A Suggestion for Schools and Fundraising

Anyone who knows us knows we like to find good deals. Ok? So what does that have to do with school fundraising? EVERYTHING!! I don't know who the genius was behind getting schools to get kids to sell their astronomically priced wares, but it is a bit ridiculous. The fact that these things come out not just once or twice a year, but over and over again makes me think: these are educators, right? They can see the silliness of all these companies who are PREYING on schools (aka: CHILDREN) to do their marketing for them, right? I mean, there is a plethora of businesses who cater to the schools' needs to raise extra funds (I have a whole other rant about proper use of funds, but that is not the concern here). My message is thus: stop sending the wrapping paper and cookie dough and overpriced bags of candies for the parents to try to help their children sell in order to make a marginal income for the school. Let's get serious. This is NOT the way to do things. There are significantly greater and more meaningful ways for schools to raise funds. I'll list a few examples and explain. Last night we attended my daughter's Open Mic Night where her grade level presented actual student work to the audience. The read poems written by themselves during school in their studies of poetry: something they were already doing anyway! Then they created a night where the parents could come and enjoy seeing their children read their poetry to an audience. Guess what this does? Builds more skills applicable in the world for our children: public speaking and the ability to create and present a project/idea. Next, they provided a simple refreshment of a cookie and a drink. The kids brought around a tip box and collected money. There were tip boxes at the door where it was easy to slip in an untold amount of cash...or even a check if you so desired! It made it fun. It made it real. It made it so we could celebrate the successes the school is accomplishing. I won't disclose the amount of money they made, but I can only imagine it was a larger profit line (dare I use such language in referring to fundraising?) than the aforementioned catalog sales. In discussing this with a friend, she told me about an event another school utilized to raise money for a particular program. The kids all worked to have two works of art to display at an Art Night. Each was fitted with an inexpensive black paper "frame" and displayed. Parents and the community were invited to come to the art show and were allowed to purchase the art. Can you imagine how great this is? Exposure to cultural arts, displaying of accomplishments of the children's work, and the materials were already a part of the school budget, meaning little to no extra cost! Again, the sum of money they were able to raise with this fundraiser was incredible. And, again, it has to be a larger profit line than the catalog sales we have become rooted in. Now, sure, maybe you can overkill it with these kinds of activities, too, but reward the community for being a little more intelligent than blindly sending out those catalogs! And please, stop trying to get the kids to buy into the incentive mind-set. When they are fundraising, they should be rewarded with satisfaction that they accomplished something, not that we are now going to dip into the funds that we just raised to give the kids some silly toy or t-shirt. Teach them that when you raise money for a cause, it is the cause you should be focused on, not the prize that Sally-Jo won because she sold more than Tommy. So, please, schools, take a moment and rethink what you are really teaching children with the fundraising. Be more creative! Let them help! They are way more creative than the rest of us adults, anyway!!