Why are there so many school fundraisers right at the start of the year?
Constant school fundraiser requests force parents into the uncomfortable position of repeatedly soliciting friends and family or dealing with upset children who miss out on prizes. Because families are expected to ask for donations while also facing their own tight budgets, many parents simply refuse to participate to avoid stressing themselves and their kids.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Choosing not to participate in the fundraisers
- 2Opting out of most or all fundraisers completely
- 3Donating directly to the school, classroom, or teacher with personal money instead of soliciting others
- 4Buying the fundraiser prizes (like stuffed animals or keychains) directly from a store for the child instead
- 5Selecting only one preferred fundraiser per year to participate in
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“So after asking all our family and friends to donate to the Fun Run, we’re now expected to go back and ask for more. The worst part is they explained it to the kids as “it’s super easy. All you have to do is have your parents do this thing and you’ll get this awesome stuffed animal!” So now I have a crying 6 year old who doesn’t understand why this puts us in a tough situation.”source ↗
“My kid just started KG and I’m already bombarded with amount of fund raisers and the school year just started. Is this how it’s going to be till they graduate high school?”source ↗
“I don't have the time or desire to solicit other people for donations. I donate what I feel comfortable donating myself, and then I tell my kid we can get whatever prize they've got their eye on from a store instead”source ↗
“I participate in zero fundraisers. I’m not stressing my self or my kid out.”source ↗
“Alot of the fundraisers are stupid so i dont do them. If it feels like it directly impacts the kids then i just donate but times are tough, im not asking friends and family who i know for a fact are struggling.”source ↗
“I don't solicit money from anyone. I give as much as I'm comfortable with and that's that.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2Why do the same parents always end up doing all the school volunteering?
- 6How to stop doing exhausting children's birthday parties
- 4How to stop kindergarteners from constantly tattling?
- 4How do you start a peer-to-peer fundraiser with zero donor history?
- 10How to manage kids' crazy after school activity schedules?
- 6How to set up playdates when you're too busy and don't know other parents