Sick of fundraising? Writer Kerry Rosser is ‘done’ and says enough is enough. Her solution? The once only no-fundraising-again annual fee!
Then, peace. Fundraising-free peace.
I saw the little slip of yellow paper in the bottom of my son’s kindy bag, with an innocent looking smiley face in the corner. “We need your help!” it said in cheery font.
Please no. More bloody help. I felt anything but cheery as I read it.
The truth how I really feel about fundraising? Please. Stop making me sell and or buy shit (that nobody wants) to raise money for you.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for contributing. I have three kids each at a different institution; childcare, kindy and school. I value these places as essential elements of my children’s worlds. Like every parent I am 100% behind these organisations making building improvements, having more resources and taking my babes on interesting outings. Whatever they need or want, I want them to have it.
But please, no more fundraising.
I can’t keep up with all the requests for $1 coins, $2 raffle tickets, 30 chocolate koalas, fete donations, Book Club, a home-baked cake. I don’t want to have to remember to send Mother’s Day items in one week and then “sell” (which means, of course, me buy them!) raffle tickets the next to win one of the said Mother’s Day gifts back.
No one wants packets of seeds forced on them. And no one wants to buy my attempt at home baked goods, not even me.
So, this is my hope. It’s a plea for a one-off fundraising fee. I’m begging you, for the sake of the remaining shreds of my sanity, just charge me a fundraising levy and let me be. I am perfectly happy to make an additional contribution annually, each term or even weekly, just for the sheer pleasure of not seeing those little slips of paper at the bottom of their bags. It’s basically for my mental health. And worth every, single, cent.
Sure, I understand the idea of fundraising. I’m all for helping others. For teaching empathy. We volunteer. We donate. We are actively teaching our kids to think of someone other than themselves. But I don’t want to have to scrounge for $10 and lost raffle tickets at 8.12am on a Tuesday to teach them such lessons. And no one needs to sell (let’s be honest, eat) a giant box of 32-chocolates. Heck, while we’re at it, how about we put the fun back in fun-run. Get rid of the fundraising run and let it be about kids having a good time while running with their friends.
Of course, a fundraising fee is not an option for everyone. Some might actually prefer to contribute in other ways. Some may relish the thrill of fundraising. But for me, I’m just asking to make it an option for those too broken to bake, sell or sew. To just make it go away.
Yep, I’m all for a fundraising fee. Call me slack but I’d just rather make a pre-organized payment and be done with it than pay the same amount painfully in small, disorganized doses. And surely it would be a win-win? Less to organize, more funds without the fundraising costs, and joy of joys, no need to put little yellow notes in the bottom of bags.
Winning. Bring it on.
Does your school or childcare fundraise? Love it or loathe it? Would you pay a fundraising fee?
