22 Comments
author

This story killed me and I almost wanted to make fun of it except that if it happened to me I'd be gutted--a school raised money for a playground and it was deemed unsafe and had to be torn down!

https://www.fundraiserhelp.com/school-fundraiser-playground-equipment-ruled-unsafe.htm

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Perfect spooky story for the season, good god.

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I'd gladly pay good money for: hang around awkwardly and make small talk at kids' birthday parties for a year...

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The transition to drop-off parties is truly a glorious one 😂

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author

And we all go through that transition where you feel bad about dropping your kid off and then you realize the host parents WANT you to drop off so they can look at their phone and not make small talk.

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Oct 30, 2023Liked by Claire Zulkey

Ok our school did one of those “no obligations” fundraisers this year....basically they just set a goal and asked people to donate money. I loved it so much.

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author

I think that is such a good idea. I was in hell during COVID when I was on the fundraising committee at my kids' school trying to come up with virtual events to get people sign up for. I mean people did come through amazingly (virtual yoga, ceviche-making, magic shows) but that was a hard task to get it up for.

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Oct 30, 2023Liked by Claire Zulkey

Oof, yes I bet!

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Oct 30, 2023Liked by Claire Zulkey

Same! Our school does a "no-hassle fundraiser" every year and you just donate what feels comfortable. It's the best! And it means that families can attend school events without having to purchase a ticket, so supports equity as well.

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Oct 30, 2023Liked by Claire Zulkey

Yes! Agreed on the free school events!

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This is the first post I've read and already my subscription has paid for itself. I hate school fundraisers, but - it turns out - I love having a school community. Finding the balance is something I often struggle. I've had success fashioning my one-family 'no-obligation' fundraiser. I opt into the (usually most modest) "sponsorship" tier for any event that might send me over the edge if I planned, worked, or did a buy-in. Who "sponsored" the face painting booth at the Fall Festival? My family! The best part? We were out of town camping that weekend! For the school gala, I upgraded to the lowest 'fancy' ticket to get my name on some screen and skipped buy-in parties for water ballooning, pot painting, whatever. Anyone who is keeping score can see that I'm writing the checks, if not slinging hot dogs and plastic crap at school movie night.

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Just popping in to say ✊🏽✊🏽✊🏽 for Virginia’s house flip!

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author

F*cking YES!! I just sent a congratulatory email to all the donors. I am so pleased with the results and for some good news in general.

Thank you again Asha.

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Oct 30, 2023Liked by Claire Zulkey

I’d pay money to opt out of the *usual* school events, not just these! But also definitely all of these.

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Oct 30, 2023Liked by Claire Zulkey

I’m with you; I was thinking that I’d pay money to NOT have to go to Pilates + Cocktails or whatever other nonsense the fundraising committee comes up with. They should have an option that’s just an empty basket (that you don’t have to take home) and it’s the “I don’t have time or space for this” basket.

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author

The option to just drop the biggest amount in the teacher/parapro /staff bonus bucket

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Cackling!

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Oct 30, 2023Liked by Claire Zulkey

I’m definitely a “here, have some money” parent with the rationale that however much I donate it’s still cheaper than what we were paying for daycare.

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author

we have a summer baby and we basically started him in school earlier rather than later to save $$ on daycare. He'll never be the big star athlete because of that but at least we saved some bucks--no regrets.

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Oct 30, 2023Liked by Claire Zulkey

We're actually in the midst of soliciting for hosted parties (what we call them) right now, and I'm forwarding this to the whole committee.

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Oct 30, 2023Liked by Claire Zulkey

Would pay to never have to *think* about those car seats. 🤢

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Oct 30, 2023Liked by Claire Zulkey

Legit cackling!

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