Allow me to share my views on what could be an excellent SAT essay question. Some people argue that if they already pay taxes (public schools) or tuition (private schools), why would they do fundraising? Usually, though, it’s the method that repels us from fundraising, not the motive. Increasing numbers of parents have expressed deep frustration with the countless calls for action to fundraise for their child’s school. To take a line from a Broadway musical, “Where did we go wrong?”
School fundraising, in any form, requires time among other things. Imagine a school fundraiser—the bake sales, auctions, etc. etc. If this burden falls on the parents to supply the items being sold, there may not be enough to sell! If it’s a bake sale, it’s always a gamble (what if everyone else is allergic to nuts? It’s no one’s fault). Who coordinates it? That’s an extra straw. Does the PTO do it (but they’re contributing anyway!)? Do the teachers do it? The parents would rather have them teach the kids and grade the papers on time.
Does the management team do it? That’s why the newsletter is late. You get the picture. So, we come back to the well-known wrapping-paper-scented-candle-cookie-dough catalog that requires kids, sometimes as young as 4 years old, to knock on doors or make phone calls. But this takes away our kids’ time, too! They could be studying or practicing an instrument or just having fun! One common argument is that it’s not the kid’s problem. If school leaders are worried about money, ask the parents, and they’ll write a check.
Indeed, some school leaders have limited their direct fundraising to just one a year, asking that each family contribute X dollars per child at the beginning of the year. That’s it. In one case, they got an 85% response, and met their targets. But are the other kinds of fundraising really that bad? Personally, I think that there are certain elements of fundraising that are very good training for “the real world.” Fundraising helps kids break their bubble and communicate. When you ask kids to go door-to-door, you’re teaching them to fail and get back up again, to be persistent, to have confidence, to express themselves clearly and effectively, and also to learn how to find fun in difficulties.
This could be so useful in any discipline, and particularly in entrepreneurship! Furthermore, while you could get all of this training simply by doing a project, it would not be quite as difficult as trying to sell something. By fundraising, kids can learn more! I exaggerate on purpose—there is a catch. More than one.
Consider: Quality: When children fundraise by trying to sell cheap products, they stop selling the products. That becomes more a case of how many hearts they can melt, leaving them with little experience of how to represent products (or their ideas, in the future), and leaving those who do buy stuff from them with emptier wallets and fuller trash cans.
Choice: This leads in from the previous point. Conventional catalog-based fundraising doesn’t let these kids choose what they are selling. It doesn’t encourage their creativity, it doesn’t enable them to “read the market”, and it doesn’t allow them to know the products inside-out and be passionate about them.
Goals: Fundraising should connect to goals, and while I’m not suggesting that we give the kids the school bank details and password, for fundraising to be meaningful, they must really engage with the cause. If the school cannot operate without additional fundraising, that’s going too far. But for specific programs, I think a percentage of “vote” it should be the kids’ choice.
Maybe, though, there should always have a fallback option for every program or activity you're fundraising for. So, if you don't meet the targets, the kids aren't disappointed. While the last point is more about school policies than about your fundraising method, we can work to fix the first two. There are various fundraising methods, models, and initiatives for matching quality products and services with people who'd want them, giving back to the school at the same time.
GoodSearch: A search engine that donates a penny back to a school or non-profit every time you search.
Chinook Book: A print and mobile book filled with coupons for green and local merchants in five regions.
Greenraising: It helps teachers fundraise and protect the planet with their sustainable and green products.
Local Happiness: South Carolina’s Fundraiser—Another great model for supporting your kids' school and getting unique, local products for it.
Scrip: “The proven method of generating charitable rebates through common purchases from your favorite stores, restaurants and service providers.”
Schoola: Making fundraising easy, keeping money in your local community, helping parents participate by saving money.
And…Eduporium! If you buy from us, teachers automatically receive our best discounts on all educational technology products from hundreds of vendors. Only buy what you'll need, but when you do purchase your next piece of educational technology, we give a portion of our profits back to the school. That should about cover the fundraising opportunities from your daily, monthly, and yearly purchases!