GroshLink

I wanted to weigh in with my 2 cents concerning public school fundraisers, see Will Work for School Supplies . I do make the distinction between public and private school fundraisers. I'm not a huge fan of either, but at least I can understand better the financial needs of some private schools.

One more disclaimer--I have never looked into or followed the budget concerns of public schools. I'm sure there's never enough money for schools to fund all the programs they would like to or all the programs the families in the school would like to see. But based on my limited knowledge, these are my opinions about fundraisers.

I think fundraisers are best utilized for a specific purpose, e.g. to raise money for a class trip or special events. In this type of situation, the benefit of participating in the fundraiser would go to the individual family. Therefore, if they choose not to participate, they understand that they will be paying more out of pocket for the activity. There is also greater incentive for families to participate knowing that the more money they raise, the less the trip/event will cost them personally. I think it's stretching it to use a fundraiser for the specific purchase of something, .e.g. band or sport team uniforms, because if the school offers the activity they ought to provide the equipment necessary for the students to perform the activity.

Our kids' school seems to be raising money for general purchases--what I would describe as things that "would be really nice to have." But how necessary are they to the students' education? There will always be more things that would be nice to have. Where do we draw the line between what is essential and what is extraneous? I'm afraid that schools get into the mindset that if we can only raise more money we can buy more nice stuff. With that mentality there will be no end to fundraisers. You never reach your goal because your goal is "as much as you can get." It's this mentality and this type of fundraising against which I bristle.

Secondarily, because our life situation requires us to raise money on which to live, I find it very difficult to ask those same friends and relatives to give an additional monetary gift for my kids' school. And for what? So that the school can buy more stuff.

Schools seem to be more creative in their fundraisers than when I was a student. This fall our kids will participate in a Race for Education--each student is supposed to find sponsors who will give X number of dollars per lap that the child runs or walks around the track. And for what? So that the school can buy more stuff. In this case, students were asked to fill out mailing labels with names and addresses of potential donors. The PTO then sends out letters to those people asking them to sponsor the child. Easy, right? The child doesn't even have to talk to anyone! Instead the school sends a form letter to Aunt Gertrude in Idaho. How hard could that be? Don't worry--unless you are my parents, you will not be receiving a letter. I have offered to help the day of the race.

Here's another disclaimer. Getting back to my point that fundraisers should be for something specific, even that can be overdone. One class in the school goes on a whale-watching trip sometime this year. I don't know where they go, but it's obviously a multiple day/night trip. There are at least 4 different fundraisers going on right now just for that trip. Is the trip really worth that much effort? Perhaps there will be some students who raise enough money to go on the trip without paying anything out of pocket. But there have got to be more valuable ways of earning money than by selling flowers and sweatshirts.

When I was a kid I used to get irked that my parents refused to take the (fill in the blank--sub, snack food, cookie dough) sale sheet to work with them. That's how those kids earned the really cool prizes. One year I made it my mission to earn a prize. And I did--a 3 inch tall brown teddy bear with a blue bow around its neck. After that I realized it wasn't worth it. I learned that lesson a long time ago.