Everywhere my husband has ever worked has had a policy that no solicitations could take place on company property. It is sad that a company has to basicaly put in writing a policy to keep these fundraising crap out of the work place.
There is a reason though, that the parents are doing the selling. Because that is what the "Fundraising Company" tells them to do. In this day and age you can't tell the kids to go door to door. I used to be a top seller of this junk when I was a kid. My mom would drop me off in a subdivision and pick me up an hour later. I had sales like no body's business by the sheer volume of houses I went to. Of course we wouldn't do that these days. The kids are told to only contact people they know, to call friends and relatives and have mom or dad take it to work.
There is really A LOT of push back from parents these days about these fundraisers. I have been involved in trying to find alternative fundraising options for about 15 years now and I have really seen the industry change. 10 years ago the idea of just asking for a donation was unheard of, where as now it is becomeing more the norm. The interesting thing is that for everyone that wants to just write a check, there is someone else that wants to "get something" for their money-- they want some cookie dough or wrapping paper. It is a fine line to balance it. I did also sell a discount card this year, but it is an option that is a really good deal. All the businesses are popular locations near our school that we all frequent, the discounts are nice and can be used for an entire year and we get 60%.
This is the other trend in fundraising--going to the Entertainment books, restaurant cards, discount cards, and other things that people would buy anyway and can really get some use out of. The economy is what it is and organizations are realizing that people aren't going to buy pies and wrapping paper and cookie dough and flower bulbs when they go to
Walmart and get the same things for 1/4 the price. Girl Scout cookes have a very unique nitch in our culture so they are always popular but as someone else said, the profit that actually goes to the local troop is very small.
If you have never met some of the "Middlemen (and women)" that market these fundraisers to the organizations you are missing out on a lot of the big picture. The majority of them are so sleazy they make the stereotype of a used car sales man look good! They schmooze and ooze and shake hands and kiss babies make it all sound so easy. They present their crappo prizes as if they are bars of gold and the kids eat it up, as do the organization based people (usually moms).
We are fairly lucky here. The PTA at the Middle School is not a clique--heck they let me in as head of fundraising even after I said I WOULD NOT do selling junk fundraisers. And our district has VERY strict rules about fundraisers and what can and can't be done to involve the kids. I actually can't send anything home directly with the kids and can't involve them in any selling. Everything I do is being sold by the PTA and our volunteers are responsible for everything. It does make things harder but I am not pimping out the kids!
I also take advantage of Passive Fundraising as much as I can. Did you know that EVERY box top is worth 10 cents? I push that as much as I can. Campbell's labels, box tops and some of these other programs can really net a good amount for your school. Our Elementary School was able to get digital cameras for EVERY classroom in the school from a Grocery store receipt program we have locally. Lots of restaurant will do nights where your people come in and you get a percent of the profits.
Subway has a promotion where people buy gift cards and we get a %. No extra cost to them--they get a card, put money on it instead of paying cash and we get part. I just have to convince parents to do it. Target, Office Depot and some grocery stores have programs where they give cash back to the schools. There are so many options out there that just take advantage of what our parents are already doing, but the problem is getting them to participate.
But the truth is that these selling junk fundraisers to work, and as long as people are buying they will continue. Our school (not the PTA) does do the magazine fundraiser. Most of us hate it. But it raises over $20,000 for the school. That money goes a long way towards helping out the teachers and kids so it is hard to argue with them doing it. We just don't participate in any way.
I don't remember, but she was told she couldn't just write a check. 
at you but I do have to laugh. What I found was that the men who came into the office expected everyone to buy something. The men seemed a lot more pushy than the women IMO.
