Let kids learn and earnalittle, too
Fundraising is the bane of many parents’ lives. Your kids get sent home with a carton of chocolate bars or raffle tickets to sell, leaving you to argue with your offspring until you’re red in the face, telling them to get out and sell whatever it is they’re lumped with.
Much as my heart sinks as a parent, fundraising is a great opportunity for children to boost their financial literacy.
Of all the ways for children to fundraise for school trips the easiest is to simply ask others to give you money or have someone else set up a fundraising page. Givealittle.co.nz. has plenty of examples.
One Wairarapa College student raised $2500 in 14 days to go on a school rugby trip to the Gold Coast.
Different fundraisers appeal more than others — one Givealittle appeal that struck a chord was that of 13-year-old Jack Kelly from the Bay of Plenty, who is raising $3000 for a school trip to Vanuatu to build a school classroom destroyed in a cyclone.
Sponsorship is another easy option. Ask friends and family to contribute towards you doing something such as shaving your hair off.
Both these options work, but there is more to be learned by children making money through their own efforts.
I’m impressed with the market days at my local secondary school for business students. Some sell goods, others make handcrafts or offer services. The same could be done at local farmers or craft markets.
Being successful requires some originality — there are only so many lotions and potions and phone covers the market can take. A more unique product that fills a need in the community may be a better bet.
Schools can be very good at helping their students fundraise.
Dr Cherie Taylor-Patel, principal of Flanshaw Rd School, says a group of her students who went to Samoa organised sausage sizzles on Fridays.
It was tied in with their learning. Students had to manage the financial side in Google Docs and had to work accurately or lose money. The parents did the cooking and funds were assigned to their children.
Other fundraisers to help the school’s students go on overseas trips included a Gigantic Garage Sale, an umu and a hangi, says Taylor-Patel.
Plenty of children’s fundraising shows up on Trade Me, usually under parents’ accounts because you need to be 18 to become a Trade Me member. Or you can use local Facebook buy/sell groups or other apps such as Carousell.
A child or teen who fundraises a few hundred or thousand dollars has done something very powerful.
Trade Me fundraisers last week included all manner of things for sale, including live chickens.
Harnessing celebrity power can help. If you can get your hands on Sonny Bill Williams’ shorts, or a signed shirt, you can often make big money in an online auction.
Another great idea is to ask for donations of stuff from friends and family and sell them. Most recently my daughter was given a huge library of science fiction books and DVDs to sell, which will no doubt raise a good chunk of money.
It does take time to sell on Trade Me, but the discipline of managing auctions professionally can be a great learning tool for young people.
Another possibility for children with a musical or acting talent is busking. As long the child likes putting him or herself out there, it can be an extremely effective way to raise money fast. There is a lot of reinventing the wheel and low-value fundraising. Selling door-to-door can take a lot of time, but the money adds up. Organised fundraising initiatives such as the Entertainment Book, bingo nights, discos, and other events are good fundraisers, but take a lot of effort.
A child or teen who fundraises a few hundred or thousand dollars has done something very powerful. Entrepreneurs have been born this way.
At the very least it creates a direct connection between effort and earning.