Stop with the Fundraisers Already!

[Crystal0608]

We don't do any fundraisers where you sell items unless we ever do product in your hand like candy. My family would buy but most don't have the $$ to spend on junk. I do let the kids participate in the fundraisers where you go to restaurants and eat on a certain night and a percentage of the profits goes to the school. If you show up and eat, the principal gives your child a homework pass.

I much prefer the way it was done back in my day. We sold big candy bars for $1-plain, crunch, caramel with $1 Pizza Hut coupons on the wrapper. Grand prize was a big stuffed animal. I won it once. My dad used to have lots of friends over, so I'd bring them home by the case and sell them like crazy. I sold them elementary through high school and it was an easy sell.

One fundraiser I will spring for is girl scout cookies. I sold them for 5 years, so they are my weakness.

 

[Tink_Or_Belle]

we live in a town of about 700 people they have a yearly Elementry fundraiser where all the kids k-6 sell the same items they request that each kid sell 7 items. Last year I had 3 kids in the school so they had to sell 21 items not easy since all 700 people in town are related to SOMEONE selling stuff and it needed to stay frozen so we couldn't really sell it to anyone too far away.

 

[diznygirl]

Okay, we are going to duct tape the principal to the wall when we meet our goal,

Totally something I would donate money for!!!!!






I really don't need 3 lbs of cookie dough in my freezer thankyouverymuch. And since the school only gets a portion of the $$, it's a waste of money.

It really burned me during the magazine sales cuz they promised the kids rubber ducks on a lanyard that they wear at school, and if the teachers see them wearing them they would get "duck food" (candy). I've got a 6 year old crying cuz she wants a duck but I didn't want to sell magazines!! It's blackmail.

I really prefer writing a check and getting nothing back except peace of mind.

 

[tasha99]

DS11's room mom keeps emailing everyone in his class with a reminder that everyone is supposed to donate $15 to cover an espresso machine purchased on behalf of his class for the fall auction. Well, I'm not paying because I'm in grad school and quit my job about a month ago. Fifteen dollars may not be alot to many people, but right now, it's more than I feel comfortable being told to pay. That's part of what gets me. I hate it that they assume everyone should just pay this because some parents came up with an idea that's pretty expensive.

 

[clh2]

My dd is in kindergarten, so this is our first foray into the fundraisers. Between my mom and myself, we bought 15 crap items so that she could attend the big bounce house prize party with all the other kids. Yep, suckered! I definitely can't afford to do this once I have both kids in school.

But I wouldn't mind a pie though . . .

Mpm of a HS sophomore this year: You will soon learn that the purchase of the 15 crap items cost MORE than just renting the bounce house for the day, and DD can bring all her friends over...They will get much more bounce-time than if they did this as a school function with all the grade levels attending.

I learned throughout the years...what will this fundraiser do for me??? If nothing except add inches to my waistline,,,then I do not buy it. If there is no "value" in what is being sold, then I do not purchase the items. If the cause is one I support, I would rather make a $20 or $30 donation instead of buying $50 or $60 of stuff I do not want.

And I would caution any/everyone to not buy magazines. We did the "bulk buy" of them a couple of years in a row, because DD was required to sell them if she was on student council. She was president of Student council in 8th grade - there really wasn't a way out. The magazines take SO long to actually start that several of the mags we ordered went out of publication before we received any...and it was hard to get a refund. SAVE YOUR RECEIPTS>>> otherwise you'll just be screwed.

Fundraising gets a little better in highschool, because things tend to get allocated to a specific account for the individual children. Your direct effort is your direct gain. I.e. our band did a frozen pizza fundraiser, and 40% of the sales went into your kid's account. Then you can justify the purchases.

 

[agnes!]

When our kids started school we immediately began a policy of "NO FUNDRAISERS" in our house. Our kids knew from the beginning that we would NOT participate in buying, selling, raffles, etc...

The irony of this? I am in charge of the fundraising for the Middle School PTA! We are doing a strict donation fundraiser. Here is our goal--please give what you can to help us meet it. No selling crap. No junky prizes. Okay, we are going to duct tape the principal to the wall when we meet our goal, but still, all the money goes directly to our programs...

Oh MAN, that would raise SO much money at the high school level...

DS11's room mom keeps emailing everyone in his class with a reminder that everyone is supposed to donate $15 to cover an espresso machine purchased on behalf of his class for the fall auction. Well, I'm not paying because I'm in grad school and quit my job about a month ago. Fifteen dollars may not be alot to many people, but right now, it's more than I feel comfortable being told to pay. That's part of what gets me. I hate it that they assume everyone should just pay this because some parents came up with an idea that's pretty expensive.

Whose bright idea was it to go out and purchase this thing?!? Sheesh, when I've been part of auctions for church or even school groups, people look around their house for vintage/antique/collectibles or unopened/new-stuff in the box. We NEVER purchase such a single expensive item for an auction. Sometimes we put together baskets and that way everyone can donate something appropriate, but folks aren't put on the spot to forking out $$$.

I'm kinda mad for you and I'm not even part of the situation.

agnes!
PS - My DD isn't in any school performance groups this year and the cessation of constant fundraising has been blissful.

 

[minkydog]

I hate fundraisers. I hated them as a child. I hated when my mother made me go sell lollipops for *her* service organization and I swore that when I had kids I would NEVER require them to sell anything. And for the most part I have stuck by that. Occasionally, they actually*want* to sell stuff--like GS cookies. I much prefer to write a check for $30 to the PTA at the beginning of the year to buying crap wrapping paper.

When kids come to my door selling I might buy something for $10, If I happen to like what they're selling. Otherwise I just give them whatever small bills I happen to have, around $5-10 cash. I don't need more pizza kits, cookie dough, jewelry, cheesecake, flower bulbs, or Christmas cards.

 

[kaywoody]

Our PTA has already done two fundraisers this year... back to back with about two weeks in between. Ugggh! The second one was the pies... are you kidding? $18 for a pie? As a teacher who has had to fundraise before, I know that you get 25% at best for a fundraiser. I've told my kids that they can't participate. I am a member of the PTA, but I don't agree with how they have spent their money in the past.

Our only fundraiser is Girl Scout cookies. We only sell about 100 boxes total (two girls) to friends and family and we don't do the guilt trip thing at all. They usually contact me to see if we have cookies this year. Luckily the cookies sell themselves in this case.

We're lucky that the council has the cookies up front... not taking orders. That's the best part of all. We sell them at tables in front of grocery stores or the bank and if people want them, they stop and buy, if not they smile at the girls and keep going. So far we've been able to meet our quota without a tremendous amount of work or time.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Another "NO fundraisers"" family here. When the kids were little, I got hooked in. Even purchased hundreds of dollars for my child to get the little gadget. Then one year I ran the fundraiser. This gave me access to what amount actually went to the school. Much, much lower than you would think. And trust me, you can find those gift somewhere else, still send money to the school, write it off as a deduction (well maybe not anymore), and still "get the teacher's schoolbooks".

Same goes for fundraisers for school trips. I just write out the check. You should have seen us the first time DD "thought" she had to bring home 5 boxes of candy bars. Let's just say that halloween was the one that made our house famous... Too bad it was a once in a lifetime thing.

I will admit that I do buy girl scout cookies and actually had to search out a girl scout one year.

 

[Becky2005]

Wow!!! The $400 for Tiger Cub Scouts is what shocked me! Our registration dues are about $38.00 here -- I do believe we are going to raise them to $40 for next year as that includes the book & neckerchiefs (sp?), those have gone up in price. The popcorn is national I think (similar to Girl Scout cookies). I know a cut of that goes to the council.

You could just do like we do for our Grade School -- The PTO just comes right on out and ASKS for money. The High School in a way asks but if you want the school directory, you need to pay $30 for it basically -- it's you "membership" but really it's their fundraiser so you don't have to sell anything for the school as a whole.

Unfortunately, the Middle School does magazines & I don't see that going away anytime soon as I think they made over $10,000 last year with it. I usually order CD's instead of magazines but there are a couple I like. We go on-line as they have more stuff on there.

Other than that there are just some specific ones -- the Music boosters every year sell wreaths, I don't usually do that but I actually had a relative ask me to let her know when the sales are since her child graduated this year & they wanted to order the wreaths/swags. Since my DD is in HS & they are doing a trip this year, they can have their funds go into their account for that.

The music groups at High School also sell cheesecakes but not the younger grades.

I got lucky this year as my DD isn't doing any sports. In the past, it's been expected you do fundraising for gymnastics/cheerleading. Gymnastics did have a buy out for a couple years but the HS cheer team didn't.

Fundraising has been going on since as far back as I can remember in some way shape or form. I doubt it will be stopping anytime soon as a whole.

 

[Papa Deuce]

Besides regular fund raising, my kid's school has a "No Frills Fundraiser" every year. They ask for a donation of $30 per child. I write them a check for $100 per child and include a note telling then that that is all they are going to get.

We don't do fundraisers in our home.

Though if they would sell those large candy bars for $2, I would be ok with that, but they don't....

There is NO WAY I can ask people to pay $12 for a roll of wrapping paper, or $30 for a cheesecake, or $22 for a candle.

 

[aprilgail2]

Our PTA has already done two fundraisers this year... back to back with about two weeks in between. Ugggh! The second one was the pies... are you kidding? $18 for a pie? As a teacher who has had to fundraise before, I know that you get 25% at best for a fundraiser.Our only fundraiser is Girl Scout cookies. .

If whatever company you use only gives you 25 percent then they should be looking for a new company!! We get 40-50 percent depending on the item--if its pies its 40 percent, the crap catalog (wrapping paper etc) its 50 percent. I actually would MUCH prefer the pies to a 10.00 roll of wrapping paper- at least we need the pie as we would have bought some anyway to serve at Thanksgiving.
Now girl scout cookie are the fundraiser I see as a rip off... the girls troop gets 14% of the sale of a box of cookies! Fifty cents on a 3.50 box of cookies..My daughter sells 200 boxes a year at least and for all that effort I may just write our troop a check for the 100.00 this year and save myself the trouble.

 

[MsDisney23]

I am so glad those years are behind me, we don't have many kids where I live. I am tired of going to the grocery store or Wal-Mart and getting hit up every single time! I no longer donate to any of them, it is just out of control.

 

[aprilgail2]

I am so glad those years are behind me, we don't have many kids where I live. I am tired of going to the grocery store or Wal-Mart and getting hit up every single time! I no longer donate to any of them, it is just out of control.

When I go in a store and the scouts are out there I will just toss them a dollar....its the same as buying 2 boxes of cookies only saves me 6.00!!
We had a man throw us a 20.00 bill last time, he didn't want cookies...it was great, the girls were so excited...just like selling FORTY boxes of cookies!!
I don't feel bad in the least hitting the neighbors up...we have lived here forever and I have bought things from all there kids for years and years...their kids are grown and gone now and mine is little so I send her to all those houses!

 

[Pigeon]

I don't do fundraisers either. Corporate America can sell its own overpriced crap. They aren't doing it using my kids as an unpaid salesforce.

I'm happy to support organizations I believe in, and our public schools are underfunded and use the money well for the most part.

I write a honking big check to the PTA on back to school night and I'm done. I did that this year, and the PTA guy was pretty confused, even after I explained it. He looked at the amount on my check, thanked me and tried to make me take some of the wildly overpriced wrapping paper. NOOOOOOOOO!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Here is my issue right now. My dd had the "sell magazines" fundraiser already.

I just went to the website and it states...

The magazine subscription fundraiser
is our largest, annual effort
each year. We receive 40 cents of
every $1 applied toward the program.
From the profits, we are
able to supply vital class funds for
all three grade levels and yearround​

teacher support.

OK, WTH does that mean? Tell me who is getting the money and what it is going for.

 

[golfgal]

Here is my issue right now. My dd had the "sell magazines" fundraiser already.

I just went to the website and it states...

The magazine subscription fundraiser
is our largest, annual effort
each year. We receive 40 cents of
every $1 applied toward the program.
From the profits, we are
able to supply vital class funds for
all three grade levels and yearround​

teacher support.

OK, WTH does that mean? Tell me who is getting the money and what it is going for.

I would say that this goes to funding classroom needs, supplies, etc. Our kids' old school did a magazine fundraiser, we raised over $90,000 doing this. It kept us from having to do a lot of little fundraisers throughout the year. This money was a line item on our school budget (Catholic School). We DID see 40% return-I chaired the drive for several years, I know. For us we get the magazines anyway and 99% of the magazines in the catalogue are the same price as what you would pay going through the magazine itself-the discounted price on the cards in the magazine, not the news stand price.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I would say that this goes to funding classroom needs, supplies, etc. Our kids' old school did a magazine fundraiser, we raised over $90,000 doing this. It kept us from having to do a lot of little fundraisers throughout the year. This money was a line item on our school budget (Catholic School). We DID see 40% return-I chaired the drive for several years, I know. For us we get the magazines anyway and 99% of the magazines in the catalogue are the same price as what you would pay going through the magazine itself-the discounted price on the cards in the magazine, not the news stand price.

OK, then tell me who is getting it.

I have been on the PTA in elementary school and it was a "clique" with certain teachers getting the money.

Is it my dd's French teacher getting any money or does she have to beg and then be turned down because she is not as important as the theater dept?

 

[golfgal]

OK, then tell me who is getting it.

I have been on the PTA in elementary school and it was a "clique" with certain teachers getting the money.

Is it my dd's French teacher getting any money or does she have to beg and then be turned down because she is not as important as the theater dept?

You could ask the school administration or the teachers themselves. PTA's are all cliques. Our fundraiser was not run by the PTA, it was a school function.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

You could ask the school administration or the teachers themselves. PTA's are all cliques. Our fundraiser was not run by the PTA, it was a school function.

Um, no. If you want me to sell provide the information.