Thoughts on fundraiser incentives?

[boogiemom]

My boys attend a Catholic school and so we deal with fundraisers. Ugh. Hate them. I refuse to pester my neighbors while they try to relax in their homes so my boys do not go door to door peddling the crap of the day. My husband works from home and I work for a fitness facility so no one is selling the garbage food that is always involved. Typically, I have no problem writing a check in lieu of bothering with all of it. Although, I still hate that learning time is wasted with kids sitting in the fundraiser pep rallies before and after each sale period.

So, this year there is a new twist to one of the sales. They are asking each student to sell a box of World's Finest Chocolate bars. Here is the rub. The flier states: "If your child sells one box he/she will be able to attend an amazing show performed by the Rise Above BMX Team." They showed each class a video of this team performing tricks. They intend to do this during a school day and not allow the kids who didn't sell to watch the show.

What are your thoughts on this?


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[georgiegirl]

I would contact the school and complain. I'd explain that I was willing to write a check to cover whatever they want to a donation. Kids should NOT be excluded since not everyone can sell a box of candy. I hate hate hate fundraisers that sell things where the kids get incentives...my kids end up crying because they want a stupid plastic duck keychain and I don't want to shell out $$$ for junk I don't need, and I don't want DC trying to get grandma to buy it either.

Fortunately our school switched to a fun run two years ago. They still have incentive prizes, but at least 95% of the money goes to the school and I don't have to buy overpriced wrapping paper.

[IansMom]

Personally, I dislike incentives. My kid gets hyped up, and then is disappointed if I (because I would be the one doing the selling) refuse to participate. For some reason, at our school the incentives seem to be given out during PE when ALL the first graders are together. We didn't do the first fundraiser--cookie dough--because I hate selling those tubs (does anyone actually use an entire tub?) and two of the three school districts in the area are also selling cookie dough at the elementary level.

On Friday, DS came home talking about how he didn't get a prize for selling cookie dough. I use it as a life lesson. Plus, he gets plenty of other stuff that I buy from the school that is also in the fundraising category. I do feel bad that often the same students are not "rewarded" (DS usually talks about who cried because they didn't get anything).

I do like when the class is rewarded for something--each student in DS' class turned in their monthly reading logs, and their class received the prize for their grade. They each got a drawstring bag with the school mascot on it. DS came home and talked about how the teacher explained that when they work together as a team, they can achieve. I really liked that.

[2ndtimearound]

That would be irate if that happened to my DD! Our school has a fundraising drive (public school, so we have a 501(c)3 that supports the school). To be a member of the Foundation, you have to contribute $X.xx. The classes that have the most participation (#families join the Foundation) get an ice cream party. My DD's class won this year, but not everyone in the class joined. Still ALL the kids in the class got the ice cream party.

I think what they are proposing is borderline unethical. If they insisted on going through with it, I would be pulling my kid out of school that day/afternoon in protest. I'd also be looking for another school.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I don't like them. Our school hired someone to be in charge of fundraising and I've already clashed with her since she wants to offer incentives. It's a public school with a ton of diversity. When 40+% of your population receives free or reduced lunch, high pressure fundraising is inappropriate, imo.

[echoesofspring]

I would call and complain. Are we seriously still selling candy in schools for fundraisers? And denying the show to kids that were unable to sell for whatever reason. I'd be upset.

We just encountered our first fundraiser and yeah, I'm with you, we will just write checks. DS kept begging me to buy whatever piece of junk the incentive was, sigh.

[petesgirl]

So schools get to make policies about how every child in the class has to be invited to a birthday party so that no one is excluded and then they purposely do these incentives that exclude some children? That makes perfect sense...

[squimp]

I would not participate. I don't care if my kid doesn't get to watch the show, that is extortion in my book! I'd tell my child I don't agree and that I will take them to the BMX park after dinner. I don't mind giving rewards to high fundraisers but seriously to punish kids during school hours because their parents can't/won't buy and sell candy is not part of my value system. I contribute to read-a-thons, jog-a-thons, book sales and letter campaign fundraisers. I will not spend money on junk to give a small percentage to my kids' school in order to help some company makes money off our kids.

I would start going to PTO meetings or whatever to convince them that it's a terrible tactic. Our PTO stopped selling crap because a bunch of us realized it was not making much money and promoting consumerist crap.

[gatorsmom]

I loved selling Worlds Finest Chicolate candy bars for a fundraiser. We sold them in high school. It was the easiest thing I ever had to sell. And they are delicious!

However, I would have a SERIOUS problem with leaving some kids out of the prize. Some kids wont be allowed to sell (my parents forbid it). Some kids will try very hard but not be able to sell all that's required to see the show. Some kids' parents will take the candy bars to work and sell a ton of them. Those kids get to see the show but the ones who tried hard and failed don't get to see it? So unfair.

We we had this exact problem at our kids school. Dh and I made a donations in lieu of fundraising. And the lady in charge was not going to allow our kids to partake in the pizza party. Technically they didn't sell, it's true but that is because we wouldn't let our children do it. I threw a fit and they changed it. But they didn't tell the parents they were going to change it so I took my kids out of school that day and took them to a local Chuck E Cheese- type place for the afternoon. And I know other parents that boycotted it.

There are so many other ways to handle it. The school could set a goal that all the students/families need to meet as a whole or no one sees the show. Or they could set class goals. There are so many ways to set it up so that no child has to feel singled out and punished.

[doberbrat]

I would be LIVID!!! Some parents cant sell at work and cant afford to buy the candy. Or they have allergies/diet whatever. Seems discriminatory. That being said, I LOVED when we sold the WF chocolate at school. I seriously thought it was the best chocolate EVER!