It's a Wrap for School Fundraising

It's September.  Isn't it time for the kids to sell gift wrap for their elementary school PTA? Any day now, you'll be writing a check for another box of chocolates and another roll of Happy Birthday paper, right?

Not this year.  Aldrin, Hunters Woods and Terraset are among the Reston elementary schools that this year have all done away with the annual fall sales.

Susan Sather, Hunters Woods PTA vice-president of fundraising, says she saw unusual amounts of time and energy to gift wrap sales over last few years.

 "It got harder and harder to fill the volunteer slots and the same people running the program were burnt out," said Sather.  "We were using volunteer time to make private company money."

Typically, elementary schools collect fifty cents on the product dollar spent.  Sather said many people told her they would rather just write a check where all the money goes directly to the school.

So this year Hunters Woods  launched it's "no wrap fundraiser" – Give to Mustang Pride— at its August back-to-school open house. 

Sather says she has been thrilled with the results.  In one week, the PTA raised $21,697  - or twice the amount collected from gift wrap in 2009-2010.

As part of its campaign, Hunters Woods  is suggesting parents show their school pride by making a minimum donation of $75 for one student or $100 for families with two or more.

 Terraset  PTA president  Liz Falcone says a poll of parents showed unease with children selling, particularly door to door.

"We surveyed our community last spring, and they concurred that using our children for fundraising was not the message we wanted to send,"  said Falcone.

The PTA has eliminated product sales and instead, will conduct a "Community Read-A-Thon," with an option for sponsorship but with a broader focus.    

Terraset Read-A-Thon's goal is for parents, teachers and students to read Half-a-Million minutes in October, says Falcone.  Sponsor donations will be accepted, but the focus is on building community, the importance of reading, and maximizing participation. 

"The National PTA discourages local units using children in fundraising efforts and that's something we wanted to support," said Falcone.