School fundraisers

[sahd2one]

DD came home from school with a DVD and a pledge sheet for a fun run next week. WE have an agreement in our street that we will not ask each other to make a pledge since we all have kids in this school.

I hate how they make a five year old feel less than adequate if she does not get enough pledges for a "Free" iPod Shuffle!

I told her if she would like to pledge the $35 per lap she was welcome to do it, but she could buy one for far less money.

If that is not bad enough, we found out that this company keeps 63% of the money collected for the school for their administrative fee for running the fun run.

I know the schools need money and volunteers and we give as much as possible, but this extra stuff is frustrating.

 

[hentob]

We don't sell.

Period.

My children will NOT be used to make money for companies. So very little of the money goes to the school.

If it is a public school, you do NOT have to fundraise.

We give a donation directly to the school.

 

[Chicago526]

We don't sell.

Period.

My children will NOT be used to make money for companies. So very little of the money goes to the school.

If it is a public school, you do NOT have to fundraise.

We give a donation directly to the school.

I don't have kids, and this is EXACTLY how I feel. My future kids will NOT be doing fund raising. I'll be happy to give a cash donation to the school, and in addition voluteer my time.

 

[Mrs.Toad]

63%!!!!?????

I'm sorry, but what on earth is your PTA or whoever set up the fun-run smokin'?

Our school just did a fun run, too. We didn't use any outside company, we used parent volunteers and the P.E. teacher, and it wasn't that difficult. Even when we did the catalog fundraisers, the company only kept 50%, and they supplied actual products, not just administrative assistance.

I know not every school has great volunteers that will take on the task of organizing something like a fun run, but you would think that if you had to use an outside, they'd charge maybe 15 or 20% tops, or a flat fee, not 63%.

It's too late for this year, but seriously, they need to find someone else to run it next year.

As for this year, I wouldn't pledge a dime, and I'd encourage my friends and neighbors not to, either. Instead, I would write a check directly to the school as a donation, so that they can keep the entire amount.

 

[KelNottAt]

If you think elementary fundraising is bad. You ain't seen nothing yet.

The class dues for our high school is $25. That's paid once: September of freshman year. The remaining 3.5 years are spent trying to raise an additional $100 per kid.

So, at a class meeting last year, I suggested they simply make the class dues an annual thing: $25 per kid x 4 years = $100. Then they would only need one small fundraiser to collect the final $25 per kid.

They laughed in my face. LAUGHED IN MY FACE!

They said fundraisers are more than just a way to raise money. Fundraisers help kids learn responsibility and follow-through. Well, maybe. But, truth is only 5 kids out of 320 in the whole class run the fundraiser. Plus, the members of the class don't do the selling. The parents do. Pizza, Yankee Candles, wrapping paper, chocolates. We take them to work.

And we're not just selling for the class...we're selling for band, drama, soccer, Key Club, NHS, it goes on and on. You name it and some organization is selling SOMETHING at any point in the year.

But, no. Apparently it's unreasonable to think kids can just PAY their way to the prom and senior party with dues. They have to raise the money by hawkin' crap goods.

 

[momto3kids]

I love our PTO. They ask for a $20/kid suggested donation and then we do NO fundraising. We do Market DAy and a few other things but the kids don't sell anything and it's a wonderful thing.

Plus we make just as much since donations are 100% compared to 20% - 50% of the fundraisers.

That leaves me more time to sell stuff for scouts.

 

[YayDisney!]

I love our PTO. They ask for a $20/kid suggested donation and then we do NO fundraising. We do Market DAy and a few other things but the kids don't sell anything and it's a wonderful thing.

Plus we make just as much since donations are 100% compared to 20% - 50% of the fundraisers.

That leaves me more time to sell stuff for scouts.

Our school does Market Day, too, and that is how I support the school. I dislike all other fundraising expectations our school puts on the kids. And what frustrates me most of all is that they will entice the kids by giving away silly trinkets to the highest sellers in the class/school. Then my young DD thinks she must have said trinket. Ugh. I don't sell and I don't buy any of the stuff they send home. I stick to my monthly Market Day order.

 

[unbroken chain]

One of mine just came home with a catalog of riduculously overpriced fruit which she said she is *required to sell for a grade* !! So I emailed the teacher who said, oh no, not for a grade but they are "expected to participate". My child says selling is in fact required for a "participation grade" (like homework, you did it or didn't, but not A/B/C grades) and they are "supposed" to sell 10 boxes. I'd rather they just have a fee and be done with it.

 

[powellrj]

I'm so sick of fundraising and I don't even do much of it. Just this week, I can do market day, sell a poinsettia, sell a candle, sell from a catalog, do script, do school pop(???), donate a cell phone or ink cartage, work at a concession stand, sell candy and cookie dough, buy a cling for my car window, buy spirit wear sign-up to work at breakfast with Santa.

I kid you not, those are just the ones we have going on this week. Between choir, drama, dance and school, this is what they want us to do.

I decided last year when DS needed to raise $1600 for choir, it was easier for him to get a job rather than have us fund raise his money. The rest of his money for this year is due next week and I am just cashing in my flexible spending medical account to get the money for it.

I am glad the kids can do all of the cool stuff, but come-on, why does everything have to be so expensive.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

If that is not bad enough, we found out that this company keeps 63% of the money collected for the school for their administrative fee for running the fun run.

I would not allow my child to participate with that knowledge.

 

[LOLCAT]

That is a lot of money to expect a 5 year old to raise.

 

[C.Ann]

DD came home from school with a DVD and a pledge sheet for a fun run next week. WE have an agreement in our street that we will not ask each other to make a pledge since we all have kids in this school.

I hate how they make a five year old feel less than adequate if she does not get enough pledges for a "Free" iPod Shuffle!

I told her if she would like to pledge the $35 per lap she was welcome to do it, but she could buy one for far less money.

If that is not bad enough, we found out that this company keeps 63% of the money collected for the school for their administrative fee for running the fun run.

I know the schools need money and volunteers and we give as much as possible, but this extra stuff is frustrating.

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Considering things are going so well with the economy, why the need for fund raisers and extra money?

Could also be the 63% the company keeps is the only thing that's keeping them in business.. Just a thought..

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

First, thanks for the reminder. DS's fundraiser order form is due tomorrow, and I had forgotten. It's Yankee Candle items, and honestly, I have no idea what percentage they get. I can get some Yankee Candle stuff marked down at the Linens n Things that's closing, but I don't think they have the items that I DO like from the fundraiser, so I'm fine about buying them. However, I refuse to sell to other people and I refuse to buy from others. I've had my own kids/schools/sports to worry about for the last 15 years, and for the next 6 while I've got kids in college.

Fundraisers help kids learn responsibility and follow-through.

 

[C.Ann]

First, thanks for the reminder. DS's fundraiser order form is due tomorrow, and I had forgotten. It's Yankee Candle items, and honestly, I have no idea what percentage they get. I can get some Yankee Candle stuff marked down at the Linens n Things that's closing, but I don't think they have the items that I DO like from the fundraiser, so I'm fine about buying them. However, I refuse to sell to other people and I refuse to buy from others. I've had my own kids/schools/sports to worry about for the last 15 years, and for the next 6 while I've got kids in college.

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I wish DGD's school would switch to Yankee Candle.. That's something I wouldn't mind spending money on.. Haven't seen hers yet this year, but I have my fingers crossed that they've changed to a different company..

 

[missypie]

DD15 was required to sell 25 raffle tickets a $5 each for a drill team fundraiser. She sold 8, so this morning I had to write a check for $85 for the rest of the tickets. Next up is the poinsettia fundraiser - she has to sell 25 plants at $10 each. She's sold 4 so far. Last year she sold zero, and there was no buyout, so I had 25 poinsettias to give away or use in the house. Everyone we knew got a poinsettia.

 

[heatherleigh]

My 5-yr old goes to a public preschool for children w/ special needs. He has speech problems. Even he has brought home fund-raising materials. The latest one is for cookie dough. He sold Avon last year w/ the school.

 

[mum4jenn]

I HATE fundraising. I especially hate teh ones where you have to send in 10 postcards for the magazine sales. I started picking random names out of the phone book just to get the cards sent back in!!

 

[aprilgail2]

I love our PTO. They ask for a $20/kid suggested donation and then we do NO fundraising. We do Market DAy and a few other things but the kids don't sell anything and it's a wonderful thing.

Plus we make just as much since donations are 100% compared to 20% - 50% of the fundraisers.

That leaves me more time to sell stuff for scouts.

wow- 20.00? It would take over 150.00 per child in the school to meet our budget without doing fundraisers! And there are people that have 3 or 4 kids in grade school so asking them for 600+ dollars per year would not work.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

we do sell, but mostly only to relatives. Once we had to sell candy bars and DD did go around then. Most people like the candy bars. I don't like having her go around selling the stuff though. DH will take the candy bars or flyers into work. It goes on a table in a common area with no pressure.

Our PTA allows the donation instead, but there is no pressure to do anything.

The one thing I hate is the prizes. I made DD aware from the very first that we were NOT doing it for those, we were doing it for the awesome school programs that the money raised goes toward!

the only ones I refuse to do are the postcards!

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

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I wish DGD's school would switch to Yankee Candle.. That's something I wouldn't mind spending money on..

Darn...I would have sold you some.

That's the thing about a GOOD fundraiser...I wonder if I SHOULD try to sell it, because someone might actually want to buy something? I think some of the stuff in the YC fundraiser catalog isn't available elsewhere. I showed my best friend the catalog saying "YOU DON'T HAVE TO BUY ANYTHING...but I thought you might actually LIKE some of this stuff." She did like it, VERY MUCH. She just didn't buy anything.

Personally, I think candy bars are a great fundraiser. You can spend as little or as much as you want, and actually get your money's worth.

The prizes for the YC fundraiser are pretty good...a $75 Gift card to FYE or iTunes (student's choice) to the student with the highest sales, and then EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATES in the fundraiser, no matter what the amount sold, goes into the pool to select the 2nd ($50 gift card) and 3rd ($25 gift card) prize winners.