The big trend in fund-raising with kids these days is that there is entirely too much of it! It seems like EVERY organization has got the kids doing it. Are kids being exploited? Yes, and the parents are, too – since it takes up a lot of the parent’s time and energy to get the whole thing going. I have seen cookies, candies, wrapping paper, magazines, cookie dough, scrip, coupon books – the gamut. And who buys this stuff anyway? Only other parents! And do we want it? No way. Most of us would much rather shell out $20 and not have the hassle. The way these “fund-raisers” are handled is ridiculous, too. Do we want our kids going door to door and bothering the neighbors time and time again? Another tactic is that the parent takes the order form to the office and has to guilt fellow employees into buying something they don’t want, either. And then the kid gets the credit for it, which often comes with a prize.
Does this teach kids compassion? Hardly. It teaches them about salesmanship and competition. If we really wanted to teach our kids about compassion we’d do it up close and personally. We’d do it by example. We could have them make sandwiches and wrap them up and deliver them to homeless shelters so they could see the difference that their efforts make. We’d have them spend time at a senior center, playing checkers with the residents, or giving an impromptu piano recital. We’d have them see that there is life outside of the suburbs, and that it isn’t always pretty, but there are always ways that they can help make it better.
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