"I Hate Power PTA Moms" from Momlogic.com

Check out this ugly article about "Power PTA Moms":

I can't stand the Moms in my son's school who act like they run the place! 

I can't decide who is the problem here - the so called PTA Power Mom who is overstepping her boundaries or the author who obviously who has some guilt and insecurities about her own parenting.   The worst part is all the horrible comments about the "PTA Moms" who volunteer at your kids school. 

Stopping the Fundraiser from Hell

My middle school kids have come home with the dreaded evil school fundraiser.      They attended an assembly with professional marketers who have promised them an unbelievable array of prizes just for selling overpriced items from a catalog.     In exchange for selling these items the kids are promised BMX shows, limo rides,   ice cream pig outs parties, ipods, participation in a "cash grab" and many other incentives targeted to whip your middle schooler into a frenzy.  

This type of product based fundraiser is evil on so many levels and it drives me crazy.   It is teaching  them that there is a direct relationship between contributing to the community and getting ridiculous prizes.  Shouldn't the focus be on what they will get as part of their educational experience?    Furthermore the school does not make that much money on your order of wrapping paper and cookie dough.   Once the professional marketing team has been paid and the outrageous prizes are given to the kids the school only receives about 40 - 50% of that order.

Speaking of that professional marketing team, did I somehow give the school permission to allow them to whip my kids into a frenzy?   I had to sign a permission slip this week saying that my 8th grader can read whatever book she wants and corporate advertising has been banned from the school, but pulling them away from their classes so that they can directly market to my kids with out my permission is OK?

 This is not to disparage those the hard working individuals at the school who are raising the money.  I get it.  I have done fund raising albeit at the elementary level for years and I was one of those people trying to get your kids to go out and get donations.    It is a necessary evil.  Education budget are shot and we need funds.   We were more direct about it and didn't expect your kids to sell overpriced crappy products, candy or cookie dough and the emphasis was on contributing to the school and not getting cheap prizes.  

I realize that middle school kids are a hard group to motivate and the economy is terrible but there are different, less evil and ultimately more profitable ways to make money.   They are trying to about $20,000 from 750 students.   This is really not that much money. There are other alternatives for raising money.  Start by asking for it.  

Communicate to the parents and kids not only what the goal is (total and per student) how much they raised in their last fundraiser and how those funds will be spent.   Some  people understand it and will willingly write a check.   You definitely need to appeal to the kids so that they go home and pressure their parents into giving.   I am talking about teachers and administrators explaining to the kids why they need to raise money and be specific - field trips, sports uniforms, awards or whatever it is, not professional marketers who are promising them outrageous prizes that cost money.   Definitely make it fun and competitive - maybe the homeroom class that raises the most gets a pizza party or offer a free dress day (if like at our school the kids wear uniforms) or maybe the principal will offer to wear a silly costume for the day if goals are met.   These incentives cost little or no money. 

Another way to raise money is through rebates.  Many grocery  stores like Ralphs will donate money back to your school if you register your reward cards with their community giving program.   Target will give money to your school if you use your Red Card (credit or check card) and enroll in their Take Charge for Education (after 10/17/2010 if you use your Red Card you will also get 5% off).   Escrip will allow you to register your credit cards and selected grocery store cards and every time you use that credit card at selected retailer or grocery store card a percentage will go back to the school.   If schools and PTAs register with these rebate programs and promote them with their families, it is a great way to generate income.  Free money - who wouldn't like that!

Ultimately I would like this fundraiser from hell to go away, but If schools insist on doing these product sales they should follow these guidelines. 

1. Transparency - communicate to the parents and kids not only how much they need to raise, how much they raised in their last fundraiser and how the money will be spent.   
2. Alternatives - offer an alternative to participating in the product sales, like a direct donation and if they insist on offering the outrageous prizes then offer them to those who are also making direct donations.

I have told my 6th grader who came home really excited about satan's fundraiser  that we were not participating in it.  My 8th grader who has heard my diatribe on this topic many times didn't even bother to bring it up.   We will however make a cash donation to the school.    In this way they will get 100% of my donation, I get a tax deduction (which you don't get if you buy products) and I do not acquire anymore overpriced crap in my house.  

If your kid has been lured to the dark side by some slick marketing - help them to resist it.   We as parents must take a stand. I have called the principal to complain about the product sales, but complaining is not enough.   Schools will continue to do it as long as it makes money.   If we stop buying this overpriced crap and write them a check for roughly half of what we may have been tempted to spend, the school will get its money, you will get your tax deduction and although your kid may not get the ultimately lame prizes that they are offering they would have learned a valuable lesson and we may be able to stop the school  from subjecting us to the evil that is the product sales fundraiser.

Bake Sales and Check Drives

I have been involved with my kids elementary school PTA for 9 years.    In that time we have evolved from selling cookie dough to pay for field trips and art programs to launching major check drives and courting  corporate dollars to fund teachers salaries.   Although we still fund those original programs, our scope has grown so that our funding and support has had to replace what has been taken away as education budgets have been slashed.  

We are a middle to upper middle class school in a fairly large city in Southern California and have become a major source of funding for our school.   Elementary schools that do not have Title 1 money have budgets that barely cover the cost of running the school.   Anything that is considered above and beyond including supplies, books, emergency food blocks, computers and two teachers salaries  have to be supplemented by an outside source and that source in our school has been our amazing PTA.   In the last 10 years our total budget has tripled.  

We are not atypical.  Many PTAs through out California and the country are taking on similar responsibilities to try to maintain the level of education and resources that we believe our school needs in order to thrive.   In other words public education as we envision it is not free.   We at our local PTA have agreed to pay the price in money and time.  

The people (mostly women) who are running these PTAs are professional, educated people who are full or part time stay at home parents or who have managed to arrange their schedules to make volunteering at their kids school a priority.   All of the energy and talent that they had put into their jobs as professionals are now being used to write grants, raise corporate funds, run silent auctions, jog-a-thons, advocate at the local, state and federal level, volunteer in the classroom, run supplemental programs for the parents and children and yes occasionally a bake sale.