I am a girl scout MOM. A former Boy scout MOM. And school fundraiser MOM.
To all you MOMS and DADS out there that find it difficult to support your kids with thier fundraising. Do you totally hate going to your neighbors and friends over and over again asking for them to support your child??
Both of my kids had at least 2 fundraisers at a time going on. With DS it was popcorn for scouts and school fundraisers at the SAME time. DD has had Scout nut sales and her cookie sales at the smae time as her School fundraisers. It is so hard as a MOM to try to sell to everyone everything at once 
Not to mention trying to keep it all straight I try to support our school but I often times sacrifice the school for SCOUTS. Because with SCOUTS the profits go more to the child. So How many others out thier find fundaisers difficult for MOMS and DADS.
Oh and by the way I sell candles and cakes for a living. And sometimes there are some conflicts with school fundraisers selling a competiters items. Makes it really hard to do but I do it for my kids.
It is hard. We home school and most of the families in our group are on a tight budget so I set up an online fundraiser thinking it was easy. Wrong! One of the moms blasted me about it thinking I was asking for charity for myself when I was trying to benefit the group, oh well. The joys and sacrifices we make for our kids.
I always feel awkward going to my neighbors asking them to buy things. My two kids have two different fundraisers going on right now for their schools, and the (non-profit 501c3) rescue I volunteer for is currently selling cookbooks (We have compiled over 500 recipes! Info available on our website in my sig 
) as our spring fundraiser. I usually don't go to my neighbors for school stuff, because they all have kids selling their own stuff too. DH can't take the school stuff into work, because he works at a school and many of the other teachers have kids selling the same stuff because they're in the same schools as my kids.
I usually buy from the school fundraisers IF it's something I actually want. I won't spend my money if it's something I don't need - in the fall DD's school did a magazine fundraiser. I don't need any more magazines! But now they're doing pizza & other food fundraisers, so that's all good. Same with the Rescue fundraisers, but we always have "good" ones like Yankee Candle, Gooseberry Patch, & Gertrude Hawk chocolate that I really like. In either case, I don't worry about being pushy & trying to sell to everyone I know. If I think someone may be interested I'll mention it to them, but I'm not embarrassed nor do I feel bad if the only order I turn in is my own. It's better than nothing & it's not worth the stress!
-Lisa
My son's school fundraiser always seems to fall around the same time as my co-worker's fundraiser.
I will try to order at least one thing because I know that schools can always use the money. If I can't find a candy or item that stands out I will usually buy ribbon or some nice wrapping paper because you can always use ribbon!
My son had "Jump Rope for the Heart", I had no energy to do anything with that one, so my son didn't raise any money for that. Didn't help that I was sick at the time, and hubby won't bring anything to his work because there is so much stuff that floats around there.
It's very hard for us. I grew up in a community where you only did a few fund raisers. Girl Scout cookies, Cub Scout candy, Sophomore year the kids sold big candy bars for Prom, summer ball tag day, fish fries, and spagetti dinners for church groups and firehouses. These were usually once a year, but my son has already had 3 fund raisers for Cub Scouts alone. My school never allowed kids to sell. That was for the parents and we coordinated it with food for events. We did football last fall for 6 weeks and had 2 fundraisers besides our fees to play, which was $35 per kid for flag fooball. It ended up costing us about $200 + to play. I love to play, but I'm really tired of selling. Cub Scouts has one more fund raiser and I don't want to do it.
My big wish is that the schools would get more creative on fundraising and teach the kids to use what they have learned in class. Like woodworking class actually sell product, cooking class have a dinner or bake sale, business class find a product to market and sell to students that they actually want or need, etc... One great thing our school does is sell school logo shirts and pants to the elementary students, parents, and community instead of just the high school and junior high students. That is something we wanted and can use.
It's hard to just sell candles, popcorn, and candy to people.
I have the same issue with my DD. They do an annual fundraiser at school selling wrapping paper and magazines. There's only so much overpriced wrapping paper you can buy. Plus I hate asking my friends and family to buy this stuff when there kids are selling the same stuff as well. Usually I just have my immediate family (that don't have kids) buy stuff and then we leave it at that. It's usually not much, but at least it's something.[/list]
hate doing it. I know it will sound awful but a lot of times I will just order a small things and leave it at that. I mention it to family and if they want to order I let them. However, I very seldomly ask them too.
I once just cut a $25 check to my daughters school and so did my mom. Was sick of the fundrasing and this way the school could get all of the $ instead of a small portion. The school was shocked and didn't really know what to say, but I told them just to take the money because it would go farther than the few orders I would recieve. I was glad knowing that the school would get the full $$$ instead of just a few dollars of off some sales. The school ended up not minding it either
My kids are 23, 19 and almost 16, and I'm practically counting down the DAYS until I can be done with fundraisers! I have been part of hundreds since my daughter started nursery school and I'm crazy with it. 
Both my sons have been in the HS Band so we're going on 6 years with them. They're the most aggressive, overwhelming fundraisers ever. I completely understand and appreciate that it's a very expensive program, but they're alienating all the parents. The fundraising is non-stop and they guilt you if they don't think you're doing enough. My older son is in college, majoring in music performance. I was called to help with a Sunday fundraiser and I told them that we were driving up to hear Adam perform. Believe it or not, this BAND parent told me that they needed me and I should be willing to skip his concert!
I won't take anything to work. I'm in an elementary school and we all have kids invovled in organizations. I think my neighbors probably lock their doors if they see my kids taking a walk! I think my favorite fundraiser was candybars. Most folks don't mind buying a candybar. I guess you just have to pick and choose what you'll participate in or make a donation.
It's fun having kids involved in things, isn't it???
I agree!! My DS' school has about 8 fundraisers a year. It's too much. I've gotten to the point where I only participate if there's something that I want, I mean how often can I hit the grandmas up for cash. I don't take them to work, because I don't like being constantly hit up by others so I don't do it to people. Although this year they did a really cute one called kidsart. Each child drew a picture and the parents could order greeting cards w/envelopes with their child's drawing on it, also I did buy one Gertude Hawk chocolate assortment. But other than that, I don't need window clingy things, candles, magazines or wrapping paper.
I sometimes feel there is way too many fundraisers and when you have three kids doing them, and their friends it makes it even harder. But I do try to help them when I see it being something I can see me use, and it's not too expensive.
luckily right now I only have my sons fund rasers to deal with but it does get hard I hate trying to sell boy scout popcorn its way overpriced they call it a donation with a little bit of popcorn thrown in nobody wants to buy it and the school is always selling something my husband usually hits up everybody at work for those. I think the girl scouts have the right idea there not allowed to sell door to door anymore so as a group they set up booths everywhere at the store or the post office the bank everywhere and then the group splits number of boxes sold evenly.
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