Dear Fundraising Culture,
Let me start by saying, “No. I have zero extra dollars. Sorry.”
To the fundraising families:
I know Brittany and Alexis love to dance and Brad lives for baseball. I know, as their parent(s), you love watching them and seeing them shine. But, no, I do not want to buy a $100 football square to help pay for their 45 dance costumes, 11 tournaments, or Disney trip this season. I saw your Facebook post and would have hit you up if I wanted one. There is no need to text. You’re not out there selling Ferraris, so give the high-pressure sales techniques a rest already.
To the fundraising groups:
I fully understand the need to fundraise, but the amount of fundraising that is done is out of control. Parents need a break. Their families, friends, and co-workers need a break. If whatever activity you’re picking for the group requires a new fundraiser every other month and those fundraisers are costing supporters hundreds of dollars sometimes, maybe you should find a different activity that doesn’t require the parent to take out a second mortgage on their home if they can’t charm, guilt, or bully enough people to support their child. And what about those families that have multiple children; do you ever stop to think that your thing isn’t the only thing these parents need to pay for?
Viv’s Unofficial Fundraising Etiquette Guide:
Fundraising Families:
- If you make a social media post about a fundraiser, assume your followers have seen it, unless you know they are not avid social media users. Do not text or call them personally to put them on the spot. We saw your post and kept scrolling.
- At family gatherings, or any gathering for that matter, announce the fundraiser to the group and let it go. Do not then walk around making small talk with everyone just to slip it into conversation. You’re at a gathering, not at a LinkedIn networking social. Spend time making real connections with people, not business transactions.
- Keep in mind that you don’t know what people are going through. People may want to support your child but do not have the means to do so. They may be DoorDashing as a side gig just to not overdraw their account. Do not make them feel guilty or ask why. And definitely do not ask them again if you’ve already asked them once.
- If someone supports your child, support theirs in return. Fundraising is almost inevitable if you have school-aged children. Some kids have one fundraiser a year and others have multitudes. If someone has supported your child multiple times and you don’t support theirs the one time they are looking for that same support, then you lose the right to ever ask them to support your child ever again.
Fundraising Groups:
- Know your audience. Select a fundraiser that people are actually interested in. People don’t want to spend $75 on $20 worth of greeting cards.
- You should always allow the option for families to buy out of the fundraiser. Instead of sending a kid home with just yet another fundraising packet with no real indication of what it’s going for or a goal, also send an envelope stating they can also provide monetary support in lieu of fundraising. Also provide the amount of money the group is hoping to earn and what it will be going towards.
- If people submit payment via check, do not hold the checks for an extended period. If you’re holding a check for over a month, it is not a good look.
There you have it, my dears. My true feelings on fundraising culture, where everybody expects someone else to foot their bill. Do not get me wrong, I understand why fundraising is done, and I am not completely opposed to it. What I am opposed to is the amount of it that goes on and the unspoken pressure put on people to support every single one of them.
Final Thought: If you are constantly asking your family and friends to spend money on something for your kids, don’t be surprised when they start trying to avoid you.
Carry on….
Viv
Caffeinated Chaos 