10 Reasons I Hate School Fundraisers
September 24, 2008 by Karen Weideman
Filed under Top 10 lists, financial matters, frugal living, parenting
School has only been in session for a few weeks and my little kindergartener has already come home with TWO fundraisers!!!
I’ll admit, one of the fundraisers was decent. There were some things that I would not mind buying. The other fundraiser was asking us to put the names and addresses of family and friends onto postcards so that they could ask for money for computers or something like that. My little girl came home telling me that I needed to fill out her paperwork and send it back the next day so that she could get a t-shirt. I thought it was a form to purchase a school t-shirt. The form said that if two of the people on her list responded, then she would get a t-shirt. Imagine me trying to explain to my 5-year-old child that she wasn’t going to get a t-shirt the next day and that it was a sales tactic. Thankfully, she’s well beyond her years and she understood, but still she was heartbroken.
For the most part though, I feel that these fundraisers are inappropriate. Here are some of the reasons why I don’t like school fundraisers.
1. The stuff is overpriced.
2. It’s usually crap that I can’t use.
3. Kids are made to feel left out or unaccepted if they don’t participate or do well.
4. I don’t like being stalked at church, outside Wal-Mart or anywhere else by children trying to raise money.
5. You get little bang for the buck. I mean, really, $8 for 25 square feet of wrapping paper? Are they serious?
6. There’s little to nothing you can do if the item doesn’t work. Well, you could take it back to the school and demand a refund, but that would just make you look like a cheapskate that doesn’t care about children.
7. I feel guilty if I don’t participate.
8. I don’t feel right asking others to buy overpriced stuff.
9. I get frustrated and annoyed every time I see the product that I paid too much money for.
10. Many times the parents are the ones that do the selling which causes them to sell these things at work.
Before you start casting stones, please understand that I am an educator. I know the importance of these fundraisers. Honestly though, I think there’s a better way. I’ve seen some pretty creative fundraising tactics at some of the schools I’ve worked at. One school did a Coca-Cola sale. The soda was just as inexpensive as if I had bought it at Wal-Mart, but they received a lot of proceeds from it. What about a spaghetti dinner? My daughter’s preschool did several fundraisers where the kids could bring in $1 and earn a special privilege such as wearing a hat to school. Schools could even ask parents to send in a tax deductible donation at the beginning of the school year and then decide how much more money they should try to raise after the donations were brought in. Some people would rather just give money anyway.
I’m sure I’m not the only one that feels this way. How do you feel about school fundraisers? Please leave your comments below and participate in our poll in the sidebar. Thanks!
image: Discovery Education
I HATE school fundraisers. (I usually don’t like that word, but…) It gets so annoying, especially when you have multiple children and don’t want to “play favorites”! It gets expensive too. The family and friends get tired of them too. I do , however, like the ones that don’t sell stuff like, “read-a-thons” , “walk-for-education”. That to me is two fold!!
I send a note to my girls’ teachers at the start of each year letting them know we don’t participate in any type of selling. So far I’ve never gotten any flack for it and they simply don’t bring those crud filled booklets home every month.
What, they’re doing this to kindergarteners now? That’s crazy! It’s hard enough to figure out how to get around elementary school, and making friends, and figuring out classes and the like without having to become a salesgirl (or -boy) as well!
There are very few things about school I feel more strongly about than fundraisers (bullying/teasing, fighting, and ostracism are about it). They’re not only a pain for the parents, they’re awful and humiliating for most of the children involved. I wish the school would just send the child home with a letter saying “either write us a cheque or sell $x of candy bars”. I will write the cheque in a heartbeat to save my child from having to tout useless tat to complete strangers.
I love this article! I feel the EXACT same way! They come home from school with this stuff after being “pressured” by staff to sell! sell! sell! And my 1st grader is allll excited but doesn’t think of the other 23423 kids in the neighborhood selling the same crap to each other! I do NOT take part in selling of stuff anymore w/ 2 girls it is just unbelievable the pressure to sell sell sell! Kudos to you for such an amazing article! I’d love to chat more w/ you!!!
I don’t generally mind school fundraisers. I actually dislike more having to be the one doing the asking than the one being asked (as I guess I understand the pain the other person has to go through in asking).
That being said, there is a point I start getting annoyed eventually. I don’t mind the overpriced candy that is actually edible (like the oversized overpriced Hershey or Reeses that are $2 for a $1 bar). But I would rather just donate a couple of dollars that to be saddled with some of the absolutely embarassing junk that they sometimes use as sales. Nobody wants that wrapping paper, or dollar store trinket. I’d pay money to not have that junk around only to give it away the next time the church has a rummage sale (which then THEY wind up throwing it out because nobody else wants it either).
I understand these things raise money for the schools, much more so that the read-a-thons and such do (sorry Kelly, I like ‘em but financially they are losers for the schools), but think about what you are asking people to buy and they might just give a dollar or two more than if you just throw token crap at them.
I couldn’t agree more, karen! I also don’t like the prize list that comes with them. “Get your parents and their friends to spend $300 and you’ll get….A FLASHLIGHT THAT’S ALSO A PEN!” I think it sends the wrong message about WHY they are doing a fundraiser. (Although, it’s the same concept as the “dollar for priveledges” thing and I think that’s a good idea).
Last year, I swore we wouldn’t be doing any more fundraisers. Unless the PTO put together something like you mentioned – something that had the kids actually working (selling sodas, etc) for the one goal (ie: new playground equipment). Then Boy started middle school and his fundraiser was to help pay for his (expensive!) camp that the whole 6th grade goes on. So I packed it in his weekend bag and sent it along to mom’s house.
(I still have to pay the remainder – which is now only $40 – $50 less than all the junk I was going to buy for him to reach his “goal”).
Anyway – I totally get the frustrations!
Oh, I forgot to mention – my mom once pulled off a very successful silent auction for her kids’ school – delinquents had burned down their playground. She got a lot of local businesses to donate discounts/goods/services and raised all the money they needed PLUS some. And we walked away with an autographed vikings book and other stuff we actually WANTED.
Amen! American Heritage Girls wanted us to sell those coupon books for $25 (better than overpriced nasty cookies, but still). The goal was 5 books. They only made $10 a book. They also wanted us to take turns standing outside a local grocery store that had coupons in the book. I’d MUCH rather just write a freakin check for $50, than buy/sell $125 worth of books. Also, I HATE it when I’m asked to buy stuff going in and out of a store. Like for the books, sorry, I don’t keep $25 on me. I don’t mind so much when It’s like a $1 candy bar, or like the other day at lowes, a $1 bag of popcorn from the boy scouts.
I dread fundraisers. I’ve already been notified that my son’s preschool will be having two of them this year. I’ll probably end up buying everything myself…I REALLY hate asking others to do so.
HERE HERE!
It’s a waste of resources all the way around. Wastes the kids resources and the volunteers and organizers and the parents.
I get upset to find out they’re making 10 cents or a lousy dollar for all the hassle, harassment and family disharmony.
If schools want more money they should raise taxes to pay for what they need. Then stick to the budget.
I would be great if they sent a note home that said, “Donate $20 now and we’ll leave you alone until next year.”
That’s worth $20. Hello!
I’m in the same boat right now with my Kindergartener. And I have a bit of a competitive nature, so I got sucked in – at the beginning anyway. Now, I just don’t care anymore. Yuck. Kindergarteners can’t even comprehend this and are usually not even told what it’s all about, just the prize part.
Gah… these things annoy me, especially when people bring them into work and pass them around to everyone. You can’t not buy one from one parent and not buy one from the other. Even though the employee manual says not to bring these in, it’s never enforced, so I just don’t buy anything.
I make an exception for my family, and I usually only buy stuff I know I’ll either use or share.
I am very choosey on which fundraisers I let my kids do every year. If the stuff looks like “crap” then we opt out, but there are some things although overpriced we will let them try to sell. I will not have my kids going door to door, but hitting up family and friends is only fair since I do the same for others.
I am right there with you. This year my dd brought home one with magazines (and random junk) that didn’t offend me quite as much as usual. But, all in all, I find them to be full of poorly made items with a built in guilt/reward factor that causes parents to feel obligated to order junk.
I couldn’t agree more!!! I hate them for all of the reasons you articulated.
When I had my son in school, before deciding to home school again, they were constantly sending home various fundraisers with outrageously priced items that no one can really use. My son knew that they went right in the garbage as soon as they got home. I refused to participate, or allow my son to participate. They are just ridiculous, and the only reason anyone buys anything from them is because of guilt.
Right now my youngest has a school fundraiser and Thursday will be the first day of her Girl Scout fundraiser. I’m going to have her focus on the GS fundraiser, but we won’t go crazy working on either one. There are too many other things going on this time of the year.
I wish they would do something small like candy bars. Right now our school is doing cookie dough which is too $$ and if you have trouble delivering it, you end up with huge tubes of cookie dough in your freezer.
I really enjoy the spaghetti feeds and our school also does a tri tip steak dinner to earn money for the 6th grade enviromental camp trip. It’s always a success.
I just spent $12 for a coupon book so that my son who is in kindergarten could go to the little pizza party. I don’t know if I read it incorrectly or what-he didn’t get a pizza party-he got a pencil!
The only school fundraiser I like is Market Day. Sure there are some overpriced things there, but there are some really good things, too. The school doesn’t make a whole lot on it, but it sure is convenient for parents!
OMG! I so agree. Here they have assemblies to hype the kids all up, they show them the prizes they can win and get them all obsessed. And this year, it’s not just junk prizes that I can say I’ll buy for them when they don’t “win” them, it’s a “carnival themed party” that you get to attend if you sell 10 items to the tune of about $100. I asked if I could make a straight donation to the PTSA and I was told yes but that it had to be the $100 so the fundraising company could still get their money.. What? The party is so much worse than the prizes because it will be so easy to identify which of your classmates is there and which isn’t. To make matters worse, my daughter will be having surgery the week of pick up.
I really would support a direct donation drive a kind of “if you don’t want a fundraiser donate now” and then let them see how much more money they really need to raise. I’d much rather just write them a check.
I don’t participate either. They are a total waste of money and it’s just horrible the way they do this to our kids. Makes me so mad!
I joined the school board this year for #2 & #3 son’s school- so I am supposed to be on board with fund raising… but I hate it! HATE IT HATE IT!
I just got a bombshell dropped on me this year- that there are several mandatory fundraisers for my son’s high school starting next… and if we don’t participate it will be added to our tuition. His school tuition costs me over $5,000 a year to begin with and I have no family nearby to shill $100 auction tickets on… I am being slammed in all directions and with five kids I can barely keep us in milk for the week and gas…
Thanks for the email- Karen, that’s my two cents.
I dislike the school fundraisers as well. The only fundraisers I particpate in are the pictures. (Most people don’t know it, but the schools make money off the pictures you buy from “picture day” as well). When my daughter brings home a fundraiser I talk to her school director and explain that I don’t participate in fundraisers but that I will gladly donate the amount I would have spent directly to the school. This way, instead of me spending $50 dollars on cookie dough we’ll never eat (and the school getting $25 max out of it) the school gets the entire $50. It works for us, we’re still supporting the school and we aren’t having to sell anything.
I agree 100%! I really hate fundraisers. I hated doing them in school and I dread when the neighborhood kids come to my door. I’m such a sucker b/c I want to help them, but I just can’t afford to!
My MOPS group is doing a really cool fundraiser this year. We are selling $10 tickets for a sitting and 10X13″ old time photo. The company comes to our church and sets up the props and brings the costumes. (This is for photographing our kids.) We make 100% profit on those $10 tickets (I think — I hope I’m not remembering wrong!!). Then, when people purchase packages, we make a percentage of those profits, too. I wish I had the info for you, but if you google old time photo fundraisers, you should find it.
Mandie…what is Market Day?
Could we have a list of “ideas”? I like the pop idea…what else?
We had one of these kids show up at our door and we found one thing where we thought it was decent, but much of it was overpriced.
The fun part was that once we signed up for the one thing, the mom sent her other son over to ask for $10 for their football boosters, and acted disgusted when we just didn’t hand over the money.
However, I got something in the mail– a calendar– which was priced $6.00 and you split $3.00 with the company. I have a calendar now that was much more than that, but didn’t have the spiral binding this one had.
‘Course, we also homeschool, and would mostly be targeting family, not door-to-door.
You wouldn’t want to eat my 5-yr-old’s spaghetti.
TinaH: I was thinking the same thing. We should compile a list of fundraising ideas that we like. Then I could post them in an article. We could use the article to propose to PTAs.
MintheGap: I meant a spaghetti dinner where the adults cooked. lol They used to do these when my mom worked in the cafeteria. She would make the spaghetti and they had a fundraiser dinner. There could also be some sort of entertainment from the kids.
Oh, I have to add my voice to everyone else’s! School fundraisers are generally awful. That said, my daughter’s new school (she’s in kindergarten this year) has a “scrip” program where we can purchase gift cards to all manner of places and the school gets a percentage of the money. I saw that and thought, “Well, I know where I’m Christmas shopping this year!” Most of my family, especially the younger ones, love gift cards. This program includes cards for all sorts of stores and restaurants – places you’d actually go to!
I always feel so guilty trying to avoid the kids in front of the mall and stores. Some of the things they sell or collect money for don’t even make sense!
In our neighborhood, the high school band sends it’s members door to door just asking for money — no buying junk. I don’t know what I think about that either. We weren’t home when they stopped by, but they raised $17,000!
I cannot stand fund raisers either. My 1st grader came home with one for selling frozen cookie dough. As a mom of a child with a peanut allergy I refuse to let her sell it because it is processed in a factory that processes tree nuts and peanuts. If my kid cannot eat it we won’t sell it. Thank god my daughter understands this.
Market Day: http://www.marketday.com
You can look there to see what schools around you have Market Day programs. I love their chicken patties and string cheese (among other things)… Yum!
I agree 100%. It would actually be so much more cost effective just to ask for a cash donation rather than mess around with the overpriced junk. My daughter is out of school now, but I NEVER solicited co-workers or friends because I felt it was so inappropriate. Now..Girl Scout cookies…that is a whole other story and a fund raiser to look forward to each year )
Wow do I feel lucky. My kids school asks for a donation at the beginning of the school year. They suggest $30 but since it’s a magnet school with a pretty wide socioeconomic range some give more, others none. Once a year they offer to take your kids artwork and make it into stuff (t-shirts, bags, etc) but otherwise that’s it. I guess I didn’t know how good I had it since he’s our only one in school now.
My child is in second grade. We’ve had 2. 1. Run for money and raise $5 and get a water bottle. Okay my daughter cried because she did get that water bottle.
Next, package ticket thing for photos. I looked at it and trashed it (no tickets in the package). I had to call and explain we never got the tickets, grr. More waste of time.
Funny, we had some boys come to our door and ask us to buy some nasty popcorn. We went to give them $5 and they stuck their up nose!
I hate them too. They make us sell stupid magazines and cookie dough which everyone already has! Then we get a bunch expensive prizes for selling a lot. (Lot as in 300) Those prizes include: iPods, iTouch 32G, Xbox 360, Wii, $400 or $500 cash, skate/snow/surfboards, and so much more. California’s (Our state) budget is low enough!
I know it is a waste of resources. To show that, whenever I have to take a booklet home, I TRASH IT. (Or use it as pet paper for pee.) There, a 25 cent envelope GONE and several cents worth of paper and ink GONE.
When I have the kids come back with packets, I say throw it away on prize handout day for a surprise. So they do and I take them to wal-mart for something they ACTUALLY want and/or need for under $30 each. Now they are psyched about fundraisers… so I can bring them for more stuff on the prize handout day!
Hi everyone. Thanks for your comments and suggestions. I’ve finally compiled a list of 12 parent approved fundraisers. I know that you won’t approve of every idea, but it’s a good list to choose from.
http://www.blisstree.com/thriftymommy/12-parent-approved-fundraisers/
I can’t wait for my friend kid to grow up..but this will take at least another year. The father is always selling for his kid.. I hate all trail end of products and I do not eat the crap. Any one with dignity would not go aroiound forcing friends to buy…May be I will go back to Europe till his son grows up. overpriced. Bad quality products.