My child has brought home a brochure for one of these fundraisers and I have to say I'm pretty appalled over a number of different things.
1. My child is being told that unless she sells 15 items she will be excluded from a party that only the highest sellers will be able to attend.
2. By using a middle man such as the company offering the products, the schools only getting a small % of the take. From a business standpoint this makes no sense. The school should just ask parents for donations outright. $20.00 from each parent would generate more revenue for the school than would taking taking a small percentage from items sold through this catalog.
3. This fundraiser is in effect and elitist activity as it favors families and friends who have money. This is not fair to the majority of children in any economy. A fund raising event such as this one only serves to make children whose parents, friends and family don't have money, feel excluded and often become the subject of ridicule by those students whose families can afford to buy the items being offered. This type of event only shows our kids that those with money have an unfair advantage over those who don't.
4. Our children are just that...children. Additionally they are students who shouldn't be asked to sell anything to anyone. A child has no control over how much they sell. My daughters school prohibits door to door sales, which we support, and that leaves just myself, my wife, grandparents, and one aunt and uncle. If none of us have the money to purchase items from the catalog or simply don't want to, why should my child, or any child for that matter, be held accountable. If my daughter grows up and goes into a Sales related field of work then she should be held accountable for her sales or lack thereof. As a child she should not be.
5. Schools who reward students who have high sales should consider awarding prizes and having parties for those students who have good attendance, good grades, and good behavior instead. These are the things adults are rewarded for when we go to work and our children should be taught these lessons instead of being taught that he with the most money wins. Students need to be taught that hard honest academic work is rewarded, not the ability to look cute or make people feel like they have to buy something.
6. Children don't sell anything nor do they do any of the work. When a school sends these brochures home and sets standards for sales the schools know that the majority of parents are going to feel guilty or worse yet, worry about their child being ostracized and buy everything for them. Schools also encourage parents to take the thing to work and coerce coworkers into buying something from their child. Most people can't or don't say no to somebody's children especially when they are coworkers, friends, or families. Guilt and obligation sells in these scenarios, not our children.
7. Schools that do these types of fundraisers either don't take into consideration, or don't care about the different economic backgrounds that their students are a part of. If a family has a low income that's not the child's fault and it's not fair that the child be excluded from school parties or activities because of their parent's choice of profession or ability to make money.
8. Even families with plenty of money have to look at catalogs such as the one my daughter brought home and realize that you can buy the same items at a local store for a fraction of the price. Money or no, no smart person is going to throw money out the window on things that have been so severely marked up. The schools should not be asking anyone to buy such overpriced items either.
9. Because schools continue to hold these types of fund raising events and nothing has changed since I was in school (the 70's-80's) it shows, at least me that schools and their governing bodies are purposefully targeting those with money hoping to score big. Schools need to start doing smart and honest business. Ask parents for donations and leave it at that. My wife and I would be more than happy to toss 20-50 dollar at the school a few times a year, which again, even with modest parent participation, would generate more revenue for the school than these fundraisers do.
The conservative minds on this board I believe miss the point or are themselves persons with money because people, especially children, should not be excluded or punished for not selling or refusing to participate in these types of events. Again, start having parties for all children and/or children who excel in their studies and exhibit good behavior.
