School Fundraiser: What do I do??? - Page 2

[Shenjall]

ah fundraising. With 5 kids in school, it sucks for us. One year worked out 'cause everyone was selling something different; cheese for one (locally made); pizza for one; seasonings for one (local again) and chocolate for one. But this year? All chocolate!

My 5 yr old got his "mandatory" 10 boxes at his parent teacher interview! He hadnt even started school yet! My junior high kids came home on their second day with 30 boxes each. My elementry kid will come home today with his 10 and thankfully, my high school kid just said no. :LOL

But back to the OP, we've bought one or two for each kid and left it at that. They each have 2-3 fundraisers a year, so we also dont buy for each one. The local products we will (and the local ones we give our extended family the OPTION of buying - we ask, not the kids, dont want any guilt purchase) but the others, we dont. Since I'm not prepared to join the PTA here, its the best we can do. Well, I have to admit, I AM a sucker for those worlds finest chocolate almonds.....

[Irishmommy]

Our school does a danceathon in October, usually on Halloween, so the kids are in costume. You can get sponsors for that, but I just write a cheque. They also sell poinsettas at Christmas, have a cake raffle (donated cakes) on Valentine's day, and they have pizza day every other week. It's not so bad, and there is no pressure to contribute.

[momsgotmilk4two]

[QUOTE=2GR8

Part of me would love to sell this junk door to door and, when someone gives me grief, tell them to VOTE TO RAISE TAXES, for heaven's sake. Oh well.[/QUOTE]

Actually, I do, every time it comes up on the ballot. I ALWAYS vote in favor of more money for the schools. And yet I can't afford to buy from every child in the neighborhood. I would rather donate $5 to your child than buy an item I don't need for $10, with only $5 or less actually going to the school though.

It is not the PTA's fault, I agree. I was just reading an article on this yesterday. They are trying to buy much needed supplies for the school. Our PTA appears to have many non selling fundraisers. This is my first year so I'm not sure what we'll have. I do know that our first fundraiser is a jog a thon. The other problem is that while parents hate the selling fundraisers, many times when asked to write a check, even if they have voted in favor of it, they don't come through with it ,for whatever reason. We were all asked for $20 in my son's class.

Also, the fundraisers that aren't selling based- such as our jog a thon, which the kids collect pledges for, or talent shows that they sell tickets for, require a lot of adult participation. They require many parents to pitch in and help out. Sadly, many parents do not take this initiative. It takes only a couple of people to run a wrapping paper fundraiser.

[Keeper]

Our fundraiser this year was frozen cookie in small tubs in less than ten varieties for $12 a piece. I couldn't conscience asking someone to spend that much on cookie dough! And I couldn't sell it to any family, because we live out of state. I wanted to buy one thing from each of my three school aged children, but they caught me in the middle of a bad week, and I didn't have $36 to spend. I hate that they're going to feel left out, but it's really annoying to be expected to ask people to pay such exhorbitant prices.

I'm with a pp. Bring back the World's Finest Chocolate. It was good, only cost a buck, and I had it on me, so people could buy it right then and there. Much easier to sell than $10-$12 wrapping paper!

Sarah

[kewb]

Originally Posted by CarrieMF

Have you contacted the city about helping with the funding? Here the playgrounds in all the schools have been being upgraded and the city is forking over a portion of the cost because it is is public property.

I brought this up at the PTO meeting last night. It looks like we will be able to get a matching grant.

[EFmom]

My kids came home yesterday with a giant package on the fundraising crap they are pushing this fall. They had an assembly yesterday to hype it to the kids.

My 8yo was fired up to sell a ton of crap and win "valuable" prizes--mostly a trip to Pizza Hut. We explained to her how the fundraisers work and that they rely on unpaid child labor to make money for corporations with the school only getting a portion of the money raised. She was outraged and didn't want to participate any more!

[maryliz]

I am the Treasurer of our PTO and my daughter did not participate in our Fall Fundraiser. Instead, I wrote a check for a donation to our PTO. The PTO keeps about 40% of the profits from the fundraisers, for those that wondered that.
Now we do participate in other fundraising things at school, like our Family Fun Night coming up in October (we sell pizza and snacks and watch a movie in the gym) and we have a Winter Dance in January, and will have a Family Fun Day in the Spring where we will have a silent auction, bake sale, little games in each room the kids can play and the tickets for each game are 25 cents each.
The only door-to-door selling my daughter does, is Girl Scout Cookies, they are actually worth the price and the money helps our troop go on trips and go do activites. Those don't start til January and I ALREADY have people that ask about them since they know I am a troop leader and my dd is a Brownie.
Whereas my friends that know I am also on the PTO, were leary of me knowing it is fundraising time, til I explained to them that I do not participate.

[ibahippiemama]

With 6 kids in school, fundraisers can really be expensive. We have decided not to participate. Now, when the kids have the World's Finest candy, dh and I fight about how much we will buy. About 5 boxes or 10 bars per child. I have been known to order more. Love the mints.

When I was in High school, each family had a choice between participating in all fund raisers or paying an extra $45 a month. My parents choose to participate because it came out cheaper. We only had about 5 fundraisers a year.

love and blessings
angie

[Eman'smom]

As a kid, I was in lots of activities, that meant lots of fundraisers, I hated it so much I can't even tell you about it. Anyway for most of our fundraisers we only got 30% of the sales, 50 is actually good.

Now ds has 2 preschool fundraisers last year. One around Christmas for rafflet tickets (people donated items/services) the school "suggested" every student sell 20 tickets, I just wrote a check. Then they did the pizza/cookie dough fundraiser, again I wrote a check, even if they get 50% of sales I'd rather just give them money. I don't want to sell overpriced pizza to friends and I can make better cookies. This way the school just gets all the money.

Luckily ds is too young to understand the prizes.

[EFmom]

So have you(or anyone else complaining about these fundraisers) joined the PTA to try and get them stopped from the inside?

The PTA in my school district is a very tight group of SAHMs. My dh tried to get involved (we are members and pay our $5 each year) and he was pretty firmly snubbed.

[jannan]

dd only has the mandatory 3 boxes to sell. she goes to a working class catholic school. oh let me explain . it is chocolates and see's at that and it sells!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! people buy it. but last year in kindergarten i just wrote a check. the knick knacks i won't buy and i wouldn't have her sell them . i would just write a check...

[marybethorama]

Originally Posted by EFmom

The PTA in my school district is a very tight group of SAHMs. My dh tried to get involved (we are members and pay our $5 each year) and he was pretty firmly snubbed.

That's too bad. I've heard that about PTA's in some areas. My kids go to Catholic School (very nice people) but I woulnd't be surprised if some of the shcool PTA's are like that around here.

[KalamazooMom]

Thanks everyone for your good comments and suggestions. You've given me a lot to think about. I am going to try to get involved in the PTA and see what I can do to alter the way they go about fundraising. It may be an uphill battle since most of the people I've talked to don't seem to get what I object to about the whole thing, In the meantime we got a reminder sheet from the school about turning in the orders and it did say (in small print at the bottom) that if you chose not to participate they would welcome donations. So that's what I'm going to do for the short term.

[LdyBluNH@aol]

there are at least FOUR fundraisers facing us and it kinda feels like a new month, a new pimp job. in fact received the fundraiser info before we even had dd's class schedule.

i put forth a fundraiser idea that unfortunately they can't do when i need it - there's a greet the teacher night which you aren't supposed to bring your kids. why cant they run a sitter service in the gym? because if dh and i are both there, we dont have anyone to watch dd. for whatever reason its never occurred to anyone to do this, so it wont be up in time for the greet night (but you would have thought i invented sliced bread!!!)


i had see's chocolates -- hell i'd buy some!!!!!!!

[Cranberry]

In the past we did buy (and sell to others) the crappy wrapping paper and other junk. It was a real hassle and the products were cheap. Selling the stuff was embarrassing.

Now I just send a check to the PTA at the beginning of the year (they solicit for donations as well as ask us to sell the crappy wrapping paper), and then when the order forms and catalogs come home, I toss them in the recycling bag. Done and done.

[lab]

Originally Posted by KalamazooMom

Thanks everyone for your good comments and suggestions. You've given me a lot to think about. I am going to try to get involved in the PTA and see what I can do to alter the way they go about fundraising. It may be an uphill battle since most of the people I've talked to don't seem to get what I object to about the whole thing, In the meantime we got a reminder sheet from the school about turning in the orders and it did say (in small print at the bottom) that if you chose not to participate they would welcome donations. So that's what I'm going to do for the short term.

Get on the Board, get on the board get on the board!

No kidding! The committee that handles fundraising is probably Ways and Means. You can change things if you get on the board.

A pp mentioned that the PTA gets to keep the proceeds and it pays for paper etc. True. BUT - the PTA only gets about 50% or less of the $ and then also has to run the distribution and collection of the money. It's a pain.

My kid's school has one fundraiser called "Invest in a Kid". They ideally would like for each parent to give around $30 per kid, but it is entirely up to each parent. Some give none, some give $5 and some parents gives hundreds. It's a great program and all of the money goes to the PTA. It's also easy to sell, you are investing in your own child. Plus, our PTA has wonderful programs so it's easy to show parents what the money does.

If your PTA board insists on a fundraiser, there are better fundraisers out there. It just takes one forward thinking person. (sometimes these boards are like cliques - better to have other people who agree with you!).

One year we did an additional fundraiser after invest in a kid where the kids drew pictures and a company turned the pictures into notecards. That was awesome! Very cute to have a notecard with my kids artwork on the front. You can use them for everything!

HTH!

[Suzannah]

Originally Posted by Shenjall

My 5 yr old got his "mandatory" 10 boxes at his parent teacher interview!

Read The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier; it's about a boy in high school who refuses to sell his "mandatory" allotment of chocolates. An excellent story, and apropos!!

[Shenjall]

Its on reserve at the library! Thanks!

[bestjob]

The net profits from fundraising at my children's school top $40,000 annually. The gross income is in the range of $75,000, which is about $100 per student and roughly $250 per family. The people who do the fundraising are really good at it and they've chosen a couple of projects that provide a service in the community (at least to some families) as well as getting money for the school and its extended programs. A lot of the money leaves the school and goes to charities.

I don't think anyone should ever purchase anything they can't or won't (or shouldn't... and here I think of myself and those chocolates!) use, regardless of whether or not it is a fundraiser. On the other hand, I think we could all look at where the money from everything we purchase goes and see if it could do more good. I can buy greeting cards from a business that makes a paltry charitable contribution, or I can buy them from a charity that pays a fair dollar to a business to produce the cards. I think that if the cards are nice, I'd rather choose the latter.

I think that a direct ask program would be great. They don't do it at my kids' school, but I think they're almost there. There are important things you need to have in place before you do a direct ask program,though, or it won't work. The first thing you need is to position the school to the parents so that they think they're getting a unique high-quality service not available elsewhere. Private schools and public schools offering programs like International Baccalaureate or French Immersion or Programs for Gifted Students have a better chance of fulfilling this requirement. The second thing you need is a set of parents who are willing to talk to other parents and ask for money. You can write a letter, but the real money comes from the face to face contact. It isn't easy to ask you neighbour for money. Having a specific target for the money is good, too. If you're just asking for "help for the school" you won't get far. If you're asking for money for playground equipment or library books, you'll do better.

[UUMom]

one of the neighborhood kids is sellingthese giganctic choclolate bars for $1. I don't like chocolate, but she sells them like crazy. Don't chocolate bars at the market cost that? And are much smaller? She says the kids get ,50 on the dollar, which seems ok to me. My own kids have used their own money to buy some. they aren't nestles, i know that.

My ds's private school does fund raising the old fashioned way-- they call parents and ask for donations/pledges.

They also have yard sales and octoberfests etc. But most of their money is gotten through direct phone calls and the head of school calling the rich alum and begging, basically.