Anyone box top coordinator at their kids' school?

[niccig]

I've been approached to be box tops coordinator. The person on the PTA board thought it would work with my schedule as I can set the time. I was told it's put notice in newsletter the day to have them turned in by, pick them up from classrooms and then there's a morning a month when people get together to help clip them out. Apparently they're not always trimmed and it adds extra weight when shipped, up to 1 pound.

So, is there anything else?

Thanks?

[Soccermomm]

I am not the coordinator, but I know the one at my DS school and help collect and turn in the box tops. Our school does things a little bit different. We collect them on the last friday of the month. The kids get a prize for every dollar of box tops they turn in. We have a box top "dollar sheet" that we hope the kids will attach their box tops too. It makes collecting and counting them easier when turning in.

Our school does pretty well, we got over 3K at the last turn in.

Box tops have to be turned in in clusters of 50, incase you did not know that. :)

[hellokitty]

Don't do it! My friend is the one in charge of box tops for our PTO and she is so frustrated by it. Ppl aren't following the dirctions and she's basically having to fix those errors and do a lot of trimming and taping.

[GaPeach_in_Ca]

Just say no. I really don't get box tops. What a waste of effort IMO. Ask people to just donate $5 instead.

Even if you get 3000, isn't that just $300?

[ahisma]

I just paperclip money to the boxtop notice and send it in. Clipping those things out just isn't in the cards for us - nor do we really eat much food that includes them.

[belovedgandp]

It is a crazy amount of labor for little return. We have a coordinator that recruits volunteers to each do 2-4 classes each. They have two or three collection dates per year and do it as a contest between classes for a class reward.

I've had 300 from a class before that just required counting in bags of 50 and took 10 minutes. Then I've had bags where nothing was trimmed. Then I realize even though I'm just watching TV and doing this. I just spent 4 hours for maybe $20 to the school.

[niccig]

Don't do it! My friend is the one in charge of box tops for our PTO and she is so frustrated by it. Ppl aren't following the dirctions and she's basically having to fix those errors and do a lot of trimming and taping.

Thank you!
I just figured out they want someone for the 2014-2015 year. That's when I do all my internships and have my comprehensive exam. I'll be saying no.

So advice on how to say no. I already turned down approach to be a committee member for something that I didn't have the knowledge to do..thanks.

[TwinFoxes]

Like a PP, we have very few foods that have "box tops". Just two or three. BUT, there have been no directions other than "send them to school in a ziplock". Nothing about trimming or taping. There's no way in heck I would gather box tops for the entire school. But what are these rules people are talking about?

[jacksmomtobe]

It's a pretty tedious job. At our school we submit 2xs a year since checks are only issued 2xs a year. We collect the box tops throughout the school year but do a real push before the deadlines. It sounds like our 2 coordinators sit around for hours cutting the box tops properly and organizing. I would think it would be easier to organize as you go a bit but maybe it is so tedious & they get so small that they cannot to bear to do it any other times. I think passing on this "opportunity " is a good idea. I would just say that due to your internship and exam commitments for next year you really can't take anything additional on.

[KrisM]

Our school does a contest in Feb and the winning class gets an ice cream party. Last year, we made $9,000. I don't coordinate, but I volunteer. They have one parent volunteer per class to collect, trim, and count that class's box tops. It's a 2 week contest. I trim and count at night usually. The coordinator assigns the volunteers, makes the flyers, collects from the volunteers and sends them in. I like that it's yearly, not monthly. sure, it's more work at that time, but then it's done.