School option to donate is intriguing idea
Fundraisers are OK to a point, but direct donations have more benefit
I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with school fundraisers.
Kids are sent home every few months with fliers hawking cookie dough, wrapping paper, candles and candy in an effort to raise money for school projects and events.
Now, lots of good can come from these fundraisers. They can cover the cost of field trips, or new playground equipment, or whatever other needs might arise at the school. I appreciate that. Schools teach more than numbers and letters, and way too often, schools need more resources to make it happen.
However, I have to admit … fundraisers make me a bit crazy.
I don’t want to buy expensive cookie dough, and I have so much wrapping paper in my house that it will be many years before we ever run out.
Plus, when I spend $40 on the fundraiser, I always wonder … how much of that actually trickles back to the school? It’s not the full $40 – something has to pay for the actual product and its shipping.
I can see how school fundraisers help kids learn some skills. There’s a little bit of a sales pitch that goes into talking someone into buying, and a little bit of marketing, too.
A school fundraiser might also prompt kids to think about helping others, depending on what the fundraiser is for, and how the school presents it to the kids.
And in some fundraisers, like car washes, the kids are out there working together on a project, so there’s a bit of teamwork and team building going on, which is great.
So is it terrible to admit that in most cases, I would rather donate the money directly to the school, rather than buying stuff my family doesn’t really need?
One PTO (parent-teacher organization) in Alabama went viral last year after sending home a letter to parents, giving them a new choice: “the Opt-Out Fundraiser.”
The parents are given the option of donating instead of fundraising, and it notes if parents go this route, the donation directly benefits the school 100%.
On many levels, this appeals to me. I would rather help the school in the best capacity, rather than giving the cookie dough companies a cut of the proceeds – although I’m still down with car washes and that sort of thing, because I think the concept of teamwork is important.
What do you think, readers? If Yuma schools offered such an approach, would you use it, or would you rather do the traditional fundraisers? Share your thoughts online at www.YumaSun.com, or send in a Letter to the Editor at letters@yumasun.com.