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of the posts in the Mommy Money series.
By Rachael
Schools have
been in session for a few weeks now, and my Facebook newsfeed is filling up
with requests to buy knick knacks, wrapping paper, and popcorn. If we
all buy enough stuff, my friends’ kids will earn a cheap rubber duck, a limo
ride, or maybe a free iPad.
It’s open
season for school fundraising.
My daughters
are young, so they have yet to be pressured to work as unpaid salespeople for
all the professional fundraising companies with whom schools sign on. My
4-year-old is fast approaching the age of salesmanship, though.
I participated
in a few fundraisers back in the day. I sold Girl Scout cookies for nearly 10
years, and I retain a special place in my heart for the sugary orbs. Even though
I can purchase pretty good imitation Thin Mints at the grocery store for half
the price, I will buy a box or two of Girl Scout cookies from the first girl
who shows up at my door each year. My husband even printed a handy note card we
taped to our door: “No soliciting, except Girl Scout cookies.” It repels all
but the boldest of construction contractors and home security salesmen, and it
confuses young Girl Scouts who stand on the doorstep trying to figure out what
soliciting means.
But most of
us know that even Girl Scout cookies don’t provide the best bang for your buck
when it comes to money the local troops actually receive. The same goes for
other school fundraisers, for everything from frozen cookie
dough and pizza to Butter Braids to Yankee Candles to coupon books to … Well,
you get the idea. Schools get a fairly small percentage of profits from these
sales.
In addition,
professional fundraisers often place intense pressure on kids to sell. They
entice with promises of pizza parties, trips, or free gadgets. I’ve heard
stories of kids feeling shamed for not selling enough, or stories of kids
working their tails off only to fall short of unrealistically high sales goals.
I’ve also read about coaches making the team run extra laps, or worse, because
kids didn’t sell enough. Yet another reason I've never enjoyed organized sports.
Not to
mention all the unsuspecting neighbors, family, and coworkers who get hit up
multiple times a year to buy stuff.
After listening
to parent complaints, some schools seem to be returning to
more homegrown fundraisers like bake sales, car washes, or barbecues, where
schools get to keep 100 percent of the profits and no one ends up with more
expensive clutter in their homes. Other parents opt to simply write a check
directly to the school or the parent/teacher organization, bypassing gimmicky
fundraisers all together. I like both of these ideas.
I’ll be
curious to see how my daughters’ school handles fundraising when she starts
kindergarten next year, but I hope to keep most of the pricey whatnots and junk
food out of my house and also avoid pestering all our friends and family.
For parents out there with school-aged kids, how do you handle fundraisers?
You can
contact Rachael by e-mailing her at Rachael@mumblingmommy.com.
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6 comments:
I agree on loving the return of homegrown fundraisers! My stepson's school has hired a local photographer and set up a day of family portraits at the school. There is no sitting fee and the parents get discounts on the packages they want to buy, including ones with holiday card options. The school gets 20 percent of the profit. It's not 100 percent, but I feel like it is something that saves the families some money and no kids actually have to go out and "make the sale." I also like bake sales, car washes, etc.
That has already started around here, unfortunately. Jonathan's pre-K has a "Scholastic Book Fair" every year that supposedly helps raise money for the school; they also want us to subscribe to Scholastic, in a pitch that sounds suspiciously like one of those CD-buying "clubs" in the 90s. I won't do either. Some of their books are fine, but most of them are cheaply made and badly written. And I hate being pressured into buying anything.
I like the family portrait idea, Katie. Anything that doesn't turn kids into little salespeople. Pictures are something families usually want anyway, unlike the pricey holiday knick knacks they always tried to get me to sell as a kid.
Beth, I really want to like Scholastic. They used to do book fairs at my elementary school when I was young, and they were so fun. Megan now brings Scholastic order forms home from her preschool. They do have several good titles and she and I enjoy looking through the "catalogues," but I agree that many of the books are cheaply made. I've bought a few of their paperback picture books in the last few years, and one of them is losing pages at the center where the book is stapled together.
They just don't seem to be made to last, unless you pay more for hardbacks. I do have a hardback Christmas book, Bear Stays Up For Christmas, which is lovely and seems to be standing the test of time. Usually, I save money by buying kids' books at garage sales rather than brand new.
Great article on fundraising. However, my kids want to do a popcorn fundraiser event. I guess I'll be working on that so that they'll be happy.
Impressive what that simple sign can do. I guess there always some professional security guarding in Bristol for those stubborn salesmen.
I suggest hot mortgage leads. With this, they could render 30percent of their profit to help the scholl with the fund raising events.
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