I can't stand these fundraisers!

[Ellen aka Snow White]

I guess Im the odd duck cause I get excited about certain school fundraisers. Magizines is one of my favorties. I awalys buy at least two differnt photography subscriptions. I fugure im gonna by the magizines anyways....

Another odd duck here! Mags and cookie dough are my favorites to buy

I understand how important the fundraisers are to the schools and how if more people participated in "one big sale" there would not have to be so many others done. I'm personally able help the school more by selling the merchandise, then by writing a check. If I sell $200 worth of products, the school should make $80-100, my share, without a cent coming out of my pocket. The fundraisers are not designed for the parent to be the only one to purchase. However, if I am financially able at the time, I do purchase. Our merchandise catalog has items that are unique to our area that really isn't junk. The cookie dough is very popular in our area - people actually ask if I will be selling it each year! (Beware of the $10 dough - taste matters!!) At the beginning of the year, I look at the PTA budget to see what fundraisers will be done and then I know with fundraiser "A" I will ask group "A" to purchase and then with fundraiser "B" I won't ask the same people but a different group. That way I am not asking the same people multiple times. Works well for us!

 

[keltshan]

I would be going to the school board and complaining loudly if anyone was GRADING my kids on a fundraiser-----I hate them and will usually write a check directly to whichever organization is trying to raise $----They actually pulled our kids out of class and held a 1 hour assembly promoting the "junk" the kids would "earn" based on the # of items sold----I complained!!!!!

 

[formill]

We don't participate in fundraisers here- I always feel bad for kids will come home so excited with a huge stack of brochures- to sell Christmas cards, wrapping paper, bows, etc......it is crazy expensive to me - stuff I can buy at the dollar store. I volunteer a lot at the school that is all they will get from me and anything like class supplies-kleenex, plastic spoons, books we no longer need. We did a "hat for Haiti" day (get to wear hat all day if send in some money) and I have no problem with that or donating food for food drives etc. The money raised by the fundraisers helps pay for trips- I would rather just pay for the trip (and a little extra to allow for those that can not pay) and other things like agendas which I think are a waste of paper- they are often huge and at the end of the year have many many blank pages.

 

[yeahdisney]

I'm not fond of fund raisers either. My SIL is very nice and she asks us to buy for each of their schools fund raisers (2 kids). My kid is the same age as hers and basically has the exact same fund raisers, she just, I guess, hasn't realized it. Sometimes it is kinda funny, they don't live close to us, so I tell them (my brother) get the money from mom, I'll give it to her, then they deliver to my mom's whatever we get, pizza, pie, raffle tickets, WHENEVER I GET THERE I get it, they don't even offer to bring it to us. And I don't think they realize I don't ask them back for any fund raising.

My child also gets excited by what she can earn from the fund raiser. But I just nicely say no we aren't doing it. I explain Grandma and my sister and my other brother (who also has kids in school) don't need any more wrapping paper, candies, or candles, or magazines and many people must decide where they spend their money.

I do let the kids participate in the fund raising for St Jude. I let them ask each person they can think of for $1. And I hit up my doctors at work for $1 and they always share one for DD. But this time the VERY same week DD brought home another fund raiser for children with heart conditions that she wanted to do-I said yes but she couldn't ask they same people. And as parents we donated to both. And in the same week DS needed paper products donated for women's shelter to celebrate the 100th day of school.?

I do help some for PTA. My good friend is on the PTA fund raising team and each year she donates me to help at the event she heads, which I do love, I just tell her with a smile yeah I knew you where going tell me when to show up.

 

[mickeymaker2003]

No kids in school yet, but no plans to allow them to sell this junk. I'll pay for her field trips out of pocket. It's lots cheaper than buying all this stuff I don't need or want.

My daughter will be allowed to sell $1 candy bars and Girl Scout cookies. That's it. I don't feel too bad about the $1 candy bars (they are about the size of the king size bars the stores sell for $1+ anyway, so it doesn't feel like a huge rip off) and people actually WANT the cookies.

Our schools are getting more parents saying they don't want fundraisers and they are just starting to allow the "non-selling" option where you pay instead.