On the lighter side...You should demand the paycheck of the offending parents. You didn't work for it, so you definitely deserve it.
This might be better for next year....The fundraising company makes x dollars for 5 tubs of dough. The PTO makes y dollars for that same 5 tubs of dough. Could you propose to the fundraising company that parents that with wish to attend send in $x+$y+$1 to have their child attend?
I'm in agreement with OneandOnly. You can take these concerns into account for how you plan next year, but it's not fair to change the "rules of the game" after the fact. Politely, but firmly, stick to your guns.
This year was the first year we did incentives in addition to the trinket prizes. The company we went with also gave 3 ipods to be raffled off ---turning your orders in on time (even if you only sold one thing), selling ten items or more, returning money on time. We had a few orders, less than a dozen, that were a couple days late. I'll throw everybody's name into the raffle. Most times it's the parents who don't send the orders/money in on time (our school is PK-2) and I don't want to penalize the kid. The past couple of years our profit was less than $5000, this year it was almost
$8000,don't know if the additional incentives helped with that or not.
That's exactly why we don't do individual rewards for selling products during fundraisers. It is either all or nothing. I think that if a fundraising company is getting the benefit of their product being marketed it to your school as a family then the rewards should be opened to all the school members. Some children simply do not have the ways and means to sell things and in other families the folks can buy the goods themselves and never put their children in a position to fail to "win the prize".
Having said that--if you posted the incentive, then I think you are perfectly within your rights to keep the standard of "only those that sold". Personally--I'd open it up. A bit of honey to soothe everyone swallowing this will lead toward good will in future fundraisers. Anytime you can make an event inclusive vice exclusive your PTO will win.
Just my 2 cents--and again--that is part of the reason why we don't do those sort of incentives.
I agree with you. The magic show is the reward for the students that worked hard and sold the 5 tubs. If the magic show was going to be opened up to everyone, those families may not have sold any.
You need to stand firm and by the rules of the fundraiser. Simply state to the parents that it was clearly indicated here, here and here that the magic show was a reward to those students that sold 5 tubs. You are sorry that their child cannot attend, but it would not be fair to those students who worked hard to earn this reward. You'll be happy to see them at one of the planned PTO events later in the year.
You should also point out that the company is the sponsor of the magic show and they have the names and the number of students they expect to attend based on the sales and the show is based on that number.
Don't let those parents railroad you into rewarding a child for not participating.
