Let me understand this- a company can only make money from School fundraising if their kids DON'T go to your school? If you won't support the parents why should the parents support the school? Generally you would get better service and maybe even better commisions from someone around the school on a regular basis. Face it, who wants to be known for bad business at their childs school.

OLFPSO, our school does have a cartridge program the problem is it's run by the student government not the PTA. To matters worse, the teacher who runs it, it's her husbands business. I just feel unless he's giving back all commission we should use someone from the outside.

As far as your idea for a craft night, I love it. My problem is our school is a K-5, then they go to KMA's school(k-8)we try to work with their PTA so we don't do the same fundraisers since most of us have kids at both schools. I know there was talk of doing this at their school so we wouldn't do it out of respect for them. But if they choose not to do it, I'm jumping on that band wagon fast!

Bertha...I have to sort of agree with you about being hit up by reps for different products and how to pick one over another. Our group has a Home Interior Candle Sale that is totally ran by a mom at our school. She has done this sale since our group started, how was this mother picked? She was at the very first meeting of the group, she is willing to do all of the work and we get about $$$$ for doing nothing! She was never really picked ,because she was the only one willing. the fundraiser has become one of the favorites at our school so it's not going anywhere!
Sure We have been approached by others who generally have nothing to do with us and dont understand that fundraisers are picked the year before. It is easy to say "sorry but we already picked our events". The other thing that seems to happen is that when you ask if they are going to sort all of the orders and all that good stuff they often run away. Another one of my favorite lines is I will ask them up front if their product sale can match $$$ made from another fundraiser. We only do three a year so we need big bucks when we can get it! If we feel that we can't match then why would we give up a sale that nets more than their product can. Some day this might backfire but people think they can make a quick buck off of us but need to "prove" that it is worth our while. Getting ready for a new year ...let's see what that brings!

Betha, We don't have Avon, Candle Parties, Home Interior Parties etc at our school for fundraisers. But cartridge recycling is a way for your school to make money on what normally would have been thrown away. Right? I see it as a clearly different type of event. If the avon lady, interior design lady etc., want to help the school, why don't you consider having a craft fair around the holidays. You rent the tables out and sell food and those ladies can perhaps give an percentage of their sales back to the school. Then you don't have to decide. Let them all rent a table, along with some outside crafters. The school makes money and it doesn't cost anyone within the school a thing. I don't think of Avon and those other type of items as fundraisers. I wouldn't go down that road.

I guess I never looked at the other side of the coin. If the business owner was willing to give ALL the commission to the school I guess I wouldn't have a problem with that.

AS far as our school goes, I have been asked to use my business as our fundraiser. But as president I feel that is a direct conflict of interest and even though I would give ALL the commission to the school I still won't do it.

In our school we have also been approached by 3 home interior reps(all of which have kids in our school), 3 Avon reps(all have kids in our school)
and a few other candle reps. How can you pick one over the other? And if they all have kids in the school wouldn't you consider it a conflict of interest or am I just reading more into this then should be?

Bertha, I see that you said that you have an "unwritten" rule to not use locals for your fundraisers. Does anyone have it in their by-laws? Do others feel it is a conflict of interest? And not to mention as above...how many in the same comunitee sell the same product and you make it "fair". I would like to hear others comments on this. My board has already voted to use a local home business for our spring fundraiser, but I know I am going to face alot of problems with this outcome. I am the pres. of this group, but I ONLY bring out the different sides and let the rest of the board do the voting. I do not vote myself.