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Its true I don't have personal experience of it but I have friends that are/were teachers in the US.
That doesn't make them budget experts. I have some friends who are teachers as well. Teachers have a tendency to complain about too much administration, which may or may not be true, and some seem to think that there is some pile of money under some rock somewhere that the schools are keeping secret.
That doesn't make them budget experts. I have some friends who are teachers as well. Teachers have a tendency to complain about too much administration, which may or may not be true, and some seem to think that there is some pile of money under some rock somewhere that the schools are keeping secret.
Well true teachers might complain without knowing the details. Well it was just my outsider opinion. I do wonder why there is a funding crisis though when there is so much funding - better funding than the schools here get but its seems enough here.
My daughter put together a bake sale for a club she was president of. She wanted to make some special thingy I forget what it was. We bought the stuff made about 200 of the thingies and they sold every one of them. It was a very popular bake sale. We spend $90 on supplies to make the thingies and they collected $88 from the bake sale. (I have no idea what the actual numbers were, but they made just a tiny bit less than what we spent for supplies.
My daughter put together a bake sale for a club she was president of. She wanted to make some special thingy I forget what it was. We bought the stuff made about 200 of the thingies and they sold every one of them. It was a very popular bake sale. We spend $90 on supplies to make the thingies and they collected $88 from the bake sale. (I have no idea what the actual numbers were, but they made just a tiny bit less than what we spent for supplies.
Well, yes, that is the problem with bake sales. In the old days, the moms were supposed to donate the supplies and their time, then go to the sale and buy stuff, too!
I'll add that fundraising is almost as old as time. My mom and her friends did a lot of fund raising 50+ years ago when my bro and I were in school.
My kids' schools do some fund-raisers, but they are for extras, not events or supplies that are necessary for education--just things that are nice to have as enrichment. For example we raised funds for new playground equipment, for a new football stadium and for special trips--like when the school orchestra was invited to perform at an amusement park and needed funding for busses.
I get fund-raiser fatigue, particularly when the school sells something I don't want or need--like magazines, wrapping paper and baked goods. I don't usually participate in those. I do like those frozen pizza fund-raisers. I always buy those. My favorite fund-raisers are the ones connected to restaurants, like when they have a school night at the local ice cream parlor or let you buy a certificate to redeem at a restaurant at your convenience. I REALLY loved when the Elementary School sold hoagies. You ordered as many as you wanted and the kids brought the hoagies home with them after school--so dinner was taken care of for that night.
We are Girl Scouts, so we have sold cookies for many years--but honestly, they sell themselves, everyone loves them.
I think I'd rather have a child try to sell me something than have them just ask me for money for something that they want to do (e.g. "Can you please donate $15 to help me pay for my gymnastics competition trip?").
I will probably be the odd man out on this issue, but I see a benefit for these types of fundraising based on my own experiences. The problem is the schools choice of products and the pressure to accomplish a group goal instead of personal goals.
My siblings and I were part of MANY fundraisers throughout our school years. Some for the school as a whole, most for band, sports and other extra curricular activities we participated in. I have sold literally tons of World's Best Chocolates and Judson Candies, but also calendars, trash cans, book covers, fruit cakes, posters, t-shirts and toys. I did this back in the day when kids hit the streets and went door to door. Parents did not sell our wares for us at work, at least mine did not, although my Dad did buy at least a quarter ton of chocolate over the years for himself.
I only won one sales contest in all those years, mainly because I did not have much family to sell to and no parents selling at work (although I only knew a couple kids with parents that did). I did learn how to sell and what a difference confidence made in talking to people. I learned how to talk to people I did not know (safely) and how to handle rejection. It was amazing how much less rejection you get as you get more confident, even with a lousy product like grossly overpriced trash cans.
I think I am a better worker due to the lessons I learned peddling my fundraiser products. I saw a vast improvement in my children as they learned many of these same lessons in their fundraising careers. Admittedly, my yougest learned least because by her day the schools had shifted to prohibiting door to door and pressuring parents to do the selling instead. Fortunately my daugther was already confident enough to tell her teachers that her Mom was a stay at home mom and her Dad traveled for work and could not sell for her and did not feel bad that she sold only what we were willing to buy. My Dad was still buying a lot of chocolate and giving it away as gifts now that he could not eat as much anymore.
The schools have lost sight of the bigger picture in their quest for funds. The process used to have practical benefits for everyone involved, not just the school. Today's society and city culture makes this a dangerous proposition and it's time is gone for the way it used to be. But the idea is still sound if a new way to accomplish it can be found.
My daughter's school is selling expensive cheesecakes. The class is supposed to sell a certain amount to earn an ice cream party. We have no family around and we can't sell stuff at work, and are made to feel badly by the other parents that we can't get the class to the "quota". Well some of these other parents have huge families and can sell a lot easier than us. Seems very unfair, what do you think?
Opt out. No one can "make" you do ****e. I would speak to the teacher, to be honest. This sounds inappropriate. What is the money for?
My kids' schools do some fund-raisers, but they are for extras, not events or supplies that are necessary for education--just things that are nice to have as enrichment. For example we raised funds for new playground equipment, for a new football stadium and for special trips--like when the school orchestra was invited to perform at an amusement park and needed funding for busses.
I get fund-raiser fatigue, particularly when the school sells something I don't want or need--like magazines, wrapping paper and baked goods. I don't usually participate in those. I do like those frozen pizza fund-raisers. I always buy those. My favorite fund-raisers are the ones connected to restaurants, like when they have a school night at the local ice cream parlor or let you buy a certificate to redeem at a restaurant at your convenience. I REALLY loved when the Elementary School sold hoagies. You ordered as many as you wanted and the kids brought the hoagies home with them after school--so dinner was taken care of for that night.
We are Girl Scouts, so we have sold cookies for many years--but honestly, they sell themselves, everyone loves them.
I think I'd rather have a child try to sell me something than have them just ask me for money for something that they want to do (e.g. "Can you please donate $15 to help me pay for my gymnastics competition trip?").
1. The organizations (schools, scouts, booster club, etc) actually recommend the parents sell the crap at work. Part of the reason is that there were some bad events with kids going door to door in years past, e.g. rapes, murders, other crimes against the kids. The other part is that there are more sales to be made that way.
2. It's the schools that are asking the parents for donations, not the kids going out asking for donations, at least in elementary school. I have had some high school kids show up asking for donations for the theater program, etc. I'd rather do that than buy some over-priced useless junk.
3. As far as a gymnastics trip, I'm assuming (dangerous, I know) that you're talking about a gymnastics club, not a school team. School athletics are governed by the school/state athletic rules. Generally, transportation to meets is provided. Now these football teams that go to Florida or whatever, I'm not so sure about. Perhaps the Booster Club pays for the transportation. Or something.
There are a few fundraisers I like. One is gas cards, because I'd be buying gas anyway. (Unlike wrapping paper or the other stuff the schools think we want.) I also like "restaurant night", where a local restaurant says they'll give 20% (or whatever) of their profit for the night if you say you're with X school when ordering. It's very little work for the school and it gives me a reason not to cook! (Always looking for those.)
If it's a fundraiser I don't care to participate in, I find out how much of a profit the school makes (generally it's something fairly pathetic like 30%) and write a check out- that way, the all money is going directly to the school. Not to some company.
I am in the opposed to overpriced junk I neither want or need camp, but I get that money has to be raised for extras. I'd much rather the percentage of a restaurants profits with the principal and teachers taking orders, they make a lot that way, the kids get to see them outside the classroom setting and great fun is had by all (kind of like the dunk the coach booth back in my day, we all paid for the chance).
My grandsons kindergarten art class last year had the best fundraiser I personally have seen- the kids drew pictures and cards were made from them, and you bought boxes of 10. They are great for thank you notes, general greeting cards and whatever. I not only bought for myself, but all of the grandparents, and they were very well received. All of the profit went directly to the art class, so it made me feel good to support those budding artists and the kids were so proud of themselves, and the kids knew they "earned" the money for their supplies and whatnot.
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