Fundraising gone wild...

[Teresa Pitman]

Both your points are very true. There are all sorts of reasons people take short-term mission trips, but many of those who aren't involved in faith-based organizations (yes, I mean religion and church) don't understand or agree with them. The concepts of following a call, learning to serve and being trained for future service, identifying with the the poor and/or suffering, connecting with other human beings rather than just the images of hungry kids on tv - lots of reasons. From a purely pragmatic standpoint, yes, it's much more practical to just donate whatever cash would be spent on the trip to be used most efficiently by the locals. But man does not live by bread alone...

Or, you know, people could just politely decline to participate and get on with their day...

This make me rather uncomfortable. So you acknowledge that a direct donation of money to be spent "most efficiently" by the locals would likely be more helpful to those who are poor and/or suffering. Yet you see it as more desirable for them to continue being poor and/or suffering so that you or your children can "identify" with them or "connect" with them. That feels to me like using those who are poor/suffering - you know they could actually be HELPED by the money you could send them, but you think it is preferable that they do without so that you can have the opportunity to "identify" and "connect."

 

[luvsJack]

Dd went on a mission trip where they provided VBS for underprivileged kids. It was called Backyard Bible Study. They stayed in a neighborhood and invited all the kids in that neigjborhood to a certain yard or empty lot or park to participate. They had a lot of fun and our teens and the kids they invited all got a lot out of it.

Other mission trips have included dentists or doctors to see the people that needed them. One trip, they built a clinic for the local medical team. Another they built a church/school. And others, like in New Orleans after Katrina, they worked on damged houses, cleaned outside areas or even helped build houses. None of these could have been accomplished by just sending money and none could be seen as a vacation.

Most here, money is raised by selling food of some sort, car washes or other event, or the church pays as much as they can.

 

[Mokat76]

I am perfectly happy to pay kids who are washing cars or doing odd jobs to earn money for camps or competitions, etc. Heck, my spring/summer bad car wash budget is pretty high. I will not put one penny into a beg-bucket or online funding site. That envelope thing is nuts.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Nah! The community swim team does not need to fund raise with the kids selling stuff one needs or wants to exist. They can, and do, charge training fees. You want kiddo to swim, you join and pay the fee. Or, in some areas, there are Ys and Kroc centers that either have endowments or tap pilanthropists for big donations.

If we charged fees for the entire expense here, we wouldn't even be able to field a whole team. We'd be dead in the water without fundraising. And no, we are not so fortunate as to have a rich philanthropist on our donor list. As for the Y, well they gave up on their true mission long ago. They're nothing but a high priced health club around here. They charge more in fees for a month long season than we charge for the whole year. And they are considering giving up their swim team due to low participation. We do indeed need to fund raise.

 

[ronandannette]

This make me rather uncomfortable. So you acknowledge that a direct donation of money to be spent "most efficiently" by the locals would likely be more helpful to those who are poor and/or suffering. Yet you see it as more desirable for them to continue being poor and/or suffering so that you or your children can "identify" with them or "connect" with them. That feels to me like using those who are poor/suffering - you know they could actually be HELPED by the money you could send them, but you think it is preferable that they do without so that you can have the opportunity to "identify" and "connect."

Oh for Pete's sake, Teresa, of course not. But (apologies if I'm confusing you with some other poster) doesn't your career involve some sort of care and advocacy for the disadvantaged? How have you been impacted in your own life by having met and really "connected" by knowing those people and really recognizing their humanity and worth as individuals? How have you touched and enriched them by actually looking into their eyes and hearing their hearts - person to person? How many countless accounts have you read of people performing heroic acts of selfless service and charity after having been inspired by meeting a person in need and being moved by their situation? People everywhere have NEEDS (social, emotional, spiritual) that can't really be served just by making an anonymous donation via the internet.

And FWIW, many religious mission organizations and NGO's specifically court short-term visitors. The idea is precisely to get affluent Westerners to WITNESS the need in order to stimulate giving. It's actually a very effective, if pragmatic, strategy on their parts.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

Oh for Pete's sake, Teresa, of course not. But (apologies if I'm confusing you with some other poster) doesn't your career involve some sort of care and advocacy for the disadvantaged? How have you been impacted in your own life by having met and really "connected" by knowing those people and really recognizing their humanity and worth as individuals? How have you touched and enriched them by actually looking into their eyes and hearing their hearts - person to person? How many countless accounts have you read of people performing heroic acts of selfless service and charity after having been inspired by meeting a person in need and being moved by their situation? People everywhere have NEEDS (social, emotional, spiritual) that can't really be served just by making an anonymous donation via the internet.

And FWIW, many religious mission organizations and NGO's specifically court short-term visitors. The idea is precisely to get affluent Westerners to WITNESS the need in order to stimulate giving. It's actually a very effective, if pragmatic, strategy on their parts.

I am a writer, and I also do local volunteer work with people who are disadvantaged. So you may be thinking of me. I would say that I feel it is really important that what I do NOT become about meeting my needs. I think it is probably true that some people do provide service/charity after being inspired by meeting someone in need, but to be honest hearing about those situations makes me really uncomfortable, too. Because those stories become about the well-to-do person (comparatively) and how wonderful they are to help the poor person, and then the next potential donor/volunteer comes looking for a similar experience. Hey, poor person, inspire me! And then when the poor people are not suitably grateful or cheerful about the donor's contribution, the volunteers complain about it later.

Let me also add that I think this is different than people who have specific skills that are needed (Doctors without Borders, Global Vets, etc.) and bring those to the community. One example I support is Gorilla Doctors. This is run by a veterinarian who started off bringing in other vets to care for the wild gorillas in certain nature sanctuaries in Africa. Mike Cranfield, the vet who is the director, started off using volunteer vets from North America, but part of his program is to train and bring in locals, and to bring in doctors and nurses to also provide health care to the humans in the community. As the program has grown, he has paid (often out of his own pocket, but also through donations) for local people to obtain veterinary training and health care training. He is caring for the gorilla population, providing income for the local population, improving the health of both people and animals in the area, and building capacity so that one day down the road this can be run by locals. That to my mind is a good model.

I'd also acknowledge that there are NGOs who have encouraged the kind of short-term programs you are talking about, with the hopes of encouraging more donations, but many of them are rethinking it. It seems to be not as effective as they had hoped, in the long run, and they seen the negative effects on the community and the people supposedly "helped."

I am not saying people don't mean well - I think many of them do. But I think there is a huge risk of exploiting people in need and it is not the most effective way to help. Surely that should be our focus - how can we most effectively help people in need, and how can we allow them to maintain their dignity as they improve their lives?

 

[ronandannette]

I am a writer, and I also do local volunteer work with people who are disadvantaged. So you may be thinking of me. I would say that I feel it is really important that what I do NOT become about meeting my needs. I think it is probably true that some people do provide service/charity after being inspired by meeting someone in need, but to be honest hearing about those situations makes me really uncomfortable, too. Because those stories become about the well-to-do person (comparatively) and how wonderful they are to help the poor person, and then the next potential donor/volunteer comes looking for a similar experience. Hey, poor person, inspire me! And then when the poor people are not suitably grateful or cheerful about the donor's contribution, the volunteers complain about it later.

Let me also add that I think this is different than people who have specific skills that are needed (Doctors without Borders, Global Vets, etc.) and bring those to the community. One example I support is Gorilla Doctors. This is run by a veterinarian who started off bringing in other vets to care for the wild gorillas in certain nature sanctuaries in Africa. Mike Cranfield, the vet who is the director, started off using volunteer vets from North America, but part of his program is to train and bring in locals, and to bring in doctors and nurses to also provide health care to the humans in the community. As the program has grown, he has paid (often out of his own pocket, but also through donations) for local people to obtain veterinary training and health care training. He is caring for the gorilla population, providing income for the local population, improving the health of both people and animals in the area, and building capacity so that one day down the road this can be run by locals. That to my mind is a good model.

I'd also acknowledge that there are NGOs who have encouraged the kind of short-term programs you are talking about, with the hopes of encouraging more donations, but many of them are rethinking it. It seems to be not as effective as they had hoped, in the long run, and they seen the negative effects on the community and the people supposedly "helped."

I am not saying people don't mean well - I think many of them do. But I think there is a huge risk of exploiting people in need and it is not the most effective way to help. Surely that should be our focus - how can we most effectively help people in need, and how can we allow them to maintain their dignity as they improve their lives?

It appears to me that you have a very cynical way of looking at anything that falls outside your own ideology. I wouldn't begin to besmirch the motives for your actions, and my conscience stands clear in relation to my own. Reaching out to love somebody whether they're across the street or across the world is never an attack on their dignity and since I have no intention of personally going on a mission, I'll continue to participate how I can - by giving money directly to the "causes" and to those who do actually go and serve. Peace.

 

[sk!mom]

I am a writer, and I also do local volunteer work with people who are disadvantaged. So you may be thinking of me. I would say that I feel it is really important that what I do NOT become about meeting my needs. I think it is probably true that some people do provide service/charity after being inspired by meeting someone in need, but to be honest hearing about those situations makes me really uncomfortable, too. Because those stories become about the well-to-do person (comparatively) and how wonderful they are to help the poor person, and then the next potential donor/volunteer comes looking for a similar experience. Hey, poor person, inspire me! And then when the poor people are not suitably grateful or cheerful about the donor's contribution, the volunteers complain about it later.

Let me also add that I think this is different than people who have specific skills that are needed (Doctors without Borders, Global Vets, etc.) and bring those to the community. One example I support is Gorilla Doctors. This is run by a veterinarian who started off bringing in other vets to care for the wild gorillas in certain nature sanctuaries in Africa. Mike Cranfield, the vet who is the director, started off using volunteer vets from North America, but part of his program is to train and bring in locals, and to bring in doctors and nurses to also provide health care to the humans in the community. As the program has grown, he has paid (often out of his own pocket, but also through donations) for local people to obtain veterinary training and health care training. He is caring for the gorilla population, providing income for the local population, improving the health of both people and animals in the area, and building capacity so that one day down the road this can be run by locals. That to my mind is a good model.

I'd also acknowledge that there are NGOs who have encouraged the kind of short-term programs you are talking about, with the hopes of encouraging more donations, but many of them are rethinking it. It seems to be not as effective as they had hoped, in the long run, and they seen the negative effects on the community and the people supposedly "helped."

I am not saying people don't mean well - I think many of them do. But I think there is a huge risk of exploiting people in need and it is not the most effective way to help. Surely that should be our focus - how can we most effectively help people in need, and how can we allow them to maintain their dignity as they improve their lives?

You expressed so well my issue with many of these "mission" trips. I completely agree that if you are bringing a skill, it is completely different.

Those that are asking me for money lack even enough skills or work ethic to earn the money to go so what will the provide? I know that they mean well but you bring up good points about are they really meeting needs effectively.

 

[21stamps]

I'm surprised at how many people are underestimating the value of these mission trips-for everyone involved- the college kids benefit. The people they are helping benefit- I'll skip over that for now since this thread is about fundraising for a 'trip'.

Let's just look at the college kids- this is a life lesson experience. They will learn to appreciate what they have. They will learn that helping people is rewarding- maybe volunteer somewhere locally when return, maybe start a non profit in the future, maybe join 'doctors without borders' down the line, or the peace Corp, maybe just help out at a homeless shelter. They will learn about another country and another culture.
That is a priceless and rewarding experience. And an expensive one. I don't consider it a "vacation", I think they truly want to help others, and I think it benefits our entire society when they do, because the lessons they learn when on this "mission" stay with them the rest of their life.
There are a lot of gofundme pages that I think our ridiculous. Fundraising for these types of trips are not one of them.
My 2 cents anyway.

 

[cats mom]

I'm surprised at how many people are underestimating the value of these mission trips. To everyone involved- the college kids benefit. The people they are helping benefit- I'll skip over that for now since this thread is about fundraising for a 'trip'.

<snip, since I think this part of your post addresses the part you were going to skip over>

There are a lot of gofundme pages that I think our ridiculous. Fundraising for these types of trips are not one of them.
My 2 cents anyway.

I think the point many people are trying to make is there are ways to fundraise that require some effort on the part of the those asking for money, and if the mission trip, sports experience, cause, etc is so important to them, shouldn't they be willing to put forth some effort to work for it?

I've hired kids who were raising money for those types of activities to do yard work, babysit, wash cars, etc and I waaay overpaid them because I felt the cause was worthy.

I find selling empty envelopes, standing on the corner with a sign asking for donations, or popping up a Go Fund Me page and sending out mass e-mails or FB messages asking people to contribute (basically begging for money) for those types of activities lazy, entitled, and distasteful and I will not participate in those types of money grabs.

 

[Vijoge]

I saw this just the other day and thought the same thing. It was a dance group with little girls in the 6-10 year old range. I just kept thinking that they weren't teaching the girls to earn money, they were teaching them to panhandle (and dodge traffic).

That was the biggest issue I had with DGD's Brownie troop. It was all about the cookies. At least half of each year was devoted to the cookie sale. Now, I like thin mints as much as the next person, maybe more, but she didn't join scouts to become a salesperson. However, they discouraged the girls from going door to door, and instead told them to sell to family, or having "mom and dad sell at work". So it basically came down to parents being expected to sell the cookies, which didn't teach the girls a dang thing.

 

[21stamps]

I think the point many people are trying to make is there are ways to fundraise that require some effort on the part of the those asking for money, and if the mission trip, sports experience, cause, etc is so important to them, shouldn't they be willing to put forth some effort to work for it?

I've hired kids who were raising money for those types of activities to do yard work, babysit, wash cars, etc and I waaay overpaid them because I felt the cause was worthy.

I find selling empty envelopes, standing on the corner with a sign asking for donations, or popping up a Go Fund Me page and sending out mass e-mails or FB messages asking people to contribute (basically begging for money) for those types of activities lazy, entitled, and distasteful and I will not participate in those types of money grabs.

I agree to an extent, sport team- do car washes etc. But also they can ask for money, maybe some alumni live in a different state and want to contribute.
People ask for money when running a marathon- I don't see anything wrong with that, and don't think they need to do a car wash to earn a pledge. A lot of people won't run 26.2 miles, but maybe want to donate to the runner.
Same thing with school kids and their 'walks'.
Also with mission trips, a lot of these are in college and do not live close to their family/friends. What else can they do besides ask?

I have never heard of the envelope thing- but if it is as a pp said- where you choose which number you want- then I don't see a problem with it.

Trust me, I am not at all for an entitled or begging mentality, but if what you are doing is a marathon/walk/mission trip, then you are not just asking for a hand out, and I don't think those people fall under the 'lazy' category.

 

[21stamps]

If we charged fees for the entire expense here, we wouldn't even be able to field a whole team. We'd be dead in the water without fundraising. And no, we are not so fortunate as to have a rich philanthropist on our donor list. As for the Y, well they gave up on their true mission long ago. They're nothing but a high priced health club around here. They charge more in fees for a month long season than we charge for the whole year. And they are considering giving up their swim team due to low participation. We do indeed need to fund raise.

Our school/church festival is entirely run by the athletic club, and all proceeds go to the athletic club...and the parents still pay very high fees for our kids to play sports..and the coaches are all volunteers. We're lucky that this has sustained all of the different athletics offered, I know of a lot of schools who are not so fortunate.

I agree with your assessment of the Y! My child took swim lessons there and it was a disorganized mess!

 

[Vijoge]

The elementary school my younger granddaughters attend usually has their first fundraiser just a couple of weeks after school starts. They suck the kids in with promises of cheap trinkets for selling mass quantities of over-priced, poor quality wrapping paper and other garbage and hold competitions between classrooms. Of course, any donations sent without a purchase does not qualify for prizes or the class competition but I refuse to buy stuff I have no use for just so Susie can win a 79 cent package of Barbie stickers. Don't get me started on the candy sale and the book fair. . .

 

[DopeyDame]

I'm surprised at how many people are underestimating the value of these mission trips-for everyone involved- the college kids benefit. The people they are helping benefit- I'll skip over that for now since this thread is about fundraising for a 'trip'.

Let's just look at the college kids- this is a life lesson experience. They will learn to appreciate what they have. They will learn that helping people is rewarding- maybe volunteer somewhere locally when return, maybe start a non profit in the future, maybe join 'doctors without borders' down the line, or the peace Corp, maybe just help out at a homeless shelter. They will learn about another country and another culture.
That is a priceless and rewarding experience. And an expensive one. I don't consider it a "vacation", I think they truly want to help others, and I think it benefits our entire society when they do, because the lessons they learn when on this "mission" stay with them the rest of their life.
There are a lot of gofundme pages that I think our ridiculous. Fundraising for these types of trips are not one of them.
My 2 cents anyway.

Looking at the things you list that they will learn - they are ALL things that can be learned by helping out at the local homeless shelter, or driving an hour to meet a need in the neighboring community. A young adult [eta: does not have] to go half way around the world to learn to appreciate what they have or to learn to help people. And they can make a positive influence without spending thousands on airfare and hotels.

As for learning about another country and another culture - I think that's awesome! Travel is so important and educational! I'm a huge advocate. To the point where - literally - one of the main deciding factor in sending out son to a public school instead of private is so that we have money to travel. But I think fundraising so that middle class kids can go travel is... a very weak cause, at best, compared to the needs of the world. And worse, going on a mission trip with the goal of learning about another country and another culture has the unfortunate side effect of making the new country and culture an "other" that needs help, instead of a valuable and legitimate culture worthy of study and visit.

 

[21stamps]

The elementary school my younger granddaughters attend usually has their first fundraiser just a couple of weeks after school starts. They suck the kids in with promises of cheap trinkets for selling mass quantities of over-priced, poor quality wrapping paper and other garbage and hold competitions between classrooms. Of course, any donations sent without a purchase does not qualify for prizes or the class competition but I refuse to buy stuff I have no use for just so Susie can win a 79 cent package of Barbie stickers. Don't get me started on the candy sale and the book fair. . .

Some of the school stuff gets a little crazy. I was in complete shock the first few months of the year!
My child is in kindergarten at a private school, I swear every single week they are asking for something. Most of it I do, some of it I can't. Recently there was a $250 per plate dinner- this included 4 raffle tickets to win a $5k grand prize. I did not attend and I sent in a check for $100- this was the minimum donation for a kid to be able to earn the 'out of uniform day'. It puts a lot of pressure on the parents, because none of us want our kid to be that one child still in uniform, sticking out like a sore thumb.
My favorite fund raiser has been the 'Student Silent Art Auction'. They matted and framed a picture that the child made, and then we went to 'bid' on the artwork. That was actually fun and cute.
Every parent meeting that we have they completely guilt us by saying that if we don't donate and participate in all of these fund raisers- then our (already high) tuition could triple or at best, double.

For lent he came home with a 'rice bowl'. The idea of it was nice- give up something and collect a minimum of $80 by the end of lent, also came with recipes and stories to teach your child about poverty. But- what can a 5 year old really give up for lent to earn that amount of money?? He doesn't drink soda, he doesn't have a lot of tv/video game time. I had him feed our dog every day to earn $2 per day to put in the bowl. This money went to that foundation, not to the school though.

I'm more prepared for next year knowing that I have to budget about an extra $100 per month for all of these things.lol.

 

[DopeyDame]

I also think our expectation of what is "needed" in sports/band/theater/school/etc has gotten way out of hand.
No, your child does not need to travel out of state multiple times a year for concerts/travel teams/tournaments/dance competitions. They will get 98% of the same experience with day trips, and cut the cost insanely. They can reuse costumes for multiple dances. Uniforms can last more than one season. Maybe they don't need the fancy bag to carry their equipment.

DS's first grade class is currently doing a "need" vs "want" lesson in school. I think the coaches/teachers/parents really need that lesson too.

 

[21stamps]

I also think our expectation of what is "needed" in sports/band/theater/school/etc has gotten way out of hand.
No, your child does not need to travel out of state multiple times a year for concerts/travel teams/tournaments/dance competitions. They will get 98% of the same experience with day trips, and cut the cost insanely. They can reuse costumes for multiple dances. Uniforms can last more than one season. Maybe they don't need the fancy bag to carry their equipment.

DS's first grade class is currently doing a "need" vs "want" lesson in school. I think the coaches/teachers/parents really need that lesson too.

At our school we pay for the uniforms. As well as a hefty athletic fee and per sport fee. Parents are required to volunteer in the concession stand at least one game- even if it's for another team at the same school- at this game the volunteering parents also bring the food that we will grill etc.

I agree with you on this- I think more schools should either do it this way, or reuse costumes/uniforms.

 

[wilkeliza]

Some of the school stuff gets a little crazy. I was in complete shock the first few months of the year!
My child is in kindergarten at a private school, I swear every single week they are asking for something. Most of it I do, some of it I can't. Recently there was a $250 per plate dinner- this included 4 raffle tickets to win a $5k grand prize. I did not attend and I sent in a check for $100- this was the minimum donation for a kid to be able to earn the 'out of uniform day'. It puts a lot of pressure on the parents, because none of us want our kid to be that one child still in uniform, sticking out like a sore thumb.
My favorite fund raiser has been the 'Student Silent Art Auction'. They matted and framed a picture that the child made, and then we went to 'bid' on the artwork. That was actually fun and cute.
Every parent meeting that we have they completely guilt us by saying that if we don't donate and participate in all of these fund raisers- then our (already high) tuition could triple or at best, double.

For lent he came home with a 'rice bowl'. The idea of it was nice- give up something and collect a minimum of $80 by the end of lent, also came with recipes and stories to teach your child about poverty. But- what can a 5 year old really give up for lent to earn that amount of money?? He doesn't drink soda, he doesn't have a lot of tv/video game time. I had him feed our dog every day to earn $2 per day to put in the bowl. This money went to that foundation, not to the school though.

I'm more prepared for next year knowing that I have to budget about an extra $100 per month for all of these things.lol.

Wow turning lint into a fundraiser seems to be teaching kids the wrong reason for lint. I thought lint was about giving up something so that you would focus on the fact g-d would provide. Not so that you get rewarded (even if it is for a fundraiser) for the fact you gave something up.

 

[21stamps]

Wow turning lint into a fundraiser seems to be teaching kids the wrong reason for lint. I thought lint was about giving up something so that you would focus on the fact g-d would provide. Not so that you get rewarded (even if it is for a fundraiser) for the fact you gave something up.

The Lent money was not a fundraiser for the school. It was to "feed a family", each week we would have one meal of rice and beans etc to demonstrate what these people eat and discuss what the money can do to feed them etc. It was actually a neat project, I was just shocked at first of how a 5 year old could earn that amount of money- there really isn't anything he could give up to do so. That's where the 'dog feeding/water' came in to play, was about the only way I knew how have his own money going in the bowl.