Boycotting Fundraisers

I agree with you. Over the years (mine are 17 and 10 now) I've had to deal with this...at first jumping on bandwagons for school, soccer and scouts - all of which did fundraisers. I learned basically what you said, that companies are increasingly out to profit over this, making families run around and push things that are below standard quality, and they don't get enough out of it to warrant this. I've at the same time been on the Board's of several non-profit organizations and have learned even more about fundraising that actually has some tact, value, and works!

One good thing is Redmond HS has had a Pass the Hat at the beginning of the year which works well. However the elementary schools still try to get us going. I have kindly handed the paperwork/catalog back in for several years now with a note saying thanks, but would rather donate $ directly.

There are other good ways to get money I've mentioned to my son's school - like having the PTA join GoodSearch, which has supporters quickly and painlessly do their internet searching through a Yahoo search engine that contributes to them every time someone uses it. So far they have ignored this opportunity. It could raise thousands a year - for free!

Another decent one I will mention this coming year is to fundraise with the Chinook Book. It's a healthy entertainment type item which actually is very money saving and useful - and they will get a %.

Glad you brought this up! Let's make this change ;)

E.

I never allow my daughter to participate in school fund raisers. She is in school to get an education not to earn money for the schools.

I'm on my daughter's preschool co-op board and we recently discussed fundraising. We decided that we would give parents the option of donating money over the year totaling a certain amount if they chose not to participate in the fundraisers. You may want to approach the school board or administration with such a suggestion!

100% WITH YOU!!!

I would like to know also; what ever happened to car-washes, walk-a-thons, bake sales, used book sales, carnivals, etc.? For older children...how about some grant writing? Heavens know that that would be useful experience not only for college applications, but also for graduate funding. Nope. Nothing that the kids can work for...Just more and more and more Crap-for-Cash. And the kids who don't sell enough to "win" a limo ride, or a party for their class...that's EXACTLY what I want to teach and promote...a sense of failure & desperation to sell as much as they can as fast as possible. Screw hard work, fun, and learning. Time to become a door to door salesman darlings!! Remember! We get a PERCENTAGE!!! Hurray!!!!

Bah Humbug! :P

Z.

Way to go! I say enough to selling junk that others make money on. I do try to go to the events, though. My son's school had an "Art Show." They put up pictures kids had made (glued to a sheet of black paper to look like it was matted and ready to be framed), as well as 3-D art projects--and everything had a price tag. Some projects (especially for younger kids) were marked for purchase by family only. The kids knew where their projects were (grouped by teacher), so they could show off their work as well as admire everyone elses. Of course, we bought all of our son's pictures as well another kid's mobile he admired. The kids loved it! Even parents that hadn't been able to make it to the Art Show night came in over the next week to donate and pick up their kids pictures.

I understand your frustration. I also understand the need for fundraising in schools and sports. There are some better quality fundraisers, then some of the things I've seen sent home from school. My kids are active in sports, and I love the fundraisers where my kids actually have to work a little, like car washes, can drives, etc. Good luck in your quest!

I completely agree. I remember when I was in school and my parents would get so annoyed that they had to keep buying all this junk so that we didn't get into trouble. And since there is 6 kids in my family, it got a little expensive! And the reason I hate fundraisers is because you are paying money to these companies and only a small portion to the school. Like you said, if you pay the school $150..the school might actually be getting more money they need and those stupid companies distributing cheap products wouldn't get any money. Can you set up a conference with the school district? Good luck! And good for you for standing up for what you believe in!

As a PTA officer at my daughter's elementary school, I also lobbied against fundraisers selling "cheap junk from China" to no avail. Unfortunately, they work. But more importantly, they ended up being a way for lower income families to participate in the fundraising process. While they might be unable to write a check, they were able to solicit their friends and family to make purchases on behalf of their child. We did keep it to two catalog sales per school year and relied on a "No Bake Bake Sale" to solicit from the families who were more able to and comfortable with writing checks. Unfortunately, this method was not as lucrative as the catalog sales. We also tried an approach whereby students sent personalized notecards asking for donations from their extended family members. We got some responses, but again, not as much as we did with the sales. I guess most people prefer getting something for their donation. Since my husband works for the city (solicitation of co-workers is frowned upon--except for Girl Scout cookies) and I am self-employed, we ended up writing checks most of the time.

I agree and add another idea. Why do we as a society allow education to become a political nightmare like everything else? Children suffer from poor education, insufficient funding to get it done, cut programs, etc. while the "administrators" in school districts persist in wasting money, gathering huge salaries and bonuses (like people employed in the private sector get huge car allowances and reimbursements for transportation and miscellaneous expenses?) Double dipping in reimbursements, hiring outrageously expensive "communications experts" to make the community feel better about how our money is wasted, tearing down 20 year old buildings to completely rebuild to name just a few of the things that dont seem quite right to me. School districts persist insisting it costs $8,000+ per child per year to educate them. Funny, we homeschooling moms seem to be able to put together a more than ample curriculum for under $500 per child. I find it hard to believe that buildings, salaries and programs (if administered honestly and fairly) amount to $7,500 per child per year!!! Just a thought.

I agree completely about kids not being required to sell poor quality or unneeded stuff. Why pass most of the profit on to the marketer after all that work on the part of kids and parents? I've been roped repeatedly into trying to find ANYTHING in a catalog that I'd even keep for myself, much less give as a gift, and finally just bought some little something so kids at my church can go beg some other poor adult. And I really resent it, but know it's not the kids' fault.

Once my grandboy gets enrolled in school, I plan to do some strong lobbying against this practice. In the meantime, I write my congresspersons with some regularity about our nation's spending priorities. I'd like to see more funding for educating our kids now so that we can spend less on prisons later. I've done the research, and there is a direct correlation: each dollar spent on childhood educational programs prevents many dollars in expensive criminal correction.

Someday our kids will look at the policies and choices of previous generations (that's you and me, mamas) – and wonder what we were thinking.

Good Morning Ladies - I agree that so much of fundraiser items is junk & I throw all of that stuff away. I too would rather give a flat amount to school to avoid all the junk.

But another option that I could get behind was done at my son's private school (where funding is tighter) this last year they had a "Work-a-Thon". It was great (they said it will be their only fundraiser all year). The kids went to family & friends (always with parents) and not to everyone in the neighborhood. The kids asked people if they knew of people in the community that could use a little extra help around their house (due to medical condition, age, etc). The kids also asked family members if they would like to sponsor them for the Work-a-Thon (by hour - max 20 hours or flat amount). Then all the students (from K-8th grade of course with teachers & parents help) went out into the community & worked in people's yards (rake leaves, mow lawn, wash windows, pull weeds, etc). The kids learned good work habits plus learned about giving back to the community. They did this a few hours per week & took a month to reach everyone on their to do list. After they collected from the sponsors the kids wrote thank you notes to each person who donated. I think overall it went the best way, we parents were able to give with out getting junk & our kids learned good lessons along the way.

I agree that the items in the fundraisers are not worth the money most of the time....there are a few 'gems'

But instead of just boycotting, you could join the PTO and ask for more ideas. Why not a bakesale? Parents and kids could bake and donate their time and/or baked goods (donating time is sometimes easier for those on a tight budget) or ask for stuff for a school rumage sale.

Every year our school has a carnival. It isn't for fundraising, it is just for the kids so that they have a good time after all the hard work they put into school (it is near the end of the school year). Even though it is not done for a fundraiser, it raises a lot of money. There are carnival games (supervised by volunteers) and some blow up jumping thingys. They sell tickets for rides and games (5 for $1 before carnival day and 4 for $1) or bracelets for unlimited use ($12 before and $15 day of). The kids earn play dollars for playing the games that they can trade in on toys, probably all dollar store finds, but there are some cool toys too. There was a little pool table set last year that was a huge hit, of course some little rings and bracelets for the girls, glow sticks, etc. Even though it isn't done as a fundraiser we always have lots of profit from it so it could be.

Just an idea...Good luck!

I found your "request" quite humorous in a way.....I feel the same way and I am not even close for my son to start going to school. I remember when I went to school they just started the fundraising activities and such and we were so poor that my parents never supported it. We as parents have so much pressure and it is a constant fight/competition with society on what is socially correct and what is not. I agree that if parents would just donate (if they feel) $100.00 at the beginning of the year - my goodness - that would bring in a lot of money to "help" the schools. But then again there are so many bonds attached to the tax payers for the schools as is. Where is all the money really going anyhow? Anyway - I can go on and on....but - you made me smile. Thank you. Have a good day.

I'm a retired school teacher of 30 years; and a veteran of both ends of the fund-raising nightmare. I have believed for all of my career that school funding should come from state and federal: ALL OF IT. Whatever it takes to pay for ALL the education that children need; including the "frills" like musice, art, drama, and field trips of any stripe. I think that if you are going to be a non-fund-raising activist; go all the way. Don't subsidize the schools by any other means than your taxes normally do -- and kick your politicians in the backside and get them to do what is not only necessary, but right. It's time that we demanded that our country REALLY support our children by educating them well, without putting parents in the poorhouse while we're at it. Good for you.

Your suggestion--having families donate money--is exactly what my daughter's school PTA did this spring. Clearly enough families were disturbed by the frequent fundraising that PTA leadership heard our pleas. I encourage you to create a circle of (diplomatic)like-minded parents and make a point of attending school forums in full force. Your "circle" will grow into a small continent.

I'm a teacher, but I didn't become truly disturbed by the fundraisers until my daughter entered elementary school and became obsessed with all the fundraiser tchotchkes.

Good luck!

Sabra,

I agree with you. About the only fundraisers I buy into (pun intended) are the ones for family. The last one I did was for my nephew around easter. It's outrageous. I think it was $5 for a solid chocolate bunny that you could get at the store for half that. Then when you get it, it would make a better hockey puck than to eat.

I remember as a child doing a pizza sale for a fundraiser. I went around my neighborhood getting pre-orders for pizza's. Then after the time limit was up we all went in to school on a weekend with our parents and made the pizza's to be delivered. It was a lot of fun. It had to be, this happened nearly 20 years ago and I still remember it. This was kinda like the Papa Murphy's idea now. They were fresh made, ready to eat or could be frozen if desired.

Melissa

I absolutely agree. When I was in elementary school, my mother despised the "fundraisers" at our schools. Which by the way, those companys are making a killing.
I personally think an annual school rummage sale, car wash, kids carnival,walk-a-thon etc. are much greater ideas than sending your kids off (and moms) to solicite a bunch of junk. I actually think that the kids would get alot more out of the experience of planning and executing a fundraising event. It's never too early to teach your child the importance of a hard days work.

I agree! If you're not hit up at home then it's at your workplace. I understand the school's need additional funds but I'd rather give money than buy something I don't need. E.

We just came from a school that did take voluntary donations instead of doing lots of low quality fundraisers. The suggested donation was around $65, and we managed to cover a lot of our expenses that way. Those who couldn't afford to give were not obliged to, and some who could gave more.

We did still do several fundraisers during the year - a gala party for parents around holiday time, an art stroll in the spring (in which kids' art was sold, usually to doting parents and relatives), and specifically targeted fundraising, such as a Latin dance party and lessons to help support our world language program, and book fairs to help grow our library. So while there was still fundraising that had to be done, it was done mainly by the adults rather than the children, and it did not involve going door to door and selling sh**.

So it is possible to get away from the seemingly endless cycle of catalogs full of junk and kids being recruited as little salespeople. Unfortunately, though, in a school that depends on public money, the need to raise more to provide a quality education is still there. With motivated, involved parents, it can be done. But it shouldn't have to be.

I wonder what would happen if every school in a district were to time the crappy fundraisers to happen when the legislature is in session? We could take the kids and their catalogs full of junk on a field trip to the state house and senate office buildings to solicit all of our fine elected officials. What would happen to school funding if a different district descended on the capitol every week for an entire session? Just a thought...

Hi,
Yes, I think the fundraisers have gotten to be a little too much. I'm selective about the ones I support. most of the Sally Foster paper, etc. is high quality. A better way, if you can get parents to buy into it, is scrip. These are gift cards that don't cost anymore than the value of the card, but the school gets a % (2-8% usually) from the company. The school has to be a participating school, so it does take some coordinating. At my daughter's school, you can order on line, then take the check and print out to the school to pay. There are tons of gift card choices. I have heard of schools that made thousands of dollars, if families actively participate, and realize that they can use the gift cards for normal purchases (like at the grocery store), not just for gifts.
J.

Agree 100%, and I was a public school teacher for nine years. I knew how desperate the school was for money but I hated the time it took up in my classroom, we had too much to accomplish. I did exactly as you suggested this year, signed a one time donation check and threw away every fundraiser packet set home with not one ounce of guilt. It's better for the school, they get 100% of the money instead of just a portion of sales. I feel a lot better about that than eating cookie dough or wrapping presents!

Hi,
I do not feel right asking my friends to buy things for fundraisers. I am a young parent and alot of my friends do not have childeren yet and we are all starting out in life trying to save money and get ahead. Although, I do enjoy supporting school auctions or a "jog a thon". I agree I would love to give a donation at the start of the year to avoid fundraisers.
Take care,
Lenc
Mom of 2 girls :)

Yes there are many fund raisers out there, and most of them are not worth the stuff you buy.
I have seen some schools have you just donate the money you would spend on that stuff to your PTA directly. And it is tax deductible.
There are also fundraisers such as walk a thon's or read a thon's or auctions. You can have a yard sale, or sale space in the gym for a craft fair at the holidays. So Think outside of the box.
Because schools are not funded the way they should be PTA / PTO / and Booster picks up where funding leaves off. And then there is the ASB in the school. So at my local school we have 1 PTA fundraiser and 1 ASB. Everyone assumes it is all PTA.

Our Local PTA pays for so much. Not just playground equipment. We have paid for books, The Passport program, field trips, and so much more.

I just finished my 2 year term as the region director for our local area in PTA. I have seen PTA's step outside the box in many ways.
There was one PTA that set up a table by Safeway for donations. We have a couple that have craft fairs at the holiday. And one that sets up the craft fair with a cost max on it, so that the kids can shop there instead of at a holiday shop.

I have seen food events. Round Table Pizza on Marvin Road will do a fundraiser where all you have to do is advertise it and they give the school a % for that day sales. I have even seen them let you sale discount cards in the lobby, while giving a % to the school. It was very successful for our Jr high.

So, yes you can boycott the fundraiser, but think outside of the box for what you can do to help your PTA/PTO/Booster.

Oh my gosh, I totally agree!!! My son is only 3 and has already been given at least 2 fundraiser packets per year from his daycare! I mean seriously, he can barely talk and they want him to find people to buy junk from him??!!! I also remember when I was in school doing these silly fundraisers, for junky prizes, and hating going door to door to try to raise money. My folks always tried to help but they also weren't going to pester their co-workers for money!

The one thing my dance team found that worked was regular pop can drives. We would go door to door in our warm up uniforms and ask people for donations of the pop cans in their garages. Worked wonders! We got lots of money and people were always glad to not have to take their cans back to the store themselves!!! I know I now just recycle my cans instead of taking them back for the deposit.

Another thing that worked great when I was in HS was a coin drive. Basically each class had a bottle or can that they filled with loose change, over the course of like 2 weeks. When the time was up, the class with the most got a pizza party or ice cream party, along with bragging rights! This was so easy, and who doesn't have a little bit of change lying around!?

Maybe suggesting to your sons school a few higher quality fundraisers would be a help. The Entertainment books, (coupon books targeted for the area in which you live) are great because they literally pay for themselves when people use just one or two coupons and there are hundreds of coupns in them. I always got one for the Portland-Vancouver area when I lived there and now miss them as we live in the boonies!! It was always something I could actually use and didn't feel like I got some bunch of junk to try to figure out what to do with!

Good luck on your boycott!!! Maybe you could just give your cash donation when the fundraisers come around. If you really want to support the schools, that's probably a better way to do it anyway!!!

Sandra,
I completely agree with you! I am a school teacher and I am so thankful every year that our school does not do those crummy fundraisers from other companies. We do two fundraisers each year that are 100% kid friendly and almost 100% profit- a jog-a-thon and a carnival. The jog-a-thon is our big money maker, the carnival I think we barely break even on, but it's so much fun for the families we continue with it every year!
The jog-a-thon does require the kids to go out and ask friends and family to "pledge" them but they have to set a goal of how many laps they want to run and try their darndest to achieve that goal. They are asking for money, but almost every penny of it goes into the school, minus what went out for the juice and snack after they run and the prizes. And then they get to run their little hinies off to earn that money.
The carnival doesn't require asking for money, but parents do have to purchase tickets to play the games and there is food and drinks as well.
Anyway, I love your thought on having parents that are able donate a small amount at the beginning of the year, but let me tell you, that would never fly! We tried that on my team one year. The year before we had asked parents for money for this field trip and that field trip and this monthly newspaper and this project, etc. The parents complained about being "nickeled and dimed" all year. So, the next year we figured out ahead of time what the total cost would be, approximately and asked for $20, period. We got about half of it! It was interesting to us how they paid it when it was in small increments, even though they complained about it but when we asked for it in one fell swoop, they didn't all pay.
Thanks for your comments!
M.

I can see where you are coming from. Everything costs far more than it is worth. However, from a school employee's standpoint, the fundraisers are for the extra things, the field trips and other fun things, that the state does not pay for. I love the idea of the donation, but from experience I can say that about 3% of the families will help with that. Also, even if the material people pay for is cheap, most of the people who buy from fundraisers are willing to help out because they "get something in return."
Good for you, though, for a) not doing it in place of your son, and b) standing your ground on this. Not everyone needs to do it and I can totally relate. Every student wants me to buy from them and I just can't do it. It's not reasonable... soap box... Anyway, just say no. It's okay.

I do agree fundraising can be annoying... especially if a school is doing 6 a year. Unfortunately fundraising is a must. And many people.. especially these days.. want something for their money.

I sent my kids to a private school for 9 years. They did ONE major fundraiser a year that I was involved in. It was a letter campaign - the students and their families provided names and addresses of friends and relatives that a newsletter was sent to asking for donations. There are a couple of other SMALL scale fundraisers and this helps keep the school afloat. I don't know if this is practical for a public school.

I now have all my kids in public school and I was so amazed at what the PTA did. I understand there are some good PTAs and some poorly run PTAs and I guess my first exposure was a spoiled one.. I had not realized just how much the PTA did for the kids and the school. They do some fundraisers I don't care for and others I am okay with. When Christmas comes around.. I just consider who is on my gift list and have that come out of my Christmas budget.

The PTA will always accept donations if someone wants to make one. I did this last year... I was no longer paying school tuition and was used to donating money to the school on top of that. so it was not a big deal. Perhaps more PTAs need to adopt a letter campaign encouraging those who want to donate funds rather than buy cheap plastic stuff or candy they don't want to do that.

In fact, you have helped me brainstorm an idea for this next school year. I was elected secretary for this year's school PTA and I think I might bring this idea before the board. I don't know if such a campaign is "legal" within the school district standards or what.. but it might be worth addressing to see if we can do it. Many people would prefer it and perhaps if the letter is right, we can get more people to help out (like the ones who don't want to buy stuff)

So - for those of you that boycott fundraisers but wouldn't mind donating money to help a good cause.. contact your school's PTA and say "I want to make a donation." or just do it and write your check out to the school's PTA.

I agree with you. The fund raisers during which you sell overpriced stuff doesn't teach the students anything positive.

I suspect that the reason we don't have bake sales, car washes, etc is related to issues of liability. I know that one cannot sell baked goods or food most of the time because the person handling the food has to have a food handler's license and the food has to be prepared in an approved kitchen. All food brought into the classroom, for example a birthday party, has to be purchased. It cannot be home made.

Walk-a-thons are possible. My granddaughter's school has a Run for the Arts run every year. We gather pledges. You can also just donate a set amount. Everyone has lots of fun. Even some of the teachers run. Every one gets a healthy snack, that has been donated, at the end of the run. Every student who has obtained a certain number (I think it's 10) of pledges or donations gets a Run-for-the-Arts T-shirt. Run-for-the-Arts is a national organization. Becauseof the prizes I suspect that they do get some of the money. However the school gets several hundred dollars to use for art projects.

I don't think we had fund raisers when I was a kid 50 or so years ago. When I was teaching high school 40 years ago we may have had one or two so that a particular organization could earn some money. The schools were funded with taxes. And I do think the schools were much better then. The focus was on teaching. Teachers had the supplies that they needed.

I was surprised when my granddaughter started Kindergarten that the parents supply all the day to day tools; paper, crayons, pencils, glue, kleenex etc which are then put in the supply cupboard. When I was in school each student did supply their own tools which they kept in their desk or for high schoolers in their lockers. Because the tools belonged to them I suspect they took better care of them than students do today.

At the end of the school year these supplies disappear and the class starts out with all new supplies.

Because I haven't been involved in keeping track of supplies I don't know if this system is less efficient but it certainly seems so. Each student brings in more of each item then they would personally use in a school year. And they start over each fall. Scissors that should still be quite useable aren't there. Each child brings a new pair to put in the "pot. Same with rulers. My granddaughter is still using, at home, the same crayons that she got as a preschooler. She's entering the third grade.

Well there's my rant added to my agreement that fund raisers should teach children something and that all of the profit goes to the school.

Hi there,
I agree with 99% of what you're saying. I was the PTA Fundraising Co-chair at my school 3 years ago, and we started our very first "Pass the Hat" fundraiser that year. We had a few parents who were very skeptical about the PTA asking outright for $100/family for the year when the family gets "nothing" in return, but surprise! There were A LOT of parents who wanted to do that, in lieu of the typical fundraisers (as you've described). On top of the "100% of your donation goes directly to the PTA/school," parents could get their donation matched by their employer, if the employer participated in such a program. So now we were getting "free" money too.

Now I can't say we should boycott all fundraisers completely. There are some that, when you understand the circumstances, just need to be done. For example, at my kids' school, the 5th graders go off to camp in the late spring. A cookie dough fundraiser is done to help offset the costs of camp. Since camp is not a mandatory event, of course the school district isn't going to pay for it. Parents shouldn't be expected to cover the entire cost of it either and yes, parents have the option of not sending their child to camp (by the way, our PTA donates limited funds to help subsidize costs for families in need). So I see when fundraisers are needed, but in these cases, one important issue is WHAT is being sold. It needs to be worth the effort, right? And I agree ... it is the parents who seem to do the selling, but I've always told my kids they need to put just as much effort into the selling as my husband and I do. So, selling something worth buying, explaining the cause to the buyer, and putting worth the necessary effort, (I'm sure I'm leaving something out) ... these can make fundraisers worth doing.

No doubt I've overlooked obvious other points to argue or defend, but I am trying to keep this short. I love your arguments though. Thanks for sharing!

Remembering my own experiences from childhood, I always hated those fundraisers! My parents would buy an item and then be done with it; we weren't allowed to sell to anyone else.
Now that I'm a classroom teacher in a well-funded public school district, I see how necessary these fundraisers are! Even in a well-funded district, our supplies are so limited and get run down fast because so many kids use them! We have a generous PTSA in our building which does classroom grants for any teachers who need up to $200 in maaterials for their classroom we write an easy grant form and provide them with a receipt. We appreciate it because they don't place strict limits on how we can use the $$ and they aren't buying unnecessary items for our building.

If you truly are disappointed with the PTA's choice of fundraiser for your child's school, and you understand and want to help your child's school-- get involved with the fundraising chair of your PTA. It might not even be necessary to "take on" a role, just talk to whomever the chair is and ask them about their selection process of which fundraiser they do. Maybe find a few other parents who feel similarly and ask for a meeting with the PTA. The school's office manager can probably help you find the right person to contact. Research alternatives. I know some science teachers in our school used this site to get some gear (thermometers and other lab materials) and were very successful: http://www.donorschoose.org/homepage/main.html Basically they write a proposal for something they need and provide the link to it in their newsletter and see what happens. This way the parents could contribute directly to a class or not. Most teachers don't know about this site, so you could even mention it to your child's teacher.

It is hard to appreciate the fundraising when it seems like the items are so junky or only relevant to a slim portion of the population.

I have never brought these to work. My policy is that the child needs to ask for the donations. Usually, we just ask family members, it works for us, because they have fundraiser too for their school so it is kind of like a trade off. The part that makes me angry is that the kids that sell a certain amount get to go on fun activities (at least at our school) like take a limo ride, or go to the indoor swim pool etc. That is where the pressure for me comes in, because of course no parent wants their child left out. I also think it is unfair because our school is in a wealthy neighborhood and gets plenty of money for every fundraiser, to me this just doesn't seem right for the schools that have parents that don't make enough money,then they don't have the same quality things that my daughter does. The one good thing about our school is that we only have two fundraisers a year. But, I agree, there just has to be a better way. P.S. Many workplaces are adapting the same policy as your friends.

As for the school supplies that have to be brought in every year, I have really liked my school's policy. Every child just gives the school a check for $25 if they can. The teachers are actually given their spending money at the end of the school year, so that they can shop for what their class needs during the summer, and when they find things on sale. The school agrees, that they don't need scissors every year etc. This has also helped me a lot because I don't have to do any of the shopping!

Where do I begin? I moved to Portland not too long ago from a small town in WA where there were THREE fundraisers a year. One was a fun run where everyone got involved. Parents attended and often ran with the children, the teachers ran - it was a huge deal and the school netted about $40,000. One other was a sock hop social and art auction (student projects) and then the third was a used book sale. All very doable and no one was left having to peddle junk. The school my daughters attend here in Portland had a very wonderful and profitable auction this year but the work that's involved in one of these is insane and puts a great deal of pressure on the families that agree to be in charge.

When did having children in public school become a full-time job? Between volunteering in the classroom, fundraising, assisting with fieldtrips, etc., many families, especially those with two working parents, are left with less and less actual "family time" which is ultimately what our children need most.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that there are ways to raise funds for schools and there is a need there (let's not forget there are many low income families benefit from assistance with after school and enrichment programs). But let's keep it sane and have our children involved in the process and/or implement a donation system. I'm with you girl!

I agree, I find them very frustrating. I'm a high school teacher and every year I get tons of requests from students to buy things (Pizzas, wreaths, oranges, candles....), or sponsor them in a some athletic activity. I have made it a policy to say no to all my students.

As a science teacher, there are a lot of labs I'd do if I had the funds. If I want to do any cool "Hands-on" activities with my students I have to buy things out of my own pocket. In any given year I spend a few hundred dollars out of my pocket on stuff for my classroom. I know that I'm not alone on this--I think most teachers do. Now that I have my own family to take care of, and with the cost of food/gas going up, I can't afford to buy lab supplies out of my own pocket. Every year I send home a letter to parents with basic things they can donate to my class--supplies for various labs we do during the year (batteries, balloons, etc.) Some parents are wonderful and go out and buy stuff for me. Most don't. So if I can't do it with what I have in my room already, I don't do it anymore.

I'd suggest that if you don't support the fundraisers (which I don't blame you), then I'd donate money directly to your child's classroom teacher to spend on supplies throughout the year. This has the greatest benefit to your child, and most teachers can set up an account through the school accounting office. (I have an account with the activities office and I have used donated funds to buy everything from GPS units to an earthquake shake table).

My 5 year old is entering K in the fall and I am bracing myself for fundraisers. I taught elementary school for 7 years and saw the fundraisers from a different perspective. I don't think it's realistic to get rid of fundraisers, and I know parents who can't afford the up front donation. I am hoping to see a better quality fundraiser. Maybe that will be my job :) It's sad a public school needs fundraisers, but if you've ever been involved in school budgeting, you'll see the need. For me it boils down to; what do we want our kids to learn, and how can we get the resources to teach them? To that end, it's up to us parents to bring in quality fundraisers, certainly not candy and cookie dough. Anyone have any ideas?

I'm with you 100%. So far I did participate in 2 Preschool fundraisings but we had the money option. I just wrote the check. We don't have family around here, my husband is the boss at work and he won't even let me mention doing it there and all my friends are in the same crab. And the kids, they didn't even know that we did a fundraise...

I agree with you for the most part about fundraisers.

I have other reasons as well. When I was younger, we did one fund raiser a year, we, the children, were encouraged to go out and sell the wares but we were also drilled about safety and the proper way to do things. My parents got involved but I did the work. I have had several children come to my door, most with no parent in sight. Some of these kids are not polite (even the ones whose parent are there) and I am usually the one to guide them through making sure they have my name and number and the information is correctly entered on the form.
On more than one occassion, I ordered from a child in the neighborhood, gave them my money and never saw the product. When I confronted them, they forgot they came to my house, never placed the order, don't have the money, etc.

Though I believe parents should, get involved and contribute what they can- I believe this to be true more about their time than their money- we pay taxes and this is what is supposed to go towards educating our children. More importantly, I believe the children should be taught better work ethics- let them make something and put on a sale, let them do carwashes- something where they are organized to actually do something productive and learn a skill and a lesson in economics.

I thought I was the only one to hate fund raisers! When my daughter was in middle school and a member of the drill team there was yet another fund raiser for new uniforms. We were so tired of them by then as we also have a son seven years older. We went to the drill instructer and asked how much a uniform costs. She said about $75, we wrote out a check and we were done with it. I agree with you. In WA state the lottery was supposed to pay for the schools so why are we still doing fund raising? I have seven grandchildren so you can imagin how much I have to shell out each year and that doesn't inclued the dance and gym fund raisers for the trips out of town. I like your idea of paying at the beginning of the year but my daughter has four kids so that would be quite a load for them. They already have to buy a grocery bag full of stuff that the school used to supply like kleenex and glue. I wish we could find a solution.
K.

I am totally there with you. Nothing is more important to me than my children's education and the quality of their school programs- but I will not do these fund raisers for the very reason you state. Last year, I had a kindergartner and went into the office and complained about the fund raiser assembly, classroom competitions, and prominent displays promoting the fund raiser in the halls and classroom. It was emotionally traumatizing to my 5-year old that we did not participate.

I want to make it clear that I do support my children's schools (all three of them). I volunteer in each of their classrooms on a regular scheduled basis, chaperon field trips, help with special activities, etc. I have also joined all the PTA's, and I do send in a cash donation each year.

One fund raiser I can get excited and participate in is our annual school auction. We always contribute a service and always bid on the services others offer that we can use. This is a labor intensive project- but it has been extremely successful at our school. In fact next year, the only fund raiser they will be doing is the auction. So apparently others agree with me

Hi Sabra, fundraisers are a great way for companies to make money. When I first began my home based business, (selling a line of products that I truly do think are great, made by a certain company), I was told that fundraisers are a great way to promote my business and of course, I could decide if I wanted to give my entire profit to the fundraiser or keep some of it for my services. Well, I never felt comfortable keeping any profit from a fundraiser so I never did and I have done fundraisers for anyone and everyone who has asked me to. Those people have been very happy with the amount of money raised every time. When my first born started school, I approached the school about doing a fundraiser for them. I showed them that I would make nothing during the fundraiser and that the entire profit (50% of the sales) would go to them. I explained that I believed it was worth my time to do so because I believed whole heartedly that I was selling a great product and I expected that I would increase my regular clientele by selling my products in a fundraiser for the school. They said, "no." The reason didn't make much sense to me, but what do I know. They said that they prefer to sell the other items, even though they do not get anywhere near 50% of the sales for the school, because they have been using the same fundraising company for over 5 years and if they agreed to do a fundraiser with me, then that would open the door to other parents in the community wanting to do fundraisers for the school and they don't have enough people in the school working on the fundraisers to screen everyone's products. Well, I didn't go to college and I barely graduated from high school, so I'm not smart enough to understand the reasoning behind the bs that they told me, so I just figure they were blowing me off. The way I see it is this: If the schools don't bother to support the parents in the community who are trying to make ends meet and still be home with their kids, then we SHOULD boycott these fundraiser companies that are taking our home based businesses away from us and in doing so, maybe we can get our Tupperware parties and Avon ladies back and maybe even find out that there are some dads out there selling state of the art tools or barbecue gadgets at a fundraising gadget gathering. (A gadget gathering for men is what I would consider the equivalent of a tupperware party for women. As far as I know there is no such thing....yet.) Anyway, I like your idea of just donating some money to the school. That way the school gets 100% and the companies selling cheaply made products get exactly what their products are worth. Zero.

Love it, you are so right on. I am tired of having these kids worry about money at their school and being pitched to win-win and go-go to ask anyone they can for money - or they don't get a prize at school. It is a ridiculous way of raising kids in a school to be worried that they have to meet an expectation of money or look bad in front of everyone else. And who needs expensive wrapping paper? A donation at the start of each year is a great idea.

I am right there with you. I have long felt that despite public school being free, we are still "paying" through these fundraisers. Personally. I hate asking people for money, and my son isn't even in school yet. I feel that each family who has a child in school should be asked to make a yearly (or broken into monthly) donation based on their income level. If your income is below a certain level, you don't pay. Otherwise, it's a teeny tiny percentage of your income. Doesn't that seem easier and more fair?

At our various schools (elementary, middle and high school) we have tried the 3 minute fundraiser where we have mailed home a request for money to help fundraise. $10 or $15 directly to our PTA is far more cost and time effective than having our kids (or us) peddle products that few people really need or want but buy out of guilt or obligation to the child (ie grandparents). Just a thought, some years it's very effective, other years not so. Times like these in our economy call for creative ways to bridge the funding gaps in our schools and other organizations that focus on kids.

Miss B.: I agree with you totally. I am also for the $100 at the start of the year. Unfortunately, there are people out there who actually like doing this. I know of one woman, I think she is somewhat lonely and this is a opportunity for her to socialize. Sad, but apparently her only time to get out and about. Thanks..

I never thought about it that way but I agree with you. The only thing I think a little differently about is the walk-a-thon, which my son really enjoys and 100% of which does go to the school since there is nothing to sell. I also like the idea of bake sales with baked goods donated by parents.

It would not be a bad idea for the school to send home a donation option at the beginning of the year. I for one do not want to sell anything for the fundraisers and even though my son does, I have a big problem letting him go knock on the doors of strangers, Usually it's just family and a couple friends and/or neighbors who buy anything.

My son's school only sells frozen cookie dough and has no catalog of stuff thank goodness. It doesn't help however that they give the kids prizes for selling lots of it. It makes me feel guilty not selling or buying it myself and I would rather make my own cookies. (even though the frozen stuff is faster and actually really good - that's not the point!)

Sabra,

I agree with you about the majority of companies that do school "fundraising" with their cheap low-quality products and their high profit margin for themselves. Essentially, in business, it is standard for the wholesale price to a retail outlet to be 50% of the sales price. The store, for example, then marks up the price to the 100% level and receives a small profit after overhead for the store/employees/etc are taken into consideration. In the case of a fundraiser, the provider of the product gets ALL the same profit they would anyway, and the school eliminates most overhead cost because it is parent volunteers who provide the "retail outlet"--it's not a bad deal for either side and nothing wrong with it per se, but usually the products are lousy.

My daughters attend a public charter school based on Waldorf methods of education. Waldorf focuses on helping the child to incoroporate the natural world around them into their growth and learning, as well as utilizing "whole child" developmental patterns to determine how and when to introduce new learning. With this in mind, our school only does a few fundraisers that actually involve selling products--and they are arranged through local companies that sell very high quality items that fit the Waldorf theme. For example, we always do an early spring fundraiser with a local organic seed company for all the gardeners in our school and their friends and families. People get a discount on seeds they would buy anyway, and the profits are going partially to the school they love. Another is the local "Chinook Book" which is a coupon book oriented towards natural products, local health food stores, and various theaters and museums. The book costs $20, and a person can immediately use coupons for $30 off ANY purchase at the most popular local grocery store a block away from the school. The buyer makes $10 per book and the school gets $10 as well! On top of that, there are all kinds of coupons that people actually can use for healthful products.

But the best fundraisers are the ones the kids do themselves.
Our school has a weekly bake sale on Friday afternoons--everyone loves getting a cookie or a brownie for fifty cents right after school and it's just a fun little end of the week gathering. We sell note cards and calendars made from artwork done by the children at the school each year--they are just kept in the office and advertised in the weekly newsletter. When a class has a need for money for a class trip--the 8th grade, for example, goes on a trip of their choice at the end of the year--they do things like hold a family dinner and talent show--families pay $8 per family for a spaghetti dinner and a show in the decorated cafeteria. A huge yard sale is held. A car wash. A chocolate feast. That sort of thing.

Instead of soliciting organizations for money, they solicit for supplies for these things--something most local businesses are happy to help with.

There is a local pizza place with a stage area that has regular shows--once a year, our school has a fundraiser there with acts from our school community--several parents are members of bands or other performing groups and some of the kids are.

At holiday time, the kids make wreaths and sell them in the neighborhood near the school. They are beautiful. My daughter's high school band has a Christmas tree sale (of course, we live in Western Oregon, where many of the trees are farmed for the nation)

In addition, at the beginning of the year, instead of having the parents all run out and buy their own school supplies--crayons, pencils, paper, etc--the school asks each family to provide $75 per child for supplies. Then the school uses that money, pooled together, to purchase really high quality supplies in bulk for all the children to use. That way, the kids have the best possible art supplies, for example, and have exactly what teachers want them to have for their classes, without parents having to spend so much on junk that may not actually be what the child will use.

I realize not all of these ideas can be incorporated into every school setting--mainly because of the insurance rules of large district schools. But I thought I'd put them out there to remind people that there are other ways to raise funds.

I agree with you. We even had a Cub Scout pack HEAVILY push popcorn sales. Small kids should not have that burden.

Hey Sabra!
I'm so sorry that you feel that way about fundraisers. My children are not quite school age yet so I have not had the pleasure of dealing with this subject yet. However, I am a consultant with The Pampered Chef and we do a lot of fundraisers! The great thing about our fundraisers is that the people buying product get to shop out of our regular catalog of wonderful quality kitchen products that they are already familiar with! If you are familiar with our products you know that we do not sell cheap holiday wrap and plastic tasting cookie dough (I agree with you on that, by the way). I have two nieces that are school age and have bought products from these other fundraising companies! I would love to tell you more about the opportunity to change the way your school does fundraising because I think you are right. There is also a lot more earning potential for the school from our fundraiser. We are not in it to make a ton of money, let me assure you. When the sales are under $600, the school would get 10% of it. When they reach $600 or more (which is usually what's common in fundraisers) it bumps up to 15%! We could also do a fundraiser cooking show so it would be a lot more fun than just passing around a catalog. Let me know what you think. I would love to toss around some ideas with you. I don't mean to solicit to you, but I wanted to let you know that there is an alternative to the cheap products out there from fundraising companies! Please feel free to contact me: ###-###-#### or ____@____.com the way, I would donate a percentage of my own commission as well.

Box Tops and Soup labels: these two programs can bring in very much needed cash for your school. This is what I concentrate on. I am already purchasing the products I need and using them, and occasionally, can pick up etxras from family or friends that don't need them.

Hi Sabra,
While my son isn't to the school-age yet, I can't comment on the quality of the products, but I will say this.

When I was a kid, my school did several fundraisers and we sold World's Finest Chocolate - it's the best! It's a great treat and an easy sell at $1/bar.... but that's not my point.

My mom took me and my brother and we sold the candy door-to-door for an hour or so after school and it was the biggest rush for me. It was a HUGE self-esteem boost for the timid child that I was. I learned a lot of important lessons by selling those candy bars.

I learned to not take "no" personally, and boy was it exciting when we got a "yes"! It was extremely hard for me to go to people's doors and ask a stranger to buy them, but the "yes" made it all worth it. It really pushed me out of my comfort zone and I think it was a super beneficial experience for me!

Sabra B,
I had to laugh when I read your post. I dread when the kids bring home those fundraising catalogs of cheap stuff. The kids beg and beg me to buy stuff so they can earn the "prizes" equally as cheap. It drives me crazy. I told them last year that I was not buying nor selling anything and I was sorry. The kids were not happy but go over it. Our PTA asks for a $5 donation every year per child and I give to that. The only decent fundraiser that I have seen and would be happy to be a part of is where people buy different "gift cards" for Sears, Target, grocery stores, food places, etc. You pay $20.00 for a $20.00 gift card and the store donates anywhere from 5%-25% to the school. That is something useful! My nephews high school band does that for a fundraiser and I thought that was great. Very practical and you know you are getting your moneys worth! So until my kids' school changes to something like that I will just be throwing out the cheap products catalog the kids bring home!

Cindy

I agree so many of the fundraisers are not worth the money -- flimsy paper that just gets ripped up, candy and cookie dough that goes to your hips and tastes awful, items that need to be kept cold or they spoil before you can get them home. I saw someone mentioned Pampered Chef was a good one. I agree they have quality items.

On that note, I want to let you know that Tuppeware also does fundraisers. And the fundraising organization gets to keep 40% of the total. Tupperware has been around for 60 years. They have a lifetime guarantee. Every time the customer/supporter uses that item they will remember your organization, thus, increasing the chances of future support. There is minimal work for the fundraising organization as the Tupperware consultant places the orders, then receives, bags and labels the merchandise with the customers name. The fundraising organization has only to hand out the flyers/order forms/envelopes, collect them at the end of the fundraising period, then hand out the product after the Tupperware consultant prepares it for delivery. Because Tupperware is so well known as a quality product, the supporters don't have to wonder if they are wasting their money on "junk".

Yes, you could ask for cash instead. But as some have mentioned, most people want something tangible in return or they won't give. Besides, if you have a quality product for a fundraiser, it's more fun than just giving money.

As you probably surmised, I am a Tupperware Consultant. However, I am here "by accident" -- I just wanted to organize my pantry with a quality product that I could be sure I could add on to over the years. Tupperware is the best option I found.

If you or anyone else has any questions, please feel free to contact me.

C. L. Apple
###-###-####
____@____.com
www.my.tupperware.com/CrystalApple

I agree with your thoughts on the tasteless items offered as fundraisers. I agree a donation would be prefered- $ or time through the year. I think schools can come up with more creative ways.

Hi Sabra,
My kids are too little as of yet, but we have a couple of kids in our neighborhood in the 5/6 grades. I have been a good neighbor and bought magazines, cookie dough and chocolates. I am surprised to hear that the fundraising companies discourage the kids from peddling the stuff, but it does make sense (we live in a small gated community, so it's okay here, but I'd never send my kids out in the rest of the town!) I have also been the recipient of magazines at work to support co-workers kids, and I never liked it; feeling obligated to my good friends.

So, yes, I am with you! I've often thought if every American sent $5 in the mail, we wouldn't even have an issue with funding our schools.

Now that you have this great idea of donating X amount instead of paying these fundraising companies... What do we do about it? Have you checked out Momsrising.org? These women are actively changing the way our government does things. Now how can we local Seattle moms change the way our public schools handle such things?

I'm sure many of us will jump aboard with support!

I think that you are right on that. Unfortunately not everyone can afford that, but even if we all just gave $10 a month or whatever. One thing our school did was sell cookies after school and that brought in a lot of money. Everyone loves cookies and they didn't need to go door to door. Also if anyone does want to do a fundraiser they can do and Avon fundraiser through me and I can give 20% to 35% of sales (depending on how much sells. Just send me a message to let me know.

Oh I hear you - the magazine one seems to knock on my door the most. First off...I don't want anymore mags and am trying to wean them out and second...your pay way more through them then you would a normal subscription! It leaves a bad taste in my mouth and towards the kid...when it isn't their fault at all.

I totally agree! That is a great idea, to just donate money at the beginning of the year. I cannot stand the fundraising stuff! I usually just buy a bunch from my child and call it good. I can't bother my neighbors anymore.

I understand where you are coming from. My children are older but for the most part it is still the same old fund raisers. I buy when I need or can use something and I pass it to a couple of friends and leave it at that. There are better and different options out there but someone has to be willing to gather the information and take it to the people who decide on the Fund raisers. Don't feel like you have to participate in every or any fund raisers. There are more of us out here that feel exactly how you do.

Hi Sabra

I totally agree with you about most fundraisers. Usually the products are overpriced for the quality/quantity that you get in addition to the food products (like cookie dough) being unhealthy for families who are trying to limit the sugar and fat in their diets.

Some schools have gone to just asking for a donation, but a fundraiser can be a good way of getting some funding and support from people in the community around the school who don't currently have children in school to help broaden the base of support.

The problem is that the PTAs need to use better products that most people use at a price that is competitive with similar quality products that they buy anyway. The PTAs sometimes get too stuck on the profit margin needing to be over 40-50% which guarantees that the products will usually be over-priced. It would be better to earn a slightly lower profit margin and sell something that is of high quality and competitively priced.

I am a distributor for a clean- burning natural vegetable wax candle company which has a fantastic fundraising program. The 16oz jar candles that are usually used for fundraisers are priced competitively with "Brand Y" and other nationally known brands.

The profit margin is 30-40% but the candles are a high quality product at a reasonable price instead of being overpriced.

The people who buy the candles love them and often call the fundraising organization to ask if they will be selling them again so it really works well as an annual fundraising event that people in the community look forward to.

Feel free to contact me if you would like more information.

V. S. G.
http://www.bellamiacandle.com

Amen, Sister! If the schools were to simply ask for donations, they would get to keep every penny of it. As it is, they only get to keep a portion of the fund-raiser dough. Whatever happened to the old spaghetti feeds, school carnivals, and the like? Are there just not enough parents willing to help with such things anymore? Sad.