School Fundraisers
April 21st, 2008 . by connieI know that schools need money. I know that fund raisers are the accepted way of making money, a necessary evil. But I don’t have to like it.
I can get behind some of the more benign fund raisers. For example, my kids’ school asked parents to bring in 2 gift items and 1 baked item for a huge carnival and sale that the school has every year. There was no big competition. There was no promise of winning Dollar Store cute little gifts. The donations were easy for the parents and the carnival was fun for the kids.
But all fund raisers are not created equal. The most recent fund raiser was a “Fun Run”. Students attended a school-wide rally where they were pumped up to SELL SELL SELL and promised cheap toys “exclusive” prizes as incentives to get pledges.
My kids came home exploding with enthusiasm over the sheer greatness of this “Fun Run” day. In unison they recited the shpeel about how great this is for the school, blah blah blah. Not wanting to be the loser parents that say no to everything, we pledged $1 per lap for each of our kids (they run between 20 & 40 laps).
The next day, the kids were bombarded with more promises of rubber bracelets, light-up frisbees & family board games if they get more pledges. Now they want to call every relative & friend we have across the entire country and beg for money. What? I thought I just paid to stop this madness help the school. Now they want more? It’s pure blackmail. I never should have given in to their demands.
I just HATE this. I don’t think other people should have to spend money on my kids’ school especially when they don’t even get a stinky ugly cool candle or something for their money. I think it puts others in an awkward position. Generally, nobody enjoys telling a kid no. Ok, maybe sometimes when I’m in a sick twisted sort of mood I enjoy saying no, but you know what I mean.
I don’t like how the school gets my kids super motivated to beg people for money. Why don’t they use that power for good (like motivating my kids to do their homework without being asked)? When I say I’d rather not call people begging for money, I morph into this cheap pathetic no-good parent who won’t even help the great institution that is teaching my kids to be the best they can be. Now it’s all my fault when my kids don’t meet their goals and miss out on the crappy cool-beyond-words super exclusive stuffed duck. Thanks, but I don’t need the school’s help getting my kids to think I suck.
I offer to go buy them a duck and a light-up frisbee and a rubber bracelet and we’ll only be out $5. But that isn’t as cool as getting the exclusive stuff from school.
I give in and let them each call one person who I know will save the day. They each get a big pledge and they are saved from being an embarrassment to the school and our entire family.
Thanks mom!
Amem, amen, a thousand times amen!
You’re a better woman than I. I stop it all right off the bat by saying no. My kids don’t even ask anymore. I’d do it if I only had 1 kid but with 3, I’d go broke.
My favorite is the wrapping paper sales. I have gotten some AWESOME wrapping paper from school sales.
On the other hand, I spent $60 on a subscription of Glamour that a homeschooler sold me on. Have yet to receive a single issue.. and that was three months ago.
Hi, by the way.
Let me tell you, this is a subject close to my heart. I freakin’ hate fundraisers. I pay my taxes, donate my time and I buy supplies for the classroom. My kids get so mad that I won’t participate in the stupid Infomercial Pump You Up style of fund raising.
Why don’t they take the same effort to get my kid excited about math?
We live in a rural community. If you aren’t retired and receiving SSI then you are most likely on another form of Government assistant. So when my kid came home and wanted me to sell people premade sandwiches from a catalog, I laughed. These are the reasons that you aren’t making any money. PREMADE! GGGGRRR!
“Well, we think the hunters might like them”
Really? You don’t think they are out hunting to have food? But they will take 2 $5 sandwiches out in the blind with them?
Ohhhhh sorry tangent! LOL I just get mad sometimes, the doctor says it’s healthy.
I’m totally with you on the fundraiser madness! I swear my kids bring home a new one every other week.
Oh and to the commenter above me, Sarah–you’ll probably get your Glamour magazine soon. It takes forever for them to process those things. I bought a subscription for my dad for Chrismas in Oct and he finally started getting it in February. So, hang in there. Unless of course you got conned by the homeschooling magazine selling bandit.
I agree with you so much!!! And I am the PTA President. I have shocked our school by only sending one pre-Christmas Flier home. The rest have been things like Pancake Breakfast with Santa, Fall Festival or just last weekend our International Festival where each grade level was morphed into a different Country. The kids had much more fun and you know what….so did I, where else could I dress up like an Aussie and walk around saying “Good Day Mates” to everyone.
Now of course, our Principal does not see it my way. For every PTA Fundraising Flier that I did not send home, she sent home two……..Maybe next year’s board will have more luck converting her……….