale. I would rather write a check. I know we sent off the booklet they have to mail to relatives that are out of state, etc... and one of DD's great-aunts just sent us a check made out to the school instead -- so we took that in & they had no problems with it.

I *really* wish the Middle School would take our grade school's cue and do the "ask for donation" but ours is the only elementary that does that in the district. The other ones still seem to do selling fundraisers (one does a clothing sale though).

I know once DD hits High School the fundraising is so much more intense but it's more specialized for different groups. I won't mind actually doing that one for the music group since this year it was to help pay for the music groups trips to CA & one of the stops was Disneyland (Hmm...I think chaperoning that trip sounds necessary!). They also held things like a spaghetti dinner though too. I just know about more of the HS stuff because my DD takes gymnastics there & there are always posters up for "X club fundraiser" -- one was Fannie Mae chocolates so DD informed me "I'm so getting that when I get to HS"...I saw cheesecake sale too.

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

I just spent $41 on frozen pre-formed cookie dough from a 5th grader!!! She has had a very rough life and her grandmother (my coworker) was finally able to adopt her this year. The DGD was so excited to get a chance to win a limo ride that I bought 3 set....1 for me, 1 for my mom, and 1 for my sister!!!!

My cousin had a pretty cool fundraiser for his baseball team. We had to go to a 90 minute Timeshare presentation and the team got $125, we got $25 gift card to Home Depot, and also a trip to Las Vegas, Orlando, or Cancun (we never went on the trip). I thought that was a pretty good deal to sit through a presentation for my cousins highschool team.

 

[shirleyb]

Fundraisers in general don't bother me, because I look at it that I am giving a donation to the organization, and what I buy is basically the "gift" for doing so - kind of like PBS!

What does bug me though, is the high pressure sales tactics at these PTA fundraisers, and for that reason I won't participate in them, and my kids know this. If the PTA wants to sell school sweatshirts, or hoagies, fine, I'll buy, but I won't buy from the ones that they get the kids all fired up for. I feel like they're pimping out our kids, and it really bothers me.

I also have to agree with you that if the school or organization is getting a small percentage, I'm not as inclined to participate.

 

[VirtuallyMe]

My son's school has actully been having a 'no sale' fundraiser. We are all asked to raise $35 per child or more. I LOVE it!!! Grandparents LOVE it!!! Neighbors LOVE it!!! This year, our neighbor brought over $5 and said, "this is for the no sale fundraiser, thanks for not asking me to buy anything!" My Mom is thrilled and willingly kicks in $10-no wrapping paper, no cheap chocolate, no stupid reward toys for my son to get all morose about not earning. Yay!!!

I like this...

My kids always seem to be doing one fundraiser or the other... Different kids are in different schools- at the beginning of the year they all come home with one- and shortly after that is over- my Girl Scouts are selling the Fall Product Sale (magazines, candy and nuts) then seems the school comes out with another sell and cookies come at the same time.

Then add the things like jump-a-thons, school dances as fundraisers, the get to wear or do something different based on a price list the school sends home ($5 free dress, $1 slippers or socks, $2 hat, $2 eat/drink in class, etc)

Seems it is a constant.

Another fundraiser I used to enjoy was the annual art fundraiser for the art department. Each kid would pick one of their school art projects or create something to submit to an auction. Of those items a few from each grade/class were chosen for a "real" auction and all others were silent auction items. You come to school and bid on your kids art work- minimum bid was $5 in the silent auction. The real auction items went for more- because families would "pool" their money they were willing to bid and just keep upping the bid until they got to the total. So the Dream Catcher my son made went for $100 because I was willing to donate $25 and my inlaws $25 and my parents $50... we just kept going up... it was fun and my son had the highest bid on his item lol- which thrilled him.

I also enjoy the small carnivals and the "parents' night out" events the schools will do- Those are fun and all funds go to the school- I hate seeing money going to fundraising places...

 

[dreamcometrue]

I hate the fundraisers too! It's esp. hard when you have more than one child! What is really disturbing to me is those "pep talk assemblies" that they do...someone from the fundraiser company is coming and talkign to the kids and showing them pictures of limo rides, etc. We even have one that will set up a "money booth" for the top sellers. They will come back after the fundraiser and the top sellers get to go in the money booth that is filled with $1 (mostly), $5, $10, and some $20 bills, they turn on the air so the money blows around and the kid tries to catch as many $ bills as he/she can! I think it's so wrong!

 

[mickeyboat]

Our PTA has really tried hard this year to not do the crap fundraisers. but they mentioned that at the beginning of the year, and suggested a $10 per family donation, and very few people donated! I wish more people would wake up and just donate cash - or the crap fundraisers will start coming home again.

We did some neat fundraisers this year - school t shirts, personalized notepads, silent auction with a contra dance which "charged" $5 per family donation, and raffles. We also sell school calendars - where the funds really are raised through advertisement.

We are trying to build a new playground, and they decided to do the LIttle Caesar's fundraiser. If every kid sells 10 items, they raise $50. If all kids raise $50, the school will raise $15,000 for the playground. I will probably buy some cookie dough (because I really like it), but donate cash for the rest of the $50 goal. I have no idea if there will be prize incentives, but if there are, they will be junk for selling so many items, and not "Get Out Of Class" type things.

Denae

 

[NC State]

Some are nice and you don't mind paying because it's really good stuff these days.

I'll quote what my parents told me when I was in school..."I send you to school to get an education, not to be a salesperson, why do I pay taxes again"

 

[ZPT1022]

What is Market Day? My DD goes to Catholic school so unfortunately fundraisers happen, but we are trying to get away from the product sales that just aggravate people and do more event type things.

 

[Becky2005]

Our PTA has really tried hard this year to not do the crap fundraisers. but they mentioned that at the beginning of the year, and suggested a $10 per family donation, and very few people donated! I wish more people would wake up and just donate cash - or the crap fundraisers will start coming home again.

That's too bad. I know in ours it says they always reserve the right to add an additional fundraiser (i.e. selling wrapping paper; candy bars; whatever) IF not enough money is raised -- and that doesn't necessarily mean the goal but there is a baseline number that they started with. Since I wasn't there when it started I'm not sure but from what I pieced together, as long as they make more doing it this way than they do with the direct selling fundraisers, it's a keeper. IF they don't, then out comes the sales sheets. So far since my DD started in the school (and she's in 7th now), I've never gotten a sales sheet home for those type of items from the elementary school.

I know they sell gift cards but it's more a put the order form in your child's backpack & they get a % back from any gift cards ordered that way vs. going to the store & buying the same gift card but there is absolutely no kids involved in selling. The only way the kids are involved is the paperwork is in their backpacks & you send it back in that way.

 

[bigmerle1966]

What is Market Day? My DD goes to Catholic school so unfortunately fundraisers happen, but we are trying to get away from the product sales that just aggravate people and do more event type things.

http://www.marketday.com/ Here's the link to them. They are much better than most because they are a monthly thing, the schools generally make good money and they have some great products.

 

[budbeerlady]

DD is very lucky as far as school fundraisers go. They understand things are outa hand and it really isnt safe for these kids to go around neighborhoods anymore. They sell pointsettias for $5 and they are beautiful, but the notice is in the school newsletter, you send in a form with how many and color, then pick them up in a week.

Their real fundraiser is selling local made sub sandwiches. They are very good 6 inch subs for $3! Something I can eat and is reasonable I am all over! That is the only one that comes home with the kids and they are asked to sell.

But then there is 4-h and the horse club, etc. with all their candy bars and butter braids. I always think the candy bar one is good, I will pay $1 for chocolate, especially at work!

 

[bigmerle1966]

and butter braids.

What are butter braids?