Wednesday, September 19, 2007

I think this might make me a bad person...

Here's the e-mail I sent to my family and friends this morning:

Welcome to Fall! Fall is the time for back to school, leaves changing and the dreaded school fundraiser. All the adorable kids come home carrying their order sheets and catalogs imploring you to PLEASE buy some lovely over priced wrapping paper or candy or maybe some low-quality and over priced knick-knack you never knew you needed.

Well, this year I've decided not to send my adorable kid around with the catalog or send out a link for you to buy on the web. I'm not buying a darn thing and I don't want you to either. I'm making a donation - 100% pure profit directly to the PTO and I'd like you to do the same. Instead of spending $20 on the stuff he's selling, I'd really love a $5.00 donation to the LaGrange PTO from you. Give more if you'd like - or less. It doesn't matter. I would love to help Kostya's school get the things they need and offer the programming that they do, but I just don't see that selling stuff is the answer. Help if you can and want to by sending a check made out to LaGrange PTO to:

(our address)

I will pass them along to the PTO since I think getting all those random checks in the mail would confuse them just a little bit. If PayPal is easier, then my paypal e-mail address is sharplisa@hotmail.com put PTO donation in the memo field or something. I'm planning to match your donations with 50 cents of my own for every dollar you guys contribute unless your generosity exceeds my budget!

Thanks for your support of the PTO!



Can I say here that I absolutely detest these fundraisers! The primary profit making organization is the company putting out the program, right? They take a healthy mark-up foro themselves and pass a wee portion of it back to the PTO in exchange for the child / parent labor to take these orders. The stuff is typically garbage or - if it's edible stuff especially - way over priced. I'm just writing a check. I think my $20 or whatever I decide to give them will go a lot further than whatever they'd make on my fundraising efforts. I always feel obligated to buy it for the children, but this year I don't. I don't even feel bad. Either way it's $20 lost, right? So I'd prefer to have it all go to the PTO than get merchandise I'd value at $2.00 for my $20 with the PTO maybe seeing $5 of that. Is that wrong?

Oh and if you're a loyal blog reader and want to donate? Leave me a comment and I'll tell you where to send your check - or just use paypal.

Thanks!

3 comments:

Tal said...

Um, what's a PTO?

Anonymous said...

Parent Teacher Organization

Anonymous said...

If that works, that would be a very good idea. I know in the school system I came from, though, very few people would be willing to donate directly. Meh, good luck though!

-Ian