I found this thread because we are in the same financial situation two years in a row with selling WFC. I am hoping since this thread is several years old, there will be some new suggestions.
We are owed over $600 from parents (last year was over $350). We are in a predicament because the school's office will not give us phone numbers for these families who owe. So we are unable to call the families who are not PTO members. (Coincidentally all families owing money are NOT PTO members, so we have no phone numbers.) Last year the school office gave us phone numbers, but this year they said they are not allowed to. And the flyer WFC provides us to have the parents fill out does not ask for any contact information (serious flaw; hard lesson learned!)
We've sent two letters home about a week apart. The letters let families know we can accept credit card payments AND we are willing to make payment arrangements, but communication is key.
I like the idea of sending a registered letter, but we will not be able to get mailing addresses for these families. I have also sent an email to our WFC contact asking for suggestions on how to collect. Maybe our next letter should offer families a specific payment plan of $10-20 per month? I am just at a loss at this point.
Each school year our Home and School Association has 2 MANDATORY fund raisers. School families are required to sell 100 $1 raffle chances in the Fall and Spring. We do this instead of selling the candy bars which was done for years and it has been very successful. In the event that a family does not sell them and we are unable to collect the money then the parents are notified that their child(ren) are not permitted to go on school trips, attend Home and School parties and/or dances or attend our year end H&S sponsored "Field Day". We are a small inner city Catholic school and this is all that is "required" of our parents in addition to tuition. We have other events and fund raisers throughout the school year but participation in those are voluntary. While we do not like to exclude any child from any activities we all have to work together to keep our school functioning. We let the parents know that if they have a situation which prohibits their participation we do not need to know their private business. They can speak to the principal or pastor and they make they final decision which we will abide by. We have had to "remind" some parents but we have always had full participation.
I do and don't agree with everyone that has responded to you. I do not personally believe that the PTO is a creditor. At the time you sold the chocolate they figured they could pay you. I cannot believe anyone has ill intent to buy and not pay, considering it is for their own childrens benefit. Perhaps you can send them one final letter asking for 1/2 what they owe. I agree to negotoate with the candy or cookie company, they are getting rich off of your children's rotting teeth.
I agree that you should reconsider what and how you are selling next time around. Mrs. Obama has made a great effort to ask all of us to eliminate all the extra bad food choices for our children. This is one of those times. Mothers around the country stock pile cookies, candy all for the good of fundraising for their children.
It's time as parents that we ask our schools to come up with something smarter than these bad food choices. All of that stock piled cookie dough sits in the home and taunts our children.
If our schools continue making such POOR choices for fundraisers, then go to the meetings and DEMAND other ways to raise the money for your school or group that doesn't include sugar.
I have some other interesting ideas, if you wish to here about them, write me.
Unfortunately, you have to recognize that doing a product-in-hand fundraiser such as the chocolate bars has some risk associated with it. Reminds me of having stock in a company that goes bankrupt. Even though there's not much you can do, there are a few things that come to mind.
I'm not sure this is feasible, but If you are still going to host another chocolate sale, can you find out if you can get some free product next time to compensate you in some way for the losses and move on? Even though the families owe $600, your cost would have been $300 and the cost to World's Finest even less to replace if they were getting another fundraiser from you. Would they be willing to help you out on your next fundraiser? I can't speak for them, but perhaps earning your next chocolate bar sale is worth some if not all of that loss in product they don't bill for?
Secondarily, you can host fundraisers that don't have this sort of risk associated with them. Anything where you pay at the time of order (but don't take delivery immediately) avoids this risk entirely since anything paid for is received and nothing more.
I just have to close with the suggestion that you somehow find it possible to move forward on this instead of revisiting the past. It seems like it can't be healthy for you or the group to repeatedly worry about solving a problem that continues to go on for months and months without remedy.
Seems to me that the only way to find out if someone will pay is to have a face-to-face conversation with them in a timely fashion. As the year wraps up, it's more unlikely to have a positive outcome. I just don't see revealing names or small claims court as a good expenditure of time and effort and it's not going to help anyone's reputation - and that includes the school and PTO.
You are making some very good points and I think I may be splitting hairs on the making-the-names-public issue, but here goes: You are right that the names would become a matter of public record if there were a lawsuit and anyone could find that information if they looked for it. But to me, that's different from the PTO publishing a list of names because that could be perceived as punishment or retaliation.
Also, I could have stated my point a little clearer: I suggested the PTO send a note as a last warning with the thinking that this action could get at least some folks to finally pay up. It doesn't necessarily have to end in taking the person to small claims court (though it could if the group decides to go that route).
You do make a good point that parents have a right to know that something like this has happened to their group, but I believe that can be communicated without identifying names. My reason: We truly don't know why these folks haven't paid up.
Rose, taking legal action would expose the names on the public record, which would be much more widely available than exposing them in the PTO newsletter. Other parents deserve to know that some funds are unpaid, and saying that *without* identifying the slackers sullies *everybody's* name. It certainly will generate some ill will -- but it seems to me the people who haven't paid already don't care much about the PTO, or are legitimately having financial trouble (which is why I advised asking them privately and tactfully first).
The PTO is a creditor here, and has the right to act like one. It should do so more politely and discreetly than the bank holding your mortgage might do, but it should do so nevertheless.
