Kids' fundraising

[NotUrsula]

I have a formula: I ask what the profit margin is and what the minimum sell volume is per child, then I multiply those and then double it. (ex: 10 units that the group nets $5/ea on = $50 profit x 2 = $100). Not a single organization that I've pitched that to over the years has refused to allow that level of contribution instead of participation.

I do sometimes deal with confused fundraising managers that think I want to buy that $$ worth of crap, but in the end the check usually ends up going directly to the treasurer, so that the person in charge of the sale doesn't end up with money for an "order" that she can't find a record of.

 

[disykat]

Yes, give cash!

I used to run the fund raiser, but never bought anything just gave cash. Very few people chose that option. Sometimes mine was the ONLY all cash donation, despite working really hard to publicize that option. The kids still got the sales prizes and everything. On the DIS people love the cash option, but it didn't work in my kid's activities!

 

[disykat]

oops! Double post.

 

[leebee]

Product sales STINK. When DD's ballet company was raising money to do a collaborative performance in France, we sold all kinds of things. Best product sale we could find was for pasta in unique shapes/colors... with a 40% profit margin. That was worth it, as we sold in early November with delivery mid-December, just in time for Christmas gift-giving. However, everybody HATED selling stuff, so we ended up doing "service" sales. Our best fundraiser was car washes. Everyone worked, everyone brought a parent to help, and we made significant money, far more than those product sales with the 15% profit margins! Some of our service sales weren't as profitable as others, but everyone was much happier working for the money than begging people to buy stuff we know they didn't really want!

 

[kymom99]

Recently around here the restaurant nights have become popular. Chipotle was giving 50% but I think now it’s 33%. I organized one of those a few years back when my son was in high school still. It took about 30 minutes of my time to organize and then we just got a check. Now someone is doing one of those every other day so I’m not sure they are as effective. But it’s an easy way to make money for sure.

 

[mrodgers]

Maybe it's time to change the structure. Non travel sports teams make it on the fees they take in.

False. There is barely a day that goes by at work that someone isn't selling hoagies for their kid's non-travelling sports team. We have 2 fridges and in the summer they are both filled once or twice a week with a hoagie order someone is distributing.

 

[mrodgers]

I remember when we used to sell 50 cent candy bars and got 25 cents profit (back in junior high).

It was boxes of M&M's for us in Jr. High school. Yup, they were 50 cents and when your box of 24 were empty, you realized you had to come up with $12 because it was you who ate all of them,

 

[easyas123]

False. There is barely a day that goes by at work that someone isn't selling hoagies for their kid's non-travelling sports team. We have 2 fridges and in the summer they are both filled once or twice a week with a hoagie order someone is distributing.

I think your across the board false is, well - false.
Perhaps it is regional? My kids non travel teams did not have to have fundraisers or sell stuff, and they were on them for years.

 

[mrodgers]

I think your across the board false is, well - false.
Perhaps it is regional? My kids non travel teams did not have to have fundraisers or sell stuff, and they were on them for years.

You're statement was across the board. You stated non-travel teams don't have fundraisers. My statement was that it was false because I see people almost every day selling hoagies for their kids' non-travel teams at work, which is my region. You did not qualify the area you meant with what was written, I did.

 

[Turn the Page]

Fundraising is always a challenge. I was heavily involved when my kids were younger. You would be surprised by the number of people who want to get something for their donation. You could give people the option of just donating $5, or buy an item for $10 (where the group gets the same $5) and they would choose to buy the $10 item. I would rather just give the money directly, but everyone is different. Some of the products are really good too, like Butterbraids. I would have people track me down for several years after I left my position trying to find a way to order those. I always buy the boy scout popcorn out of sympathy for the years we sold it. They really need to get a better fundraiser.

I have started donating cash because the group gets all of the donation and because I don't need or want the stuff they are selling. A few years ago DD14 brought home a fundraiser for the band and I was going to send in $20 but DH had to pick something out of the catalog to buy so we get something for our money. It was ruined the first time we used it so we paid $10 for an item that didn't work and the band got $2. Score.

 

[easyas123]

You're statement was across the board. You stated non-travel teams don't have fundraisers. My statement was that it was false because I see people almost every day selling hoagies for their kids' non-travel teams at work, which is my region. You did not qualify the area you meant with what was written, I did.

Um - no I did not. My ONLY comment on non-travel teams was in response to your comment....go back and re-read the thread, I think you have me confused with someone else, someone whose comment you quoted.

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

When DS was in Cubs, we'd always buy a few things of popcorn (always either the flavored or chocolate covered). . You can also purchase popcorn for the military overseas; the scouts work with the USO to ship it to military around the world.

Our district also did these 'merchant cards', where a dozen or so merchants would work with the scouts for discounts on the cards; some were just one use tabs that you take off and use; some were printed on the back of the card and were used more than once. Discounts varied, from free drink or free entree at Panda Express to $100 off pest control services. They went for $5, and if you used it once, you made your money back. All the money went to the Scouts, and it was split 50/50 between the organization and the pack/troop selling them. This was the big seller for us; popcorn was ok, but these camp cards, you got your money back and then some. DS earned $1.25 per card (50% to BSA, 25% to pack, 25% to scout).


Anyways, yes, you can just donate to the pack/troop. They get 100% of the proceeds that way,however, it doesn't benefit the scout directly. Sells are supposed to be tracked, so that each scout that works a sale (or does a direct order) benefits directly. DS's pack tracked how many hours you child did selling, and each of those kids earned based on how much was overall sold. (i.e. $100 sold, sale lasted 1 hour; 4 scouts worked sale, each scout earned $25). Also, the scouts can earn free trips to daycamps/aquatic camps/pack campouts depending on prizes being offered by the BSA or pack. We never paid out of pocket for DS's summer camps (4 years aquatic and 4 years day), because he worked the sales/sold directly enough to earn them.

 

[mrodgers]

Um - no I did not. My ONLY comment on non-travel teams was in response to your comment....go back and re-read the thread, I think you have me confused with someone else, someone whose comment you quoted.

Yup, my mistake. Didn't notice the name change and thought it was the same person responding. Thus, change my post from your statement and you stated to their statement and they stated and it is no longer false.

 

[Darcy03231]

I always did cash donations. Everyone seemed to like that better as they got to keep 100% of the donation.

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

I remember when we used to sell 50 cent candy bars and got 25 cents profit (back in junior high).

Ours were a dollar and they came with a free Wendy's cheeseburger coupon, so you got your money back. My mother would take the boxes to work and just set them on her desk. She'd sell an entire box worth within an afternoon without lifting a finger. we lived in the boonies, so no going door to door for me.

Unfortunately fundraising is necessary so everyone has the opportunity to go on trips or camp outs. If not, then only those with extra funds could do it and that wouldn’t be fair.

My dd is a Girl Scout and she loves the cookie sales. She was top seller in her troop the last 2 years.

Different packs and troops do it differently. Our cubscout pack puts popcorn sales first towards individual dues. It's either sell $375 worth of popcorn or do a cash buyout for $150 to cover the dues. Anything sold above that went' towards pack expenses. We pay out of pocket for most of our "outings" and camps, popcorn sales don't go towards individual costs after dues are covered. .

Our boyscout troop puts the scouts share of the popcorn sales into their individual accounts to allow them to cover dues or campout costs (to keep dues down, we pay per campout - usually around $15 with a couple more expensive trips over the year).

Any cash given to them during the fundraisers goes 100% towards their expenses.

I understand the need for fundraising, it can get expensive for some families without it. This way more kids can participate. I just wish the scouts would pick a better product. People will chase you down and order 100 boxes of girl scout cookies at a time. The same people will run and hide when they see the boyscouts coming with the popcorn. The quality has gone so far downhill over the years it's almost impossible to sell, like a previous poster said, most are "pity" sales.

 

[easyas123]

I just wish the scouts would pick a better product. People will chase you down and order 100 boxes of girl scout cookies at a time. The same people will run and hide when they see the boyscouts coming with the popcorn.

That's me!

 

[HannaBelle]

Yes!

I tried to get the PTA to have a "donate dollars" fundraiser once, you would have thought I had suggested we murder little kittens. I only donated checks after that with zero guilt.

 

[starry_solo]

It was boxes of M&M's for us in Jr. High school. Yup, they were 50 cents and when your box of 24 were empty, you realized you had to come up with $12 because it was you who ate all of them,

We had the nestle bars. So I loved the krunch ones. There was 100 grand too. I forgot what the others were. Dad would take it to work and sell. Lol

 

[MrsPete]

Agreed. When I did girl scouts the troop got less than $1 per box of cookies, but we got to keep all of the cash donations.

True, but the bulk of the cookie fundraiser goes to the local scout council -- and, in turn, the scout council provides a whale of a lot of stuff for the troops: camps the troops can use, programs and events they can attend, activity bins they can check out -- and those things are all very low cost. So troops benefit from the profits, even if they don't themselves control their use.

Girl Scout cookies were the only fund raiser I ever allowed my girls to participate in. I hated it in elementary school -- they'd whip the kids into a frenzy over the chance to win shiny prizes or the chance to attend a special event. We had some fusses at our house -- my girls WANTED to participate in those sales, but we went the donation route. As they grew older, I pointed out the dubious value of those cheap-o plastics, and I asked them just who they think they'd sell to. Eventually they appreciated my stance.

I have 2 kids in scouts, we have refused to sell popcorn for years. Like the OP mentioned, the quality is awful and no one wants to pay $30 for $5 worth of popcorn.

Yeah, I bought a huge bag of popcorn just today at the grocery store ... for less than $5.

One year we had a spaghetti dinner ...

Our church youth group does Sunday lunches to raise money for trips (they ask that you pay whatever you'd pay for lunch at a restaurant after church), and they do yard work for people. I thoroughly approve those fund raisers; they put the onus of the work on the kids, which is right.

... They were each supposed to sell 15 items and there was no way our family could do it. Cash donations wouldn’t count towards the 15 items ...

At a glance, I bet the group received a higher percentage of the profit if they sold X number of products. Cash donations wouldn't push the group into the higher profit margin.

 

[Kittyblue]

True, but the bulk of the cookie fundraiser goes to the local scout council -- and, in turn, the scout council provides a whale of a lot of stuff for the troops: camps the troops can use, programs and events they can attend, activity bins they can check out -- and those things are all very low cost. So troops benefit from the profits, even if they don't themselves control their use.

Unfortunately our local council never had much to offer.