Questionable Fundraising Attitudes of PTA - taking students savings is "cute" ?!

[Anonymous]

Our FFX Mount Vernon area ES is going through the annual PTA fundraising drive. On the closed FB page for the PTA, the fundraising comittee and the usual accolytes are crowing about how great it is that the students are sending in their own piggybank savings. To me this is so wrong on many levels but, whithout anonaminity, there's not a chance in heck I'll post negatively on the topic there!

The students are supposed to be benefitting, not bankrolling. (Okay. An exageration, but you get the point.)

The fundraising has gone beyond fundraising. This situation is not "cute". To my mind this has crossed a line into predatorial collecting.

Im all for students being involved in fundraising, compassionately donating for a good cause. This collection is not for cancer research, or a third world country needing water, or UCM... it's an affluent-area school PTA with a large operating budget that annualy fundraises $30-50k


I have talked with other parents over the years so I know many other parents have the same misgivings about these vast fundraising efforts, especially students' classes being awarded benfits and treats as they meet fundraising goals.

So, what do y'all think?

[Anonymous]

Are there incentives, prizes or a raffle, for donation. If so, then that's why the kids are donating to something like this. Parents may not even know for older students.

I don't think it's cute either but the general idea of donation is a good one for kids and I wouldn't want to discourage that spirit.

[Anonymous]

Not sure I understand OP. The PTA is asking kids to donate their own money? Why?

[Anonymous]

I think you SHOULD stand up for these kids, OP. This is VERY wrong.

I posted, non-anonymously, on our school listserve about the exorbitant price of the PTA-managed directory and some PTA parents were completely incensed - not because they're bad people, but because when you've been involved too long, sometimes you can lose track of what's appropriate.
The year after that I became part of the PTA Board - which is a much more efficient way of influencing matters.

[Anonymous]

I don't see why the kids shouldn't donate - it isn't compulsory. My son has $500 in his piggybank that he has been saving for years for a special lego thing - if he decided to give a bit of it to his school instead, that seems like a good idea to me.

[Anonymous]

OP here: The students have collection duties, getting donations from relatives, local bussinesses, etc. Each class has a running total and as collections pass goals the class earns awards like homework passes, extra recess time, ice cream truck visit, and more. Students donating thier savings smacks of buying the awards, not the honorable act of caring/sharing helping those in need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
OP here: The students have collection duties, getting donations from relatives, local bussinesses, etc. Each class has a running total and as collections pass goals the class earns awards like homework passes, extra recess time, ice cream truck visit, and more. Students donating thier savings smacks of buying the awards, not the honorable act of caring/sharing helping those in need.

The whole premise of this fundraising is completely messed up. Elementary-school students should be learning, their parents should be supporting the school. The students should not be raising money in a systematic way like this.

[Anonymous]

OP here: The students have collection duties, getting donations from relatives, local bussinesses, etc. Each class has a running total and as collections pass goals the class earns awards like homework passes, extra recess time, ice cream truck visit, and more. Students donating thier savings smacks of buying the awards, not the honorable act of caring/sharing helping those in need

PP here - well in that case I don't think it is right because some kids are at an advantage to others in terms of ability to solicit donations etc. But I don't see anything wrong with asking kids to make a small donation of their own money if they are able to do so, unassociated with a reward or prize.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't see why the kids shouldn't donate - it isn't compulsory. My son has $500 in his piggybank that he has been saving for years for a special lego thing - if he decided to give a bit of it to his school instead, that seems like a good idea to me.

OP here: Wow, that's awesome saving! No It's not compulsory to give.... but, unlike your son's case, this is life savings of nickels, dimes, cents, a few dollars of young children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I think you SHOULD stand up for these kids, OP. This is VERY wrong.

I posted, non-anonymously, on our school listserve about the exorbitant price of the PTA-managed directory and some PTA parents were completely incensed - not because they're bad people, but because when you've been involved too long, sometimes you can lose track of what's appropriate.
The year after that I became part of the PTA Board - which is a much more efficient way of influencing matters.

How much was it?just curious.

[Anonymous]

Whatever happened to taxpayer funding? I (cheerfully) paid taxes for 20 years before having a child in the system. 20 years of contributing without using a service. I will cheerfully pay (and vote to pay) adequate taxes once my child is out of the system. What is wrong with administrators?!

[Anonymous]

Very glad you raised this OP.
I think it's very messed up when PTAs give kids prizes for giving away their own money.

Wanted to add that we've seen other questionable practices by PTAs regarding fundraising. I think everyone is well-meaning but just not thinking.

At our school they actually made the distinction between those who did donate and those who did not very public for one event last year. The children who gave could wear a PJs on a special day and those who did not couldn't. I found this really thoughtless as I know some children who are FARMS who could not donate and they were therefore left out of the event. It's not their fault they do not get allowance and their parents can't afford to write $100 checks every time one of these fundraisers comes up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Very glad you raised this OP.
I think it's very messed up when PTAs give kids prizes for giving away their own money.

Wanted to add that we've seen other questionable practices by PTAs regarding fundraising. I think everyone is well-meaning but just not thinking.

At our school they actually made the distinction between those who did donate and those who did not very public for one event last year. The children who gave could wear a PJs on a special day and those who did not couldn't. I found this really thoughtless as I know some children who are FARMS who could not donate and they were therefore left out of the event. It's not their fault they do not get allowance and their parents can't afford to write $100 checks every time one of these fundraisers comes up.

OP here: Had something similar here too in prevoius years. I can't image how students felt, from families who wouldn't see as much savings in a year, as one of those donations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
OP here: The students have collection duties, getting donations from relatives, local bussinesses, etc. Each class has a running total and as collections pass goals the class earns awards like homework passes, extra recess time, ice cream truck visit, and more. Students donating thier savings smacks of buying the awards, not the honorable act of caring/sharing helping those in need.

This is completely inappropriate! Children (elementary aged) should not have "collection" duties. Our school doesn't put pressure on kids to raise funds for anything! Yes, we have class or school wide fundraising for charities, but there aren't any prizes for the class that give the most. Pride comes from giving to a worthy cause that will help other children in need. They are teaching kids an awful lesson there.

Is it possible for you to talk to a few parent friends to see if you can get a group of parents to stand together against this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Very glad you raised this OP.
I think it's very messed up when PTAs give kids prizes for giving away their own money.

Wanted to add that we've seen other questionable practices by PTAs regarding fundraising. I think everyone is well-meaning but just not thinking.

At our school they actually made the distinction between those who did donate and those who did not very public for one event last year. The children who gave could wear a PJs on a special day and those who did not couldn't. I found this really thoughtless as I know some children who are FARMS who could not donate and they were therefore left out of the event. It's not their fault they do not get allowance and their parents can't afford to write $100 checks every time one of these fundraisers comes up.

Our school does something similar, asking for a donation in exchange for wearing something special. But the ask was $1, not $100. And they weren't very strict about it. Kids who didn't have a dollar to give or parents who forgot were allowed to wear something special too. It was meant to be fun, not exclusionary.