Anonymous
Post 11/07/2018 11:01     Subject: Boosterthon Runs at MCPS schools?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What school is still doing Boosterthon? Our's (MCPS) stopped. Thank God!


I drove by College Gardens this morning and saw that they are doing it.


oh, that's sad. I guess the parents there aren't aware that they lose half the money, and that this goes against PTA rules. Your kid are being used to fund a company.

CGES parents, I hope you are reading this.


Burning Tree is doing it. My friend's kids go there and they are all up on her Facebook, making videos and pleading for donations. Gross.
Anonymous
Post 11/07/2018 09:11     Subject: Re:Boosterthon Runs at MCPS schools?
Anonymous wrote:If your school does Boosterthon, refuse to participate. Don't give a single penny. Talk to your kids about why they won't be participating. I told my kids that their job during school hours is to learn. Also that this big company doesn't need kids to do their fundraising job, and that it's not ok for someone to take HALF of what you raise and keep it for themselves.

I didn't tell my kids this, but I am also uncomfortable with Boosterthon collecting personal information about minors. I don't know how they are using that data or whether they are turning around and reselling it to marketers to target my family with even more crap.

As long as Boosterthon makes a ton of money, PTAs will keep doing it. Shut it down by refusing to participate. But that also means that you have to give to the PTA's direct donation drive or buy something at the silent auction. Don't withhold your dollars from the PTA: just keep them out of the hands of Boosterthon.

I learned on this forum that if you make a donation to the PTA within a certain timeframe of Boosterthon, that's considered partly Boosterthon money. So I waited several months to donate directly to the PTA.

The year our school was supposed to do Boosterthon but didn't, I gave the PTA a *very* large check. I knew that 100% of that money was going to the school, and not some to Boosterthon. I was more than happy to write that check. The year they did Boosterthon, I pulled my kid out of school.
Anonymous
Post 11/07/2018 08:08     Subject: Re:Boosterthon Runs at MCPS schools?
Anonymous wrote:If your school does Boosterthon, refuse to participate. Don't give a single penny. Talk to your kids about why they won't be participating. I told my kids that their job during school hours is to learn. Also that this big company doesn't need kids to do their fundraising job, and that it's not ok for someone to take HALF of what you raise and keep it for themselves.

I didn't tell my kids this, but I am also uncomfortable with Boosterthon collecting personal information about minors. I don't know how they are using that data or whether they are turning around and reselling it to marketers to target my family with even more crap.

As long as Boosterthon makes a ton of money, PTAs will keep doing it. Shut it down by refusing to participate. But that also means that you have to give to the PTA's direct donation drive or buy something at the silent auction. Don't withhold your dollars from the PTA: just keep them out of the hands of Boosterthon.


I wish I've seen this post earlier. I didn't know there were issues with Boosterthon!
Anonymous
Post 11/07/2018 08:01     Subject: Re:Boosterthon Runs at MCPS schools?
If your school does Boosterthon, refuse to participate. Don't give a single penny. Talk to your kids about why they won't be participating. I told my kids that their job during school hours is to learn. Also that this big company doesn't need kids to do their fundraising job, and that it's not ok for someone to take HALF of what you raise and keep it for themselves.

I didn't tell my kids this, but I am also uncomfortable with Boosterthon collecting personal information about minors. I don't know how they are using that data or whether they are turning around and reselling it to marketers to target my family with even more crap.

As long as Boosterthon makes a ton of money, PTAs will keep doing it. Shut it down by refusing to participate. But that also means that you have to give to the PTA's direct donation drive or buy something at the silent auction. Don't withhold your dollars from the PTA: just keep them out of the hands of Boosterthon.
Anonymous
Post 11/05/2018 19:31     Subject: Re:Boosterthon Runs at MCPS schools?
Considering that MCPS does not allow PTA to pay for anything meaningful, these annual big fundraisers are very wasteful. Principals do not need thousands of dollars in slush fund money. Its one thing to ask parents for larger amounts for a once in while thing like new computers in the media center or new playground equipment but if your PTA needs 40K a year then money is being wasted or hoarded.
Anonymous
Post 11/05/2018 18:14     Subject: Boosterthon Runs at MCPS schools?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Our school did Boosterthon a few years ago. We did raise tons of money but also got the backlash from the parents.

It doesn't bother me that 48% goes back to the company. That does seem in the ballpark with these fundraising companies. Look at Girl Scouts - do people buying the $4 box of cookies realize that only ~ $.70 actually goes to the troop and the rest to the Council?

It would be great if parents took it upon themselves to organize a school fun run and have all the money raised stay in the school. But unless your school has those type of parent volunteers, they will have to outsource the organization/work behind the fun runs.


I think there's a meaningful difference between

-$0.70 goes to the Girl Scout troop and $3.30 goes to the Girl Scout Council

and

-50% goes to the school and 50% goes to a for-profit company

Exactly.
Anonymous
Post 11/05/2018 17:17     Subject: Re:Boosterthon Runs at MCPS schools?
Our PTA pushed back when our principal was INSISTING that we do this. I was on the board involved in fundraising and the principal was constantly bringing this up. She even tried to schedule a PTA meeting on her own bringing the Boosterthon sales guy in. Several of us agreed to meet with her and the sales guy. She was ridiculous in pushing this because the principal for the ES down the road was always bragging about how much money the PTA gave her from Boosterthon. She;s been trying to get Boosterthon in for years and pushes this with every new board. I don't know if she ever ended up succeeding as our youngest is in MS now. These were two W schools.

So its not always the parents, its often the principals.
Anonymous
Post 11/05/2018 17:15     Subject: Re:Boosterthon Runs at MCPS schools?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I can't believe that its OK to single out children that don't donate or raise or certain amount. How is it OK for the poor kids to get left behind for a party during school hours?


Does your office reward employees the same based no matter what they produce? Kids who don’t figure it out tend not to figure out other competitive areas. Not everybody is a winner


Five year old who can't raise money because their parents are poor is completely unanalagous to a work environment. You sound completely heartless.

Alao, children should not be responsible for raising money for schools or feel responsible for doing that.
Anonymous
Post 11/05/2018 16:59     Subject: Re:Boosterthon Runs at MCPS schools?
Anonymous wrote:I can't believe that its OK to single out children that don't donate or raise or certain amount. How is it OK for the poor kids to get left behind for a party during school hours?


Does your office reward employees the same based no matter what they produce? Kids who don’t figure it out tend not to figure out other competitive areas. Not everybody is a winner
Anonymous
Post 11/05/2018 14:52     Subject: Boosterthon Runs at MCPS schools?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What school is still doing Boosterthon? Our's (MCPS) stopped. Thank God!


I drove by College Gardens this morning and saw that they are doing it.


oh, that's sad. I guess the parents there aren't aware that they lose half the money, and that this goes against PTA rules. Your kid are being used to fund a company.

CGES parents, I hope you are reading this.
Anonymous
Post 11/05/2018 14:47     Subject: Boosterthon Runs at MCPS schools?
Anonymous wrote:What school is still doing Boosterthon? Our's (MCPS) stopped. Thank God!


I drove by College Gardens this morning and saw that they are doing it.

Anonymous
Post 11/05/2018 14:24     Subject: Boosterthon Runs at MCPS schools?
What school is still doing Boosterthon? Our's (MCPS) stopped. Thank God!
Anonymous
Post 11/05/2018 14:11     Subject: Boosterthon Runs at MCPS schools?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Boosterthon is a big scam. Our ES is hosting it again this year [W pyramid] and I hate it. Many parents complained about it last year, but they are still hosting it. I guess we will have to scream and complain louder this year.


Get on the PTA board at your school. That is how you stop it.


Surely the board, on its own, can comply with National PTA? "Children should not be the primary means of soliciting within fundraising activities." If the board doesn't care what NPTA says, then why are we paying PTA dues?


+1 this

Local PTAs are supposed to comply with National PTA standards. It is in ALL Maryland PTA bylaws that local chapters have to follow national and state policies.

It alao goes against the MDPTA fubdraising standards. If your school's PTA is still allowing Boosterthon, you should show up at the next PTA meeting and ask the Board members and principal why (and then volunteer to run a more ethical fundraiser).