The dreaded day arrived last week…the cookie dough fund-raiser packet came home in Addison’s back pack.
I. HATE. SELLING. COOKIE. DOUGH.
I hate the unhealthy message it’s sending our already over weight school. I hate how they taste. I hate that it is shelf stable for 6 months. And I really hate that parents do most of the cookie dough panhandling in the office.
In years past I bought a few items for myself and then passed the form along to my mom and she would buy a few items and I felt like I had fulfilled my school fund-raising duty.
Then I started to resent the cookie dough. The fund-raising jerks who come up with these products get the kids worked up into a frenzy telling them that if they sell x number of boxes of cookie dough they will get prizes. Cheap, crappy prizes whose pictures are splattered all over the order envelope. Addison is desperate to earn some cruddy helicopter and each year either it immediately breaks or he forgets to bring it home from school or the fund-raiser organizer forgets to get it to his class room. In any case it ends up in a whine/begging session to go and get one of those expensive helicopters from the kiosk at the mall. But they really fly and it’s the only thing I’ve wanted in my entire life. Annoying, isn’t it?
This year I am taking a stand. No more cookie dough. That order form went right into the trash. If its money they want then I’ll just write a check for the amount that I would have spent on that crappy dough.
In the past I have suggested that instead of selling crap, how about a fund-raiser that involves getting the kids outside and exercising. Say….a jog-a-thon or some other type of a-thon. Who knows if that will ever happen as the fear of the unknown and no guarantee that the same amount of money would be raised is too great of a deterrent to try something new. But I digress.
Now that I’ve got that off my chest I suddenly have an urge for homemade cookies. I think I’ll go whip up a batch.
Lara B
I agree with the other fundraising ideas. I just got one for Wyatt’s daycare!! REALLY!!
Hugs, Kisses and Snot
Daycare?!?! Don’t you already pay them for your child to go there? no thanks
Melesa
I agree! At Monroe we have a jog a thon.
It is our biggest fundraiser of the year. You can pay per lap or a flat donation. The grade levels cheer each other on and hold water as the others are running. But they still do the push to earn crappy things. We participate in the running, lap counting, and donations, but I let my little guy know if he wants that crap we will go get it elsewhere so it doesn’t break instantly. I dread the whole situation but at least they are MOVING.
Hugs, Kisses and Snot
I think they get those crappy toys at the dollar store! I agree- I dread fund-raising but at least do something that has a positive impact on the kids.
Tracy Brucet
Oh girl, I totally agree. I hate that stuff for all the same reasons and it’s super expensive for the quality. Our school sells a very good quality of cheese so I don’t mind that as much. But I would much rather give the school money so they could get 100% of the donation instead of a fraction of it. Way to take a stand!! Now enjoy those yummy homemade cookies. They are better for you anyway, less preservatives.
Hugs, Kisses and Snot
That’s another thing I hate about these type of fund-raiser…the school doesn’t even get all of the money raised. grrrrr.
sueannm66
Oh I am with you! Chuck it in the bin. We have a walk-a-thon at my kids school but they decided a while ago that going with fundraising companies to sell junk no-one wants is not that profitable anyway.
Hugs, Kisses and Snot
We have a small “junk” fund raiser sometime in the spring and I don’t even look at it. blegh. We also do sausage in the spring. SAUSAGE! No thanks
christine
I was PTO president at our school for two years, and I refused to have any fundraiser that required product to be hauled by parents. Oh, I can’t stand them. Our school does a magazine sale, which earns lots of cash, but requires little work for me. The kids aren’t moving, but they are reading! I wouldn’t feel bad about skipping the cookie dough. They won’t change if people keep buying!
Hugs, Kisses and Snot
I remember doing magazine sales when I was in elementary. I went door to door in my neighborhood. Now they just want parents to take it too work b/c they are worried going door to door isn’t safe for the kids. I can see their point, but still.
afternoonpopcornsnackgirl
Definitely a walk-a-thon! Anytime we purchase cookie dough from a friend or co-worker, it sits and gets old. It’s really not worth it.
Hugs, Kisses and Snot
Yesterday a mom from our school said she also hates the cookies but decided to donate the food she buys from our fund-raiser to our local shelter. A good alternative.