| | Published September 17, 2008
| Get Out Your Checkbooks for Fall Fundraising
| | By Jean Follmer |  | |
If you have school age children, you probably just paid your back-to-school fees. In addition to the
required registration fees, you may have also stroked checks for some optional fees. The additional
spending opportunities likely included extravagances like TB tests, an entire wardrobe of Spiritwear
for each family member and a "voluntary" donation to the PTA or PFC. As satisfying as the back-
to-school and fall activity spending spree may have been, many of you will soon have an
opportunity to pull out your checkbooks again! For what you ask? Well, gift wrap, entertainment
books and perhaps an earthquake preparedness kit that includes a portable toilet.
If your school (like my kids' school) has elected not to hold a fall fundraiser this year, consider this
as your opportunity to help out your friend's kid's school way over on the other side of town. Truth
be told, I've already contacted a friend from another school and asked her to give me the heads up
when her son starts selling Sally Foster wrapping paper. I love their stuff! Most of the paper has a
grid on the back and that enables me to more easily cut the straight line that my gift recipients so
clearly appreciate. Plus, that way I will experience zero guilt when my daughter hits her up to
purchase Girl Scout cookies next spring.
Think of it as an early start to the holidays... OK, enough on the silliness. When your doorbell rings
and you see little Johnny on the doorstep clutching his sales sheet, consider opening the door. In
addition to trying to raise money for his school, he is learning the complicated art of selling. Even if
you don't make a purchase, you are still helping Johnny learn sales skills. An important part of
selling is learning to deal with rejection and thinking of ways to turn "no" into "yes". There are
plenty of folks that don't buy Girl Scout cookies from my daughter when she rings their bell and
she's learning to understand that "no" is part of the process. Those rejections provide opportunities
for parents to assure and remind their children that the answer is not always "yes". If it were, what
would they strive for? There are many reasons why someone may not be in a position to make a
purchase, but the interaction can still be viewed positively and used as a learning opportunity.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA