Hi Mom -
Long-time posters here have heard this before, but I really, really disagree with that last sentence of yours that "ANYTHING that you receive dollars for is worth it in my opinion.".
Every group is different, so the analysis is certainly different for each group.
But -- crazy example -- if you got $1 per bumper for collecting the bumpers off of old Fords and sending them in, would you do it? Obviously not -- it would be too much work, too much postage, you wouldn't get enough bumpers, and you wouldn't make enough money. You'd be crazy to participate in that program.
So there's some line.
My big point is that the "free" programs aren't free.
What do they cost?
1. Labor. There's some work involved. If you have a willing volunteer and/or your group is blessed with lots of help, then this one may be fine for you. I personally think that volunteers -- just think of how much time we spend worrying about finding more help! -- are too valauble to be counting/trimming/tying/mailing labels at a penny apiece.
2. Actual costs. Postage. Paper for all the photocopying you do for the program. Etc. Needs to be measured against revenue.
3. Reward. How much are you really getting? Average Campbell's group makes a fairly small amount. Average BoxTops group makes a lot more. Tyson? Not sure. How much did you make? This has to be relevant. When looking at the other three factors -- they have to be measured against this one.
4. This is the one that is often discounted -- attention. For most groups, this is at a premium. Do the parents at your school carefully read all your notices home and do all you ask them to do? No, right? Well, if you're flooding them with collect this, save that, clip this, "don't forget that tomato soup counts, too", etc. -- then is it any wonder that they stop reading your notes home carefully. It's a boy who cried wolf issue. We want parents to get involved, to get truly engaged at school, and then we peck at them all year long with, what?, a dozen (two dozen maybe?) messages about a program through which our group earns $30.
OK, I'll stop....
As I said, I think there are groups for whom most if not all of these programs are a great fit. But I also know there are groups (nearly all) where the worst of these programs are a bad fit and can actually hurt your greater efforts to build involvement and build community.
My $0.02.
Tim