Moms Talk: New School Year Signals Fundraising Frenzy

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This week's question comes from a contributor and North Potomac-Darnestown Moms Council member.

Schools, student groups and Boy/Girl Scouts begin an onslaught of fundraising sales in September, selling everything from gourmet popcorn to wrapping paper and magazines. They go door-to-door and to their extended families, and parents are often expected to sell at their workplaces. How do you feel about and deal with all of the fundraising efforts from your child's school, scouts and other extracurricular activities?

: I do not like all of the fundraising sales that are a part of schools, scouts, and other organizations. As a child, my mother would always buy the required number of Girl Scout Cookies or grapefruits and oranges I had to sell for the band. When I joined the work force, I always felt obligated to buy from the boss's children even if I didn't need wrapping paper or candles, and now with my children in school I hate to see the fundraiser requests come home.

Fortunately, our school has a new program that encourages the children to read and asks for contributions when your child has reached his/her goal. This program allows more money to go to the school, since there are no magazines to buy or other material items and it encourages a good habit. I think my son had to read for 45 minutes a day (up from the required 30 minutes). And to my surprise it changed his reading habits, and now he reaches for a book every time we get in the car, go to the park, or watch his brothers at a sporting event.

Because of the R.E.A.C.H. fundraiser program my son is ready to read at all times, and I get less complaining about being bored. I realize that schools and other organizations need the money they raise from fundraising, at least my school has found a way to raise the money and raise better readers. Maybe someone will come up with a fundraiser to raise money while promoting writing next!      

I really dread all the fundraising. I don't like to ask others to participate and I don't really like to be asked. I am a Girl Scout leader, so my girls do sell the cookies and I try to stop there. Many people do really want the cookies—at least I think! When the wrapping paper comes out I do ask my immediate family if they would like to participate but only if it is quality wrapping paper. Last year I didn't like the company our school went with so therefor I didn't participate. 

Sometimes I think it might be easier and less work to just ask each family to consider making a donation to the specific organization and then eliminate all fundraising. When schools or organizations are all doing fundraisers at the same time, it gets a bit overwhelming and tough on the check book when everyone is asking for money.

Unfortunately this is one of those things that you have to do, but you don't have to like it. Consider it the price you pay for participation. We never had family in town to sell things to, and did not have the kind of job where we could solicit co-workers, so we generally bought a nominal amount for ourselves and called it a day. Occasionally the kids would pair up and knock on neighbors' doors, but it was never anything that we, as parents, encouraged them to do.