If you’re wondering why my blog post title sounds familiar, look no further than this – a blog post I wrote about the same subject almost 13 months ago, the original Why I Loathe Fundraisers. Consider this part two of an ongoing, once-a-year series, I guess. And the inspiration for part two? Again, my oldest daughter brought home a school fund-raising catalog, except there were two differences this year: 1) they seem to have waited longer than the second day of school to hand it out. I don’t recall exactly when it was given out, but I think it was a little later this year, so that’s good. 2) I did not go out and ask everyone I know about ordering stuff this year. I sent an email to the closest family asking if they wanted to order, and then our family decided to order a little something this year – I do want to be supportive of the school.
Let me back up a little bit. If you’ve read part I of my Loathing Series, then you know that I treated myself to a subscription of US News and World Report, which I can now say turned out to be a bust. First, the magazine comes at odd times (and it’s STILL coming!) – it came weekly for a few weeks, then I forgot about it cuz it didn’t come for a month or more, then it started coming every few weeks… I gave up trying to figure out the pattern. Especially because after 3 or 4 issues, I realized that this is not the magazine for me. I thought it would be about current events, but it turns out that US News and World Report chooses the most boring news topics to write about – especially politics. I am a current events / news junkie, but when it comes to politics, it’s difficult for even breaking news to catch my attention. During the whole Bush-Gore undecided election story of 2000, throughout the counting of votes, the analyzing of dangling chads, missing chads, dimpled chads, and the entire chad movement, my husband was glued to the news while I could barely force myself to take notice. So anyway, after realizing that I was not a fan of this magazine (anyone want me to save you some US News and World Reports? I won’t think you’re boring, honest!), I realized that I had gotten a magazine appetite whet. So, for my daughter’s fundraiser this year, we decided to try People magazine for me. I’ve always enjoyed People; I used to buy it before long flights (back when I used to fly), and sometimes friends and relatives give me their old issues to peruse. So the other day, we received our fundraiser order in the mail. Well, this was a nice change of pace – apparently the days are over of spending an hour on a Saturday in a crowded gym picking up fundraiser orders – thanks to the internet. Instead of an issue of People for me, there was a voucher in the box. I just had to choose my magazine (thought I already chose?) and send it in. Tangent for a minor complaint – if you don’t have internet, you’d have to pay an additional $.44 to send in your voucher without the company even warning you first! Would it really be that difficult to make it postage paid, I mean, come on! And now for the major complaint – People magazine was not on the list of choices! Sure, I could have a subscription to People En Español (my Spanish isn’t THAT good!) or People Style Watch, but I am so not into style AT ALL! I could not care less. I barely care about the celebrity gossip in People; I ‘m mostly entertained by their inspirational stories of every day heroes or just quirky things (they once had an article about a lady who turned an airplane into a house for her to live in! Now that is some cool news and worthy of my leisure time), so what the heck would I want with People Stlye Watch? Yech. I feel like they tried to scam me. I wish I had kept that catalog! Well, I emailed the company, so hopefully they’ll fix the problem. If not, stay tuned for Why I Loathe Fundraisers – Part 3!
WOW… two Fundraising Loathings in one year?! Fun to read, not so fun for you to need to post Regular People not included (even if it was?). My brother got such a ribbing back during the B/G saga… I KNEW it was his fault.. no coincidence they are called “chads”
I have a simular bad taste in my mouth for school fundraisers. Never has anything I’ve ordered been up to par and then they tease my kid with prizes that she would have to sell 10 zillion things to get. Not how I wanted my kid to learn about community support.
Glad I’m not the only one
I never liked them growing up and the rewards were often cheap things that ended up discarded or broken witinh days. I know my parents didn’t think too much of them either.
or pretty good for the aforementioned one ZILLION sales.
I feel like we got better junk when we were the kids selling the fundraisers… it seemed like better junk and there was more of it. My daughter ending up selling 3 items and got one of those half-a-bouncy-ball-things-that-pop-when-you-turn-them-inside-out, basically it’s just a choking bowl for her 15 month old brother. She only sold 3 items, but the thing is, for her to earn the next prize, she would have had to sell MANY more items just to get ONE more piece of junk!
Good point, Mysmichelle – not the way I would choose to teach my kids about community support!
We really didn’t do fundraisers when I was in school. I think that came about more in the 90’s. I’m glad for that! The only thing I can remember going and out and soliciting for was sponsorship for St. Jude’s annual bike-a-thon. I don’t know, maybe it’s a repressed memory…..but I seriously don’t think we did that stuff!!!
I ordered NEWSWEEK from my niece about 5 years ago….one of those 6 month subscription things. I think I got my money’s worth…I just now stopped getting copies!