It's a great idea but this year we have so many construction workers and non school personnel coming and going we were advised not to do boxes outside. I kind of agree after this week of 50 mile hour winds! Our signs are trashed! Even the $100 printed sign is ruined!
The office staff have been more help now than in the beginning, now if the crossing guard will stop yelling at me ....oh, I crossed where I thought I was safe instead of walking all the way back around to use the crosswalk....gesh.
Our school has large boxes located outside the office door to place the toys in. The students or parents bring in the toys and drop them in the box. The toys are then collected by the organizing group and delivered to where they go. We have had no problems, and it has not added work to the overly worked office staff.
We will be outside collecting and we do have a mail box in the office and the crazy part is the school is not really effected by district cuts as we are run on our own as a charter school (the school is more or less a business since we became an incorporated identity- in otherwords we have our own money and budget not determimed by the district)
What I'm seeing on a daily basis is stuff like a child standing in the entry way (we have to be buzzed into the school and there is like a 'breezeway'/entry way you wait in) crying about something but her Mom wasn't allowed in because she forgot her license. A Dad was not allowed to pick up his son because Mom didn't have him on the "approved" list of people to pick up their son, the school just feels so unfriendly. I am asked not only who am I seeing but how long will I be and do I have an appointment and will the two little ones be with me. This is everyday and they know me! I understand the school has saftey polices but I feel like I'm being probed! To give the Principal a nomination form for a teacher we want to nominate for an award I was asked to fill out ANOTHER form!!!! HA! It took another 5 minutes to get them to understand I just want this to go to the Principal, not home!
I'm sorry, we have one more week of school and then two weeks off, maybe it's the two weeks we all need away from each other!!! I miss the days before Columbine, and the kids at the high school down the road decided to shoot another kid. All to close to home.
I don' know about your exact situation, but in our school they've been hit with cutbacks like everyone else. This almost always affects the administrative areas forcing them to cover more and more responsibilities with fewer people.
While ours have been pretty supportive overall, I know they have to take a hard look at all these little things that take extra time. It's just a few minutes here and there, but it adds up. (How many times have YOU stopped by school for "15 minutes" which turned into one or two hours?)
Anyway, couldn't you just have a bin or a basket in the office? The staff wouldn't have to take responsibility for the items, but the donations would be a bit more secure. That might be an acceptable compromise.
The other idea might be to use some of your older students (as long as they aren't late for class). We have 5th grade "safety officers" who are kids privileged to be chosen to help incoming traffic in the morning. They stand on the curb at the school where the cars pull into the circle for drop off, open doors, greet parents, and motion cars to pull up further. One holds a stop sign out when students approach the crosswalk. (This is all within our parking lot and the 5th graders never step off the curb. They don't deal with street traffic and there's always at least one adult with them.)
Anyway, I think at our school we could probably get these kids to help collect donations in the morning. (The PE teacher is in charge of our program.)
Our group has begun our annual toy drive for the holidays and I was planning one more flyer to send home when I ran into this "new issue." I was told/ask to remove from my flyer to leave gifts/toys with the office if the parent is not able to catch us in the morning. "The office staff is too busy to help you with this, but you are more than welcome to stand outside and collect gifts just don't ask the office for help."
I guess my biggest "beef" is I am at the school everyday at noon to pick up my son and come in to pick up all kinds of stuff but this won't work. Maybe it's the fact that it's not the Principal telling me this, it's her assistant that has been a real "joy" to work with all year. SHe is following the policies....I guess I'm beginning to see such an unfriendly atmosphere and crazy polices that are plain crazy. Exsample, I can wait in the lobby for my daughter while she has her music lesson, I can wait in the music room or in my van not inside the lobby of the school.
I am beginning to feel a little better, just not really sure if talking to the Principal will help, remember she is already not happy with our President (long story). WEll, I better get done what I need to on this flyer so I can get back over to the school....again!
....oh, I crossed where I thought I was safe instead of walking all the way back around to use the crosswalk....gesh. 
