Tell me your thoughts on this...

soontobehanby · August 2013

I went into a grocery store today and they were cheerleaders in their uniforms outside collecting money. They weren't selling anything, just asking for donations. A few moms were standing by supervising. When asked if I wanted to donate, I asked what the money was for. The girl told me new uniforms, sleepovers, and for them to have get-togethers. I told them I had no cash, but it seemed to me like that should be paid for by the parents standing around supervising... They weren't even selling anything. Had they sold me a candy bar for a dollar, I might have gotten one. That's fundraising, it doesn't bother me. But asking for donations so you can have a slumber party? Uhh.. no?

KeptInStitches · August 2013

Yeah, I wouldn't give money to them either.

Teddy917 · August 2013

New uniforms I can understand but a sleepover isn't necessary. Uniforms you at least have to have and since they wear out, they need to be replaced. But even then don't just ask for donations, do something to earn it. Put on a performance, sell something, etc.

Clpapke83 · August 2013

I would call the school and see if they knew about it and complain. Ya don't just ask for money... sell candy bars, do a carwash. And why would a school have them raise money for sleepovers?

soontobehanby · August 2013

Okay, good. I am not just a big meanie who wouldn't give them money. If they were selling something, I would have purchased it. If it was a charity, I would have donated. I was a little irritated and then felt awkward leaving the store as I ran through to avoid being asked again.

Simply Fated · August 2013

My bf's sister is on her school's kickline. They are always trying to raise money for things like new uniforms and going away to competitions.
She's very gung-ho about these fundraisers because when ever they don't raise enough, the parents have to cover the rest of the cost. Her parents just don't have as much as the other girl's parents do. So when the other girls pick out tacky, but super expensive uniforms, my bf's sister is the first one out there making signs for the car wash, asking local businesses for sponsorships, setting up the table to sell pizza after classes, etc. I'm really proud of her. I see the hard work she puts into it and I try to attend as many functions as I can.

Those parents outside of the grocery store are missing a great teachable moment. Begging on the street corner like a bum shouldn't earn you a penny. At least put some effort into the sign.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XBkR7VTlD2Q/TinccbsA7UI/AAAAAAAAAN0/iy2nloZeZ3w/s320/homelss+hit+me+with+a+quater.jpg

AprilH81 · August 2013

I was in band in high school and we did fundraisers, but we never stood outside and "begged" for money.

If you are going to stand outside the grocery store why don't you just go inside and work out a deal with the store manager for the girls to bag the groceries for tips?

KytchynWitche · August 2013

it's not just you. this is something that i get very annoyed with - the sense of entitlement in the young people of today (omg i sound like my grandmother).

i do give money to worthy causes, and sometimes to "unworthy" ones, if they give me a good enough reason. but just "because"? i don't think so.

someone needs to teach these girls that if you want something, you have to DO something...

WinstonsGirl · August 2013

I run the 3 cheer teams at my school. There would be some serious talk with my kids if they ever did this. We run 1 fundraiser per year (cookie dough) and we would never fundraise by just asking for money in front of a store. All of our fundraisers must be approved by the school (ie. me). I wonder if the school knows, of if the Mom's took on some initiative for their kids only??

nsweare · August 2013

Ok. We actually did this when I was a cheerleader, and pretty much every school in my city does it for their sports teams. It's called "canning." The money generally goes to uniforms, equipment, competition fees, etc. The schools was perfectly aware we were doing it, and we had to get permission from the store as well. This was 15-20 years ago (so the "kids these days" argument doesn't exactly fly).

Yes, in a perfect world the parents would be able to pay for their kids' activities. However, if it weren't for fundraising efforts I, and many of my classmates, would not have been able to afford to be part of team sports or after-school activities. We did numerous fundraisers over the course of the year. We sold cookie-dough, candy-bars, sunscreen, had car-washes, you name it. Most of these fundraisers, we only retained a portion of the proceeds. Canning was pure profit. I get why people are turned off by it, and if you don't agree with it, don't contribute. And I, as a teen, never looked at it as getting something for nothing. I usually spent hours, standing outside, chatting with members of the community about our team. It required the same amount of effort has selling a candy bar. It helped teach me gratitude. To see a community rally to help a local team is humbling and gave me a lot of pride.

KeptInStitches · August 2013

But there's a difference between fundraising and canning. From an outsider's perspective, it looks like you're standing around doing nothing and expecting something in return.

vk2204 · August 2013

nsweare said:

Ok. We actually did this when I was a cheerleader, and pretty much every school in my city does it for their sports teams. It's called "canning." The money generally goes to uniforms, equipment, competition fees, etc. The schools was perfectly aware we were doing it, and we had to get permission from the store as well. This was 15-20 years ago (so the "kids these days" argument doesn't exactly fly).

Yes, in a perfect world the parents would be able to pay for their kids' activities. However, if it weren't for fundraising efforts I, and many of my classmates, would not have been able to afford to be part of team sports or after-school activities. We did numerous fundraisers over the course of the year. We sold cookie-dough, candy-bars, sunscreen, had car-washes, you name it. Most of these fundraisers, we only retained a portion of the proceeds. Canning was pure profit. I get why people are turned off by it, and if you don't agree with it, don't contribute. And I, as a teen, never looked at it as getting something for nothing. I usually spent hours, standing outside, chatting with members of the community about our team. It required the same amount of effort has selling a candy bar. It helped teach me gratitude. To see a community rally to help a local team is humbling and gave me a lot of pride.

I get where you are coming from. When I cheered we didn't have to 'pay to play' and everything was school funded. But when I coached over the past few years, it was for a self funded program so basically the school gave us nothing. Anything we needed as a team we had to raise the money for on our own.

My teams never went out asking for donations, they always had some sort of a fundraiser to do. But I know that the fundraisers did not cover the cost of football season cheerleading (which is close to $1000 for Varsity). Some of my parents couldn't afford to pay for their children to participate, and we were very lucky to have the other parents chip in and help. But I know that if I loved a sport enough I would do whatever it takes to raise the money to get me to play. I wouldn't donate if the students were standing around doing nothing, but if they were actively TRYING, I would help them out.

smalfrie19 · August 2013

nsweare said:

Ok. We actually did this when I was a cheerleader, and pretty much every school in my city does it for their sports teams. It's called "canning." The money generally goes to uniforms, equipment, competition fees, etc. The schools was perfectly aware we were doing it, and we had to get permission from the store as well. This was 15-20 years ago (so the "kids these days" argument doesn't exactly fly).

Yes, in a perfect world the parents would be able to pay for their kids' activities. However, if it weren't for fundraising efforts I, and many of my classmates, would not have been able to afford to be part of team sports or after-school activities. We did numerous fundraisers over the course of the year. We sold cookie-dough, candy-bars, sunscreen, had car-washes, you name it. Most of these fundraisers, we only retained a portion of the proceeds. Canning was pure profit. I get why people are turned off by it, and if you don't agree with it, don't contribute. And I, as a teen, never looked at it as getting something for nothing. I usually spent hours, standing outside, chatting with members of the community about our team. It required the same amount of effort has selling a candy bar. It helped teach me gratitude. To see a community rally to help a local team is humbling and gave me a lot of pride.

Canning was only something we did in my high school when it was for a charity or our high school food drive (which was one of the largest in our state). Not something as a fundraiser for extra curricular activities. Choir trips, marching band competitions, we held cookie dough fundraisers and annual auctions.

ashleyep · August 2013

nsweare said:

Ok. We actually did this when I was a cheerleader, and pretty much every school in my city does it for their sports teams. It's called "canning." The money generally goes to uniforms, equipment, competition fees, etc. The schools was perfectly aware we were doing it, and we had to get permission from the store as well. This was 15-20 years ago (so the "kids these days" argument doesn't exactly fly).
Yes, in a perfect world the parents would be able to pay for their kids' activities. However, if it weren't for fundraising efforts I, and many of my classmates, would not have been able to afford to be part of team sports or after-school activities. We did numerous fundraisers over the course of the year. We sold cookie-dough, candy-bars, sunscreen, had car-washes, you name it. Most of these fundraisers, we only retained a portion of the proceeds. Canning was pure profit. I get why people are turned off by it, and if you don't agree with it, don't contribute. And I, as a teen, never looked at it as getting something for nothing. I usually spent hours, standing outside, chatting with members of the community about our team. It required the same amount of effort has selling a candy bar. It helped teach me gratitude. To see a community rally to help a local team is humbling and gave me a lot of pride.

I was a cheerleader as a kid too and we did a lot of canning (never in high school, but pop warner). But so did little league and other sports. I wonder if the girl really didn't know where the money was going, but was told she needed to fundraise. Usually it goes towards uniforms, to pay for competition fees, etc. All-star cheerleading is especially expensive and I know some of the cheer gyms do canning.

I'd rather just give a kid $5 than buy some random junk that I don't want, so she can get 10% of it.

It seems like a weird thing to get upset about. I had crazy social anxiety around asking strangers if they'd like to donate. I definitely wasn't standing around expecting free handouts. I hated canning.

soontobehanby · August 2013

I didn't get upset, exactly. Just thought it was strange to watch all these moms sit back while their daughters begged for money. I would have tipped them to bag my groceries or wash my car but I felt strange just giving them money. It seems lazy and unappreciative. They want to cheer, so they should work for it if necessary. My cousin cheers and she made friendship bracelets and sold them at her school and church for 5 dollars each to pay for her uniforms. She worked in them all summer. I bought 5.

ashleyep · August 2013

soontobehanby said:

I didn't get upset, exactly. Just thought it was strange to watch all these moms sit back while their daughters begged for money. I would have tipped them to bag my groceries or wash my car but I felt strange just giving them money. It seems lazy and unappreciative. They want to cheer, so they should work for it if necessary. My cousin cheers and she made friendship bracelets and sold them at her school and church for 5 dollars each to pay for her uniforms. She worked in them all summer. I bought 5.

The supermarket probably wouldn't let them bag groceries - child labor laws and all that.

I don't know, it doesn't seem odd to me, but I'm used to kids canning. We did a candy bar fundraiser too and it wasn't really any less work to do the canning, but the canning did carry way more anxiety than setting up a table and selling stuff. And again, I'd feel bad throwing out the friendship bracelets she spent all that time working on.

When I was in college and we did stupid fundraiser where we had to sell junk (that no one wants to buy from a 19 year old - 7 year old maybe) I just wrote my coach a check and didn't sell anything, ha.

grumbledore · August 2013

Um, no. I would not donate to cover someone's slumber party. Fundraising for uniforms is fine, but they should do an actual fundraiser. Instead they are panhandling.

The soccer league in our town does this, but at least it's not to pay for sleepovers.

WinstonsGirl · August 2013

Maybe it's a regional thing, but I've never heard of canning. Here, most people expect to get something if they are donating to an extra curricular activity. The only places that get money given to them as donations are registered charities. Companies may sponsor a club or team, but they're getting promotion and advertising out of it, and the kids aren't asking for cash outside of their business. It's interesting to hear that this is more common in other areas

Dreamergirl8812 · August 2013

Every fundraiser I participated in as a child involved brainstorming: car wash? candy sales?

My life would have been so much easier if some lazy asshole in the back said, "Hey, let's just stand there," and everyone thought that was brilliant.

WonderRed · August 2013

I don't have a problem with the funds for new uniforms, per se, but I'm sure not giving money for them to have sleep overs and hang out. Just WTF? No way. No how. Nope!

APDSS22 · August 2013

I'll give to firefighters just standing there with a boot, but I think that's different than a bunch of kids standing around asking for money for uniforms and sleepovers...

Chipmunk415 · August 2013

I never did the school fundraisers where you pay waay too much for crappy wrapping paper and the like.

In my junior yr of High School, I literally pulled prom together single handedly (all the other girls had lots of "ideas" but no work ethic to put them in place), and sold about 50 boxes of assorted candy bars to pay for it all. Raised a hell of a lot of money, but some girls were mad when their dresses were a little tighter than anticipated, lol!

Cokezerofreak · August 2013

I've seen a football team at a large intersection with buckets and cardboard signs asking for donations. I have not donated because it's a 4 lane intersection, what is their sponsor/parent thinking?!

In high school we went to Sams/Costco and bought Lemon heads, sold them for $0.25 each. Made a fortune for our class all four years and left a ton of money to the school when we graduated. Just an idea.

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