Question: Outside group using our students for fundraising?

Our PTC's fundraising is facing a challenge: competition within our school. A teacher at our school is captain of a Relay for Life team, and she is using our students as salespeople for her team. Our PTC only sends home 3 fundraisers per year, because we don't want families to be overwhelmed. This RFL team sent home 5 separate fundraisers through students last year! This year they even set up a table at the entrance to our Fall Festival, grabbing up customers' cash before they even made it into our fundraiser! Our principal is allowing this activity, because the team has several teachers on it and the team is in memory of a former teacher/principal at our school. We have asked the team to back off and allow us to do our job of fundraising for the school. We have asked the principal to compel the RFL team to reduce the number of fundraisers. None of these options are working. Please, has anyone faced a similar situation? Does anyone have a suggestion on the next logical step?

Asked by Anonymous

Answers:

Advice from PTO Today

Craig writes:
The principal is making a choice. You need to show him the consequences of that choice. Your fundraising is going to be curtailed, and you may even decide to eliminate fundraisers because you feel parents shouldn't be asked to contribute so often and so much. Create a budget based on your new fundraising reality, then make a list for the principal of what will be cut. Will you be unable to fund some events? Field trips? Will money for classrooms need to be cut? Make the cuts you think make sense, then let the principal and teachers know the reality of the situation. If the principal still makes the same decision, fine. At least he and the teachers will understand what's involved in that choice. And every time someone complains about not having enough classroom supplies or a favorite event that was canceled, you can point out the reason.

Community Advice

monkeyinadryer writes:
From what I just read is that this group is taking money away from other fundraising events at the school. Do you know if a portion of the money raised gets donated back to the school? If not, that's something that should definitely be implemented. Every time we do a fundraiser for a group, our company donates back to the school. All donated funds collected from local businesses could go into 1 large fund and get divided up between all the school groups.