Overpriced Fundraisers

[SoonerTexan]

Not knocking any of you that have kids in Boy Scouts...BUT WHAT IS UP WITH THE OVERPRICED POPCORN?

A Boy Scout found me walking home from a block party tonight and gave me the popcorn pitch...I sort of feel bad about this, but I lied and said I had already bought some from a coworker. The truth is a coworker put the form outside his office last year and I was going to sign up for some...until I saw the prices. I cant remember, but I think it was something like $18 for the cheapest item--microwave popcorn. No one ended up buying any off his form. I kind of felt bad for the guy...but it did give me the forewarning I needed today.

Why is this stuff so expensive? It seems intrusive to basically put a stranger on the spot for a $20 donation. Heck...I bought the 1/2 brat meal at the block party I was coming back from because paying $5 for the full one seemed steep! I know the Boy Scouts aren't the only ones who do this. My parents get so tired of it living on a cul-de-sac full of kids. You feel awful saying no, but at the same time, if you want your kid participating in something, I feel like you should be prepared to pay for it. Or at least do a fundraiser that allows me to give $5 and save face.

One fundraiser I don't mind is Girl Scout Cookies...you cannot find them anywhere else and I can spare $3.50 for a box of cookies. Heck...maybe I'll even buy 2 or 3!

[ladymoreta]

I agree. It's good for microwave popcorn, but really... That is too much for a fundraiser. In high school, we always made the most total money off the lowest priced things - the $1 giant candy bars. Still way overpriced, but who won't give a dollar to a little band nerd, right?

[diggitydot]

I haaaaaaaate fundraisers. So do our kids. The ONLY reason they ever want to participate is for the stupid assed prizes.

[houseelf]

Ummm, is there a debate here because I couldn't agree more. It is the first week in October and we have already sold magazines and Yankee candles. The year is just beginning. sigh. I do think that the boy scouts sell a particularly poor product, cookies are easy to sell at $3.50 a box. Even if you are Ms. nutrition, you can spare $3.50 to donate a box to the troops and support GS. Admittedly, the GS only get something like 50 cents a box but the price of a box of cookies approximates what you might spend at the grocery store.

I think there is a huge donor fatigue issue going on with the schools and these organizations. People are simply tapped out.

ETA: My son's school in Minnesota sent out a letter to parents the first week of school stating their fundraising policy. Instead of trying to sell a bunch of stuff people didn't need, they held only three fundraisers: the charitable giving campaign, the auction, and a golf/luncheon outing. As part of the community, the parents were expected to give to these events in the way most meaningful to their family or tuition would raise. Some people donated high priced items to the auction while others were more than happy to cut a check. I'd be all for this type of policy.

[diggitydot]

Fundraisers we've already had this year:

DD1-
Band car wash
Gift crap sale
Band trip to WDW payments - $130/month
Uniform fundraising - $55 at the beginning of camp
Sweatshirts
T-shirts


DD2-
Magazine sale
Gift crap sale
Selling concessions at games for Lego robotics
Lego robotics uniforms ($15) and team fees ($20) per kid


DS-
Magazine sales
Gift crap sales

And it's only the beginning of fucking October. Add in all the school pictures, textbook rentals (~$350/year), instrument rental fees, various uniform fees, etc. and this shit is expensive.

[GreyhoundsRUs]

When I was in HS, our only fundraiser for the year was selling ads for a kind of local yellow pages that the school printed. If a business bought an ad, they also got that number of raffle tickets, or you could sell the raffle tickets door-to-door. The problem: it's been going on for so long that businesses have the one person that they deal with.

DH's parents would simply write a check to the school for the amount he was supposed to raise (they did the holiday wrapping paper/sausage thing). The school would actually get mad at this!

[GreyhoundsRUs]

When I was in HS, our only fundraiser for the year was selling ads for a kind of local yellow pages that the school printed. If a business bought an ad, they also got that number of raffle tickets, or you could sell the raffle tickets door-to-door. The problem: it's been going on for so long that businesses have the one person that they deal with.

DH's parents would simply write a check to the school for the amount he was supposed to raise (they did the holiday wrapping paper/sausage thing). The school would actually get mad at this!

[v-girl]

One of the moms who co-chairs the fundraising committee for our ballet company sells for a trendy candle warmer/soy cube company. Yep, you can guess what the first fundraiser was. Except that our company only made 15% of the sales. Customers had to pay sales tax (not typical for fundraisers). Two years ago we did one through the company my mom sells for (For Every Home) -- they also sell warmers and soy cubes, but have candles as well. We made 50% of the sales. My mom let us keep her profit. The directors want that fundraiser done in the spring so people can buy for Mother's Day.

Next we have poinsettias. And a garage sale. And parents night outs (that M will help with). And a Nutcracker Holiday Market (that I will be selling jewelry at) -- but that is actually a fun one since people can get Christmas shopping done while their children are in rehearsals (and there's a bake sale during it!).

Hate them! Re: Boy Scouts, I usually buy the option that gives it to the troops. Still overpriced, but goes down a little easier.

4 years ago out school stopped selling lots of crap & started an annual walk-a-thon. Kids ate each expected to raise $50 in "pledges". I just write. $50 check for each and call it a day.

[MrsK]

The fundraiser that really makes me nuts is when they send high schoolers out to just ask for money and not sell or do anything. The ones where in lieu of washing cars, the kids stand at intersections and panhandle. I don't think I'd want my kids to participate in that. If they are selling something, at least it's a teachable experience.

[Deebs]

To me, it depends on the fundraiser. The best cheesecakes in the Chicago area (in my opinion) are available by fundraiser only. I would be disappointed if I didn't purchase one from my niece annually. DD was very upset this year when I wouldn't let her solicit for wrapping paper and cookie dough sales. I bought the wrapping paper I wanted and wrote a check for a donation our family could afford. We will be selling GS cookies, but not in an agressive manner. Again, I think that is a fundraiser many look forward to. Unfortunately, everything needs money to run.

[Chrisada]

I hate that the Boy Scout popcorn is so overpriced. Boys Scouts are very dear to us because DH was one for many years, but I have a problem when the cheapest popcorn is $18 bucks. It makes it hard to support them. I do not like asking people for money period. One of the reasons I did not do Junior League this year was because they are required to sell a certain amount of tickets for a dinner. I cringe at stuff like that. Which also brings me to all of the Mary Kay, Avon, tupperware party, childrens clothing, Thirty-One gift parties that I am always invited to. Seriously everyone and their momma is selling something around here.

[MrsK]

What is Thirty-One gifts? I was just invited to one of those.

[Chrisada]

What is Thirty-One gifts? I was just invited to one of those.

Basically bags with a lot of floral choices that you get monnogrammed. Lunch bags, purses, etc. Was not my style at all. I just got a plain black bag with our last name on it that the boys can put their sports equipment in.
http://www.mythirtyone.com

Which also brings me to all of the Mary Kay, Avon, tupperware party, childrens clothing, Thirty-One gift parties that I am always invited to. Seriously everyone and their momma is selling something around here.

I live 3 doors away from a pink cadillac Mary Kay lady. She's been selling longer than I've been on this planet, and is on her 12th car (they get one every 2 years). Her house shows up on google maps as a Mary Kay distributor! That said, she is the MOST laid back of any. I get flyers - that's it. The other stuff is bordering on the absurd. I sold Tastefully Simple when dh was a resident to bring in a little $$, and while I hated it, I at least felt a bit better about the fact that I was providing ALL the food for the event, and the host wasn't shelling out big $$ to entertain friends so I could sell my wares. Here we have the candles, the kitchen stuff, food, clothes (CAbi is insanely expensive!) ... I refer to them as "buy my crap" parties.