Our school used Champion Events Group, which has a better program, and raised over $200K, and their fees are half what Boosterthon's are. They don't send people to take up class time, and have an electronic format which is much easier. We had looked at boosterthon, but these guys have done over 2,500 events, mostly in the private school market, and their successes are much better.

What else did these folks give to your school besides the 52%? Any teacher incentives? All the catalog companies are giving copy paper, sporting good, etc .
What is out there? What is the school getting for taking the jump for this non-product fundraiser?

Thank you

It appears Boosterthon has a Facebook page and there are photos/video of schools and students where this company has been hired to do their "fundraising".

There were NO opt out forms sent home for this with the slick Boosterthon info.

There were NO opt in forms either.

Our children are not to be used for the commercial benefit of this company as part of this "fundraising" exercise.

Prince William County Schools, Virgnia: Perhaps you did not do due diligence when Boosterthon was approved for the first time to come into an elementary school this year?

Children being held hostage during their regular classroom instructional time -- NOT participating voluntarily -- is not in line with the PWCS Regulations.

While an additional playground for a school is indeed a worthy goal, this end should not be achieved through the underhanded exploitation of the children, all the while espousing values of "character building" and "lesson learning."

The end should never have justified these means.

I am a teacher and wanted to say that I am not impressed with the Boostherthon group that was sent to our school this year. Their English is deporable speaking to the kids as well as to us just makes me cringe. In a day like today where half of my class is on free lunch, I hate the idea that money is being raised instead of being spent on food, clothing and shelter. To add insult to injury, I was insulted by one of the boys last week who thought he was being "cute". Color me "Not impressed" at all.

to anonymous
I don't like paying funrun either and I would say "i'd rather write a check to the school". Well, the problem is that I never really got up and wrote a check. I always needed a "push" somehow.

how many times did you write a check to the school with no push? if you did, you're one of the few !

however, if funrun takes 50%, I will not pay more than $1. if they get down to 10-20%, then it makes sense.

As a PTO President at an elementary school with an enrollment of 650 and a mixed demographic let me tell you my experience with it. Our principle has chose to do this now a second year. I have had complaint after complaint about it. I personally feel that any capable school with the right leadership can do a "Boosterthon" of their own and keep 100% of the money. All donations would then be tax deductible for those who donate and it would be imbraced more by a community when you are honest with them. It is correct, the "Boosterthon" takes 48% of your schools earnings. They take away from instructional time and their "Educational Message" gets lost in their crazy antics and immature behavior in the classroom. I have listened to the teachers and parents about this fund-raising practice. Teachers do not like the disruptions in their classrooms and it takes a lot of valuable learning time everyday during the event to calm the children down and console the ones who do not get a prize, some of which may not ever get a prize because of their families financial position. Families feel tremendous pressure to allow thier children to call and harrass everyone they know for $1 pledge per lap. The first year we did it they did not disclose that the children would run 35 laps so people were pledging assuming they were going to run the track at the school (Maybe 10 laps). They have since started disclosing the amount. I will tell you that unless a child simply refuses to go the laps they will verbally push them to do all 35 laps. My personal bigger problem with this company is the fact that they only hire young college aged males. I am not certain what their screening process is, when I asked I was ignored. I don't know about your school district but mine requires a full background check before you can even volunteer in a classroom. They claim to be a christian based company and their employes have stated "because we have the employees stay in hotels during an event it would not be right to have female employees present". Bottom line there are lots of fund-raising ideas out there and I personally would love for schools to try something that keeps all the money in the schools!!!! Creativity is the key!!