Fundraising

The picture pretty much sums up what I think about fund raisers. And it shows what happens to almost all fundraisers that cross into the Nelson house. My kids are always bummed not to get the prizes that entice them to sell this junk. But they get over it.

Now, there are some that I don't mind doing, like buying hoagies (or subs) or the occasional spaghetti dinner, where I actually get something that I want. It is the $15 cookie dough, $30 cheesecake, and $10 roll of gift wrap that I refuse to let my kids sell (they usually only get about 20% of the profit anyway, I would much rather make a donation).

My 9 year old plays baseball and one night at practice the president of the league came to make a presentation to the kids about the fundraiser. My sons eyes lit up as the man talked about the prizes he could earn, a ticket to the Reading Phillies (minor league, but none the less fun to watch), if he sold 10 items. The least expensive of these items was about $15. So, if he sells $150 worth of stuff, cons 10 people into buying this stuff, he gets a $10 ticket to the game. He went on to inspire my son that if he sold another 10 items he could make $10 to spend at the game. (My son LOVES to hear about fast ways to earn money that don't require a bunch of work). By the end of the meeting he was thinking that Dad and I were going to buy 20 items and he would cash in on us. He also didn't realize that every kid in our town has been sent home with the same info, therefore any neighbors we have are out.

Hmmmm. How about I save us a bunch of time and we spend $20 for a tickets for you and Dad to go to the game instead. He was happy with that, although disappointed that he will not be able to make any money. He is planning on doing a lemonade stand this summer. Where we live is VERY rural, and I think he may learn that making money takes a lot of time sometimes. It will be a good lesson.