The Benefits of Keeping Your Kids Involved with School Fundraisers

When you have kids in school, it seems like they are always coming home with one fundraiser or another. While the constant barrage of fundraisers may be frustrating at times, they do serve an important purpose. Whether the PTO is raising money to fund a new program, finance newer technology or pay for a class trip or one of the school’s teams or organizations needs new equipment, fundraising provides a means to cover expenses that don’t fit into the school district’s budget. 


It’s easy to take a pamphlet with you to work or post on Facebook to let your friends and family know where to order, but it is also important to keep your child involved in the quest to raise funds. Kids learn a lot from being involved in school fundraisers — and selling magazines today could help them develop skills that they will carry with them throughout the rest of their lives. Why should you keep your kids involved with school fundraisers? Here are just a couple of the lessons they’ll learn. 

Goal Setting
Just about every fundraiser has a specific goal, and each child is encouraged to set his or her own goal to sell a certain amount. Typically, prizes are offered when students sell a certain number of products or raise a set amount of money. The more they sell, of course, the better the prize. 

 When kids set goals to earn the top-tier prize and commit to reaching that goal, they have to really try to make the sales. That could mean your son spends an hour after school each day calling relatives, or it could mean your daughter and her friends put in time collecting donations outside a local store on a Saturday afternoon. Teaching kids the value of setting a goal and working toward it at an early age helps them understand the importance of hard work. It also teaches them to plan, and when they stick to that plan, they learn discipline. 

 People Skills No matter what career path your child chooses as an adult, there is a good chance that he or she will have to work with other people to some extent. While they may not realize it now, participating in fundraisers helps them develop valuable people skills that will help them get along. From building up the confidence to pick up the phone and call a friend or family member to making eye contact and speaking clearly when talking to someone about their fundraiser, they get to practice many skills that they will likely need to use throughout their lives. The days of going door to door to raise funds is primarily a thing of the past, but kids can get practice doing presentations when sharing their fundraisers with family friends and extended family. Each time they talk to someone about what they are selling and why, they are practicing public speaking and improving their communication skills. Whether your kids are purchasing bulk t shirts to sell and raise money for the football team, raising money to fund a new computer lab, selling candy bars to buy new uniforms or doing any other type of fundraiser, they can create a presentation and gain real-world sales and marketing experience.


Charity
In our society, kids and teens often grow up thinking that money is everything and constantly wanting to buy the latest toys or video games. As children grow up, however, they should be taught about the importance of giving, too. They should learn that money isn’t just for the taking and that it should also be given to good causes and to those in need. 

 Involving kids in fundraising helps them learn the importance of working to raise money for someone other than themselves. Sure, they will likely benefit if their marching band raises enough money for new uniforms, but they will also see how their contribution — no matter how small — helped make something possible on a much larger scale. 

 Kids learn even more about charitable giving when they are involved in school fundraisers for causes and organizations. Maybe the school is trying to raise funds to donate to a local orphanage, or maybe they are raising money for a favorite teacher who has lost a spouse or been afflicted by a devastating disease. These types of fundraisers offer no material benefit to students, but they do teach them how amazing it feels to help others and the value of charitable giving. 

Money Management
Managing money is no easy task. Many adults struggle with it. Keeping your kids involved in fundraisers from an early age, though, could help them grow into more financially competent adults. When fundraising, kids are required to collect money either as donations or as payments for products sold. They must then turn this money in to the fundraiser’s organizer. This likely means being responsible for keeping track of cash, change and checks. While parents should certainly step in to help younger kids with this part, making older kids responsible for managing the money themselves can help them get better at organizing and hanging onto money. 


Conclusion 
Fundraisers are sometimes frustrating for parents. But remember that schools need to raise money for a wide range of good reasons. Keeping your kids involved in each fundraiser not only teaches them the importance of working toward the greater good but also helps instill skills and values that they will carry with them throughout the rest of their lives. 

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