Elementary School Fundraiser Opt Out...

Don't bash fundraising

Every year in the Fall, a slew of blogger Moms bash fundraising.  I really like the blogger Moms but it's very common for the very same folks that we love and read and rely on for great info tell us they want to just opt-out of school fundraising.

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Encouragement

In stark opposition to the sentiment found on the web, I offer you a few words of encouragement. If you're a mommy blogger, remember that nothing puts the same amount of money into the classroom as the traditional gift and wrap catalogs, cookie dough or a magazine sale.  They just don't.

What about carnivals, walk-a-thons and auctions you ask?

They can raise significant funds and some groups find that they can raise significant funds consistently over time.  But for most, there are challenges.  Organizing takes time, buying supplies takes money up-front and the need for volunteers can be a burden.

Regardless of what fundraiser the school hosts, you're either in or you're out.

So, don't write a letter to the PTA saying you are opting out - it's rude.  If you choose to opt out, do it silently, not compromising the ability of the group to raise the funds they need. 

If you're frustrated about fundraising, just give anyway.  Feel good that you're helping your child find their passion inside the classroom and some money here and there is a small price to pay when your child connects with a book purchased from these funds.

Change

Being discouraged about fundraising kinda comes with the territory.  Being asked for money makes people mad.  It's understandable.  The best thing you can do as a parent, community member or mommy blogger is support the cause as it's designed. 

Then, follow it up by making it better the next time! 

Help the group in whatever way you can.  Join the PTA, offer our services or get the word out on a cause that needs extra attention.

Keep the conversation going at twitter.com/believekids

Ok, until next time!

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school fundraisers

Discussion - Children should be rewarded for returning materials, not for selling.

Discussion:
Children should be rewarded for
returning materials, not for selling.

This is an interesting one and after careful consideration, I would have to say that I disagree.  The premise is that when it comes to school fundraisers, having parents turn in blank order forms is as good as turning in ones with fundraising orders.

I can see both sides, proponents would say everything should be fair and that nobody should be pressured to help the school raise money. The argument would be that some parents can't afford it.

When I look at it, I think that there are plenty of times to be fair, but, when it comes to supporting a fundraiser, turning in a blank order form is not the same as a completed one.  I guess I see it like this.  Why reward a student with an 'A' if they turn in an assignment that deserves a 'C'? 

"In sports, just driving to the field does not
guarantee a win.

You still have to play the game."

Beyond that, I would suggest that there are plenty of ways to extend the sale past one's own household.  Showing the form to coworkers or neighbors you know makes selling easy not to mention using the internet to generate sales nationwide!

Fundraisers (see my companies shopping website) are now able to be promoted via Twitter and Facebook.  This extends the sale way beyond the parent, now allowing all sorts of friends and acquaintances to support the sale.

So, my argument would be that anyone returning a completed order form with at least a sale qualifies to be rewarded.  Then, let everyone decide where on that scale they can be. 

Some will sell 1 item while others 100 or more.

Either way, I would suggest they both get rewarded.  I know with most fundraisers, the person who sells 100 gets rewarded more.  I'm alright with that, but to sell nothing and expect something in return certainly seems a bit odd.  Because the packets cost money, everyone else has to support their lack of sales if you know what I mean.  To reward that, just means the participating students contribute even more to reward the non-sellers. 

The answer - just sell 1 item.

Ok, until next time!

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school fundraisers

Why School Fundraising Companies Are Awesome!

Fundraising awesome!

Fundraising companies are awesome!

Hey, you either think that fundraising companies are selfishly making money hand-over-foot or you know the truth.  Fundraising companies benefit only when schools raise money.


These days, anything that is not good or helpful or in demand, is going away. 



Think about the things that you love to do and support.  Well, if you didn't support them and the other folks that love them were to stop supporting them, what would happen?

Fundraising companies operate in margins that no brick and mortar or online retailer would bear. To provide a 40-50% cash payment to groups followed by paying for product, shipping expenses, prize programs, incentives, catalogs and order forms, websites, customer service and so much more would seem ludicrous.

So, if you have a good fundraising company, you will be earning significant funds.  Many times, this is above and beyond previous fundraisers dollars raised and in some cases, new fundraising records are achieved!

On top of the dollars raised being very substantial, kids should be satisfied - parents should receive quality goods at fair prices.  Customer support should be free and included and good.

If you find such a company, support them back because they're awesome!

Ok, until next time!

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school fundraisers

We Need More School Fundraisers!

We Need More School Fundraisers!

That doesn't sound quite right does it?  Just doesn't have that certain ring to it. Probably because 'We Need More School Fundraisers!' is not true.  It's a bunch of bologna.

What we need is less fundraising done well.  Here's the lowdown:

Charge when you can

If you can charge dues, invoice participants make a simple request that will be fulfilled, do not have an organized fundraiser.

For instance, if your hockey league has to buy pads for the future team's goalies, build in an extra $10 fee per parent at registration, then provide the pads automatically.  Don't get into the season and host a fundraiser to raise money for the pads.

The message here, is that if your expense is due to the normal cost of operation and your group is elective, charge up front. Make every effort to build in the cost so it's transparent to users.  People don't like nickel and diming, so charge once and let it be.

School Fundraisers should be GOOD!

If you are insistent that fundraising is for you and your school or group, realize that there is a difference between good and productive fundraisers and those that are, well, not good or productive.

For a fundraiser to be OK in my book, it must keep the relationship between parent and teacher intact.  It can't interfere inside the classroom unnecisarily or be bothersome to parents.  It's the responsibility of principals, teachers nad fundraising companies to dfind a way

Less is more!

Do not let less effective fundraisers interfere with ones that work well. It's very common to promote box tops on the marquee and guess what, that's fine.  But if your main Fall fundraiser is happening in a week, it's not.  Any contributions you get the weeks leading up to your main fundraiser is going to cause less participation in the main fundraiser.

When the main fundraiser makes more per student than the other, don't promote the other until afterwards.

If you like this sort of thing, subscribe or leave comments below.  I can be reached at twitter.com/believekids as well.

Ok, until next time!

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school fundraisers

Catalogs full of stuff that people don't really want or need.

Have you heard that one?

It's the argument against product fundraising catalogs. I see it mostly on blogs in the late Fall when fundraising season is well underway and parents show some frustration with fundraising.

Mostly, it means that people don't need to purchase things.  I've done some thinking about this one and I'm calling B.S. - in the nicest way possible of course.

Today, most of the things we purchase are not true necessities.  If pure need were the standard by which we determined what we bought, there would be no restaurants, no bookstores, no glitter and rhinestone shirts and no sugary deserts.


I'm reminded of the early west, picturing a single pot on a stove, a few potatoes in a basket and nothing more.  One set of Sunday clothes folded neatly. A single chair on the porch.  Today, things are just different.  We have many outfits and more pots than we could ever use.  In fact, we don't need nice cars, cell phones or jewelry but that's just taking things too far :)

So, while it's true we don't need fundraising items, we don't really need most of the things we have.

Funds from fundraisers provide things kids really need so you can feel good about helping a kid inside the classroom!

Support school fundraisers!



Ok, until next time!

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school fundraisers

What's with door-door fundraisers anyway? PT. 2

Yesterday's post 'What's with door-door fundraisers anyway?' shared how we went from friendly to fearful as a nation.  We went from dropping kids off in a neighborhood to fundraise alone (sometimes at night) to being fearful when we visited people's homes we didn't know. 

Today, the purpose of this post is simple.  To explain that there may still be door-to-door fundraisers out there. Let's take a quick look.

Many schools still host their own fundraisers.  This is completely fine, but they are generally not aware that their fundraising efforts can encourage door-to-door fundraising.

A walk-a-thon or read-a-thon that encourages donations from many individuals is a door-to-door fundraiser if you head out into the neighborhood to collect sponsorships.  Generally, this is what's expected from these fundraisers so here's a suggestion.

As a school sponsor, principal or parent group member, make sure to have a 'DO NOT GO DOOR-TO-DOOR' disclaimer on your documents and collection envelopes if you believe it's a safer recommendation.

That way, people will be reminded to take the document to work, call relatives and collect sponsorships from people they know.

In an ironic twist, if you do not have that disclaimer, you're probably taking part in something you wouldn't allow your fundraising company to get away with.

Hope you enjoyed this one!  Probably took you by surprise a bit huh?

Ok, until next time!

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elementary school fundraisers

What's with door-door fundraisers anyway?

So, what's with door-to-door selling?

A common fear for parents and schools is door-to-door selling.  What is the truth of the matter?

30 years ago, parents would let their children loose on neighborhoods and would regularly drop them off in unfamiliar neighborhoods in the dark to promote various fundraisers. Times were indeed different but something changed in 1982.

Parents became afraid.

The thing is, I remember this vividly.  At 12 years old, my parents got very paranoid along with everyone else.  On Halloween night, my parent made me go through my candy with them and throw away anything that was loosely wrapped or was made by hand or was a fruit that could contain a razor blade and they inspected every packet, bar and bag. 

All of a sudden, there were random people out there that wanted to get us.

The Tylenol Murders (link) and a bunch of other stuff like the cold war (link) really scared the pants off everyone.  I'm not saying that bad things didn't happen, it's just that we became really paranoid as a nation.

So, what happened to school fundraising?

School fundraising companies began to suggest that people not go door to door.


Today, no professionally run fundraiser is a door-to-door fundraiser.  That person who spread the rumor of the razor blade in the Halloween apple put a stop to it.  No company will tell you to go door-to-door to sell.

But people still like to think product fundraisers are sold door-to-door.  They can be, but they are also sold in a number of other ways, including the ability to sell to out-of-state family and friends with an online component.

So, do door-to-door fundraisers still exist?

Up next What's with door-door fundraisers anyway? PT. 2


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catalog fundraisers

Are School Fundraisers a Scam?

No. They are not.

Ok, until next time!

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school fundraisers

What Part of 'NO' don't you understand?

It's shocking really but some people that respond to a fundraiser with animosity. Seriously, What Part of 'NO' don't you understand? is real.

I just ran across a post about girl scout cookies and here's a juicy excerpt:

If kids have a booth outside a supermarket and they ask this one particular lady to buy she will say no and if they say anything else will reply by snapping "What Part of 'NO' don't you understand!"

So, there was a few other juicy tidbits in there as well.

The boxes are smaller, they don't taste as good anymore, the kids shouldn't be asked to peddle stuff, cookies are not healthy,  they only get a small portion of proceeds, I'd rather just give the money and not get the cookies, they are overpriced for what you get, I can get better tasting cookies for less than half that price and blah, blah, blah.

It's a fact.

People don't like fundraisers and in the Fall, so posts with negative comments will show up.  I try to let everyone know that it's ok to want to protect one's wallet.  It's just important to recognize what you will support and what you won't.

If there is something you believe in, you should support it.  If you don't... just be cool.  It's ok :)

The analogy would be if you like having a library in your neighborhood, you may want to visit it once in a while.  If the library closed because it was not utilized or supported and you would be devastated, the problem is not everyone else. It's you not supporting things you believe in.

So, for those of us who believe our kids should have their needs met inside the classroom, support putting those materials inside the classroom.  This only happens by supporting school fundraisers.

Ok, until next time!

The 'Real' Reason the Economy Effected School Fundraisers...

There's an economic reality and it's not been pretty.  Foreclosures up, jobs lost, no money in the bank, no borrowing power.  These are real issues.

But for schools and educators who are accustomed to fairness, promoting a fundraiser knowing that people out there are hurting is often difficult.

It's human nature not to want to ask things of people who are already in a bad position - completely understandable, right?

Well, certainly understandable, but only if you know who is in a bad position and who isn't.  Schools have hundreds of kids.  It's just too hard to know who's financially strapped at any given time.

It's impossible to know who has the willingness and ability to give at any time.  It's even harder to know how much the students suffer at the hands of a fundraiser that doesn't succeed.

So, if you're the fundraising chair, are you making the judgement for people ahead of time, or are you letting the results of the fundraiser determine who had the ability to help out?

Ok, until next time!

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school fundraisers

Teachers Hate School Fundraisers

It's pretty much a fact and it's understandable -Teachers hate school fundraisers!

They hate walk-a-thons, spell-a-thons and every other thon.  They hate product sales, spirit nights, auctions, carnivals, book fairs, bake sale, car washes and more.

I normally don't utter the word 'hate', but just broke my own rule to make a point.  The thing is, it's not these events in themselves that causes such strong feelings.  It's the fact that time in the classroom is just too valuable.

I suspect that assemblies, class photos and other distractions feel very similar to many teachers.

Fundraising companies today may be the solution to getting technology in the classroom.  Fundraising can provide books and supplies that teachers go without or pay themselves.  The reality is that one distraction is all it takes.

Teachers are not considering that a fundraising company could be their ally but when a fundraising company is committed to fundraising LESS but MORE EFFECTIVELY this can change.

I know a lot of teachers and they're not entirely embracing the fact that a fundraising company could be their ally when it comes to supplying what they need in the classroom.

But consider this...

If a teacher was asked to participate in ONE fundraiser and the profits would be there's to purchase supplies with, do you think they would change their tune?

I think so.

Now schools just have to discover the fundraisers that minimize distraction inside the classroom and the support from teachers will be there.

Ok, until next time!

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school fundraisers

School Fundraisers: Just Say No to the Sales Push

A public response to School Fundraisers: Just Say No to the Sales Push

So, here we have an article that is of the "I'd rather" variety.

'I'd rather do something else than to participate as requested.'

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It's really a declaration of failure to sway someone away from a course of action with no better solution.  It's also irresponsible.  Crazy example... If you were to try to convince my son to not wear his seat belt he would freak.  'But that's not safe!"

But here we have an article suggesting that fundraisers are booming business and just to opt out.

So, what's the deal?

My experience with donation drives is that they are not the end-all-be-all of fundraising solutions.  Sure, a school can host a successful donation drive but they do not work as well as this article would suggest.  If it were so simple, we'd just be donating like crazy and our industry would gladly be doing something else.

So, here's my criticism and you can do with it what you wish...

You get a fundraising packet from your school complete with some excitement from your kid.  Instead of rallying around the cause and being excited to do your part, you throw the packet away, give your kids the 'I'd rather' speech and then send in a few bucks direct (or forget about it completely).  You may even go as far as to make the volunteers hosting the fundraiser feel bad about it.

That's pretty harsh indeed.  Here's a few bullet point.  If you go around the fundraiser, here is who and how everyone is effected:

• The school is out money - your participation in the fundraiser would have very likely outweighed your donation (even at 100% going to the school).

• The fundraising company is out money - shipping catalogs and materials your way just to be recycled is very costly.

• Your kids learns funky lessons about generosity - isn't it better to show your kids how overly generous you are under the terms requested?

• The school is hurt - by avoiding the fundraising company, does the school loose an ally?  I contend they do.  Fundraising companies create incentives based on sales, not direct contributions.

• You're hurt- with all the wastefulness of recycling packets and going around the fundraising company, you may just be left with cheaper products at higher prices.

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So, what if you're wrong and a donation drive at your school raises a mere shadow of the funds raised by previous fundraisers?  What if a donation drive is not sustainable over time and even with short-term success, there is a downward trend following the first drive.

I've seen all this first hand and what seems like the solution, begins to look like just an alternative.

I'll leave you with that.  I know this is pretty harsh and a lot to consider - especially about a topic few are critically thinking about.  I'm here if you'd like to continue the conversation.

Please leave comments below or at twitter.com/believekids



Ok, until next time!

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school fundraisers

Guest Post - What should a school pay for?

Guest Post - Chris Smith - What Should Schools Pay For?

What should a school pay for?

Pencils, papers, paper towels, tissue paper, binders, pens, glue, crayons, rulers, footballs, shoulder pads, jerseys, wrestling shoes, cheerleader uniforms, volleyballs, microscopes, and many others ‘traditional’ classroom materials and school supplies now either don’t fit on the budget or require a “fee” before students can access these item(s).  School “Supply Lists” for parents are now growing into multiple page requests.  In some school districts, public school students are asked to pay $795 to play a single sport.  Under federal law, all students are entitled to F.A.P.E. (Free Appropriate Public Education).  Is there a point where school fees get so high that F.A.P.E. isn’t being met? 

As a Special Education teacher is a suburban school district, I have seen programs and services get cut and then cut again when it looks like there is no room for additional cuts to be made.  I work with students that have severe behavior problems.  When a student is sent to a specialized school because they are not able to access the curriculum at their current school, it can cost a school district $9,000 up to $50,000 per year, per student.  Not only are tougher and tougher students being enrolled at local elementary, middle and high schools but there are less and less services and supports to meet the needs of these students. 

Graduating from high school in 1996, I don’t consider myself to be out of touch with the times or an old-timer.  When I graduated, our middle schools offered Metal Shop, Wood Shop, Home Economics, Art, Band, Chorus and many other electives that were meant to enrich the young learners coming into their own.  Our high school sports were free to participate in.  There wasn’t a limit to the number of sports one could play.  My school lunch was $1.25.  Today, students are asked to pay $3.50 for a lunch.  This is almost triple the cost parents were asked to pay just 15 years ago.  Class offerings, sports and lunch costs are just the tip of the iceberg of changes that have occurred.

School districts all across America are tying to cover the rising cost of items of necessity and still offer some enriching activities to mold young minds.  Gone are the days of choices.  At the school district where I am employed, the Metal and Wood Shops are closed, all Art and Physical Education classes are gone from elementary schools, bussing has been taken down to state required minimums and students pay $495 to play a single sport.  If you have multiple children, in multiple sports, one could easily be looking at an invoice for a few thousand dollars to allow your children the opportunity to play a sport.  If they are the All-State linebacker or if they are the JV girl’s basketball 9^th person to rotate in, they still pay the $495. 

To have materials and incentives for my students, I engage in a grassroots efforts to ensure that they have what they need to be successful.  I continually reach out to local businesses and community resources to get materials and donations.  I use coupons to stretch my personal budget on my classroom.  As I am asked to purchase more and more for my classroom, I am getting nearer and nearer to looking at fundraising to close the supplies gap.  This is where we, as educators, need more organizations like Believe Kids that are waiting with open arms to help us continue to provide students all of the opportunities that they should have….. and that we had when we were growing up. 

Chris Smith, M.Ed, MBA

Intervention Specialist

Cincinnati, OH

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This has been a guest post by Chris Smith.  Hopefully we'll hear more from Chris in another post soon but in the meantime, feel free to keep the conversation going on twitter - twitter.com/believekids or reach out to Chris directly. On a personal note, I know how hard it can be to think that the need to fundraise exists when you don't and shouldn't be in a position to need to fundraise.  It's a frustrating situation to be in.  

I applaud teachers that are able to realize that fundraising is not the problem, nor the solution.  The reality is, something is required to close the gap in educational funding and it's the best option we have at the moment.  As with any discussion of fundraising, I believe it's important to mention that LESS fundraising that is MORE EFFECTIVE is what's truly needed today.  If we make fundraising important, it will bridge the gap.  

On that note, Thanks Chris!

Ok, until next time!

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believekids.com/blog/

facebook.com/believekids

school fundraisers

School Fundraising - Summary of it's function & importance.

School Fundraising

School Fundraising has the ability to enhance a school by way of community cooperation, coupled with student and faculty help.

There are many ways a school can fundraise; and it takes the support of the students and staff to make it possible. School Fundraising enhances the school in a plethora of different ways; such as providing extras such as field trips and classroom supplies.  More recently, keeping art classes within the school system, avoiding staff layoffs, and getting new technology into the classroom have been a common reason for raising funds.

Because of the lack of funds that schools routinely receive, the school has to pave its way for advancement through fundraising. School Fundraising allows a school to enhance their campus with technological advances by way of new computers with software for better learning. Nicer desks, tables and chairs to give the opportunity for students to learn in a clean and unobstructed environment, along with more funding for staff members to make the school a safe and enjoyable place for students to attend. There are more and more things not covered by general budgets being completely or partially funded by school fundraisers.

School Fundraising is very important for setting a precedent for the community to participate in the process of helping out the school in their neighborhood to become better and more apt at helping to teach the future of tomorrow.

Students who involve themselves in fundraising have shown to exhibit a high confidence level and great pride for what they deem valuable; their learning institution. School Fundraising carries such a high importance, that it has become the tool of choice for schools to get the funding they so much deserve.

School Fundraising raises the status quo of a neighborhood by making the school that much more relevant and helps the well-being of the students that live in the neighborhood. Exhibit good will in your community by supporting school fundraising or even becoming involved yourself. It can be difficult at times to raise money, but it is important to help support the school in your community.


Wow, a lot of deep stuff there.

Ok, until next time!


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Keep the conversation going on twitter - @believekids
school fundraisers

As a Parent, What Should I Do When a School Fundraiser Comes My Way?

Supportive Parents Help Kids With Their Education.

What Should I Do When a School Fundraiser Comes My Way?

Hey, let's face it.  As a parent, we want what's best for our child.  We read to them, we help them with homework, we get them to school on time (mostly).  Stop to think about the things you'll do to show your love and commitment.  You tie your kids shoes, pack lunches and put permanent marker to brand new jackets.

Some parents do even more.  

There are school helpers, who volunteer time inside the classroom.
There are library volunteers who read to children.
There are crossing guards, who enjoy their morning coffee at a crosswalk.

What's more, there are parent groups such as the PTA or PTO that provide for the classroom as well.  The parent group is a volunteer organization that originally provided the little extras that made learning fun.  Today, the PTA is responsible for making up for budgeting shortfalls.  In some cases, this means they are funding music and art programs, buying books for the classroom and even providing the new technology inside the classroom.

School Fundraising is evolving.

It's becoming more necessary and at the same time, more resisted then ever before.  As a parent, you've seen your share of fundraisers.  And that's part of the problem. Too much fundraising is partially responsible for poor results...  It's very common for a parent group to promote something that generates very little income right before asking parents to participate in something that would have made substantially more.

School fundraisers are improving so you can feel better about the value and quality.  You can write off your purchase just as you would a donation to the Red Cross or your church.  The difference is, your school is a charity that puts your donation to work right inside the classroom your child sits in.

So, provided your school is not over-burdening you, what you should do when you get a school fundraiser packet home is PARTICIPATE!

Pick out your items, email family, post on facebook, bring to work, do whatever you can!   Write your check and promptly return to the school!  Keep in mind, what you're doing by participating in the fundraiser is putting an iPad right into the classroom.  You're keeping the art teacher on staff.  You're buying a book.  All these things help your child find their passion!

Everybody else is not going to contribute - You still have to!

If what I've said here is offensive, chances are, your school is not making important fundraisers important.  It may be that they've gotten into a habit of fundraising continuously because of lack of participation.  If you're offended, you may just be the perfect person to change the way fundraising is done at your school.  Here's to fundraising LESS but MORE EFFECTIVELY!

Thanks for reading and sharing.  Keep the conversation going at twitter.com/believekids

Ok, until next time!



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school fundraisers

School Fundraisers and The School Principal

School Fundraisers and The School Principal

Hey, your principal is influential!  He's also probably not supporting the fundraising efforts at your school very well.  Yikes!  The truth sometimes hurts.

Fact is, from this side (the school fundraising company side), when Principals are involved with a fundraiser, it's something noticeable, something tangible, something remarkable!  It's not uncommon to see new fundraiser records set the first time a principal gets involved.

I'm not making any sort of political statement, propaganda, myth or anything else.  I know principals are busy. I know many support the PTA and PTO, etc. but, the numbers speak for themselves. 

If you want your fundraiser to truly succeed, teamwork is necessary.  Your school principal is a big part of that.  With their help, Teachers will know that the fundraiser is important.  If that is the case, the teachers tell the students that it's important. 

This is the way things happen at school!

The end result is that the students tell the parent!


Next up...

What parents should do when a fundraiser comes their way.

Ok, until next time...

10 School Fundraising Strategies That Add Color To Your School Fundraisers - INFOGRAPHIC

Here is the new infographic illustrating 10 school fundraising strategies that will add color to your school fundraisers.  The presentation starts with choosing the right school fundraiser and continues through the process of running a fundraiser right on to the success achieved when just a few simple suggestions are followed.

The thing about fundraising is that LESS IS MORE and by making one special fundraiser important and getting the word out on it RAISES MORE!

So, I hope you enjoyed the infographic and just in case you're in a position to follow #8 and energize your fundraiser, here is the direct link to the book 101 Low & No Cost Promotions for Your Fundraiser.

Thanks for looking and sharing!  If you'd like to keep the conversation going, please leave a comment here on my blog or send a tweet to @believekids

Thanks so much!

Ok, until next time!

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twitter.com/believekids
facebook.com/believekids
school fundraisers

Question? How Does Public Opinion Hurt School Fundraising Participation? Read This...

I think this is funny.

Take a look at this blog post when you get a chance.  It's pretty funny.  You'll notice something else if you read the comments too.  Lots of varying opinions and very few of them positive.  That's not funny.

The clincher for me is diana who encourages us to support Girl Scouts instead of a school.

The bottom line is that participation in fundraisers blows.  School fundraising companies have to go to extremes to encourage charitable contributions.  Schools desperately need money.  There's some serious issues there that need to be explored here but I'm done for today.  Here's the blog post I ran across:

An Angry Goose in My Kitchen and Other Reasons I Hate School Fundraisers

Ok, until next time!

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School Fundraising PLN
Catalog Fundraisers

Six ways to stay connected to your child's school

As the school year gets underway, here's a quick reminder of some various ways to stay connected with your child's school.  This is important for obvious reasons, however, I am concentrating on strengthening the parent/teacher relationship. I hope you feel the same. Check it out.

Six ways to stay connected to your child's school

 Until next time!

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Elementary School Fundraisers

Strange Weird and Wacky School Fundraisers

Here's a fun Friday blog post for ya!  There are a lot of school fundraising ideas floating around out there and not all of them are reasonable, rational or even sane. 

Not sure how many people really take advantage of these fundraisers "on the fringes" so to speak but I just ran across a post about cow pie bingo or something like that.  They had a whole field marked off with squares to track all of the cow patties.

Hey, if it works for you great!  Not everyone is going to get it and that's just fine if it's your thing :)

I hear about strange fundraisers all the time.  Recently ran across a fundraising company that offers a mattress fundraiser and I'm sure if I started to really think about it I would remember some much stranger.  Oh yeah, cash for grades.  Yes, that was one fundraiser that got some negative attention last year.

Take a look at this one that discusses Alpaca Poop Fundraiser, Pink Flamingo Flocking and 'Slave for a Day' fundraisers.


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Planning a School Fundraiser? How to Walk the Fine Line Between Shocking and Savvy - LINK

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My advice for anyone throwing an off-the-beaten-path fundraiser is that if you must pick one, do so with it becoming a huge repeatable hit in the forefront of your mind.

Choose something that will resonate with your school or community personally, then try your darndest to make it a huge event that you can use to get press with and repeat every year.   If you can't make a lot of money, remember that there are already quite safe fundraisers out there that raise tens of thousands of dollars in just two weeks.  If you still insist then...

Make it a thing!  Make it an event to remember - and not for bad reasons.

Keep in mind that not all weird and wacky fundraisers will work. By hosting one, you are taking a risk.  Choose wrong and risk ridicule or worse.

Last year, a few duct tape fundraisers went bad as well.  Folks, cover your private parts with cardboard or the kids will have no choice but to tape over them. If you don't put the cardboard over you before taping, don't complain when things get weird.

School fundraiser goes awry - LINK

The trouble with the duct tape fundraisers lead to students being expelled and trouble with the law.  It's not worth it.

To sum it up, there are reasons fundraising companies exist and in many cases, save schools from embarrassment.  Be careful out there.  If you are on your own planning a fundraiser, look at all of the possible downsides before you jump right in.

You can contact me for insight anytime.

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Thanks for looking, sharing and commenting!  Feel free to let me know if you've hosted a strange fundraiser that has become a trend in your area!  On the flip side, have you hosted a bomb of a crazy fundraiser I should know about?