Here's a quick piece on the expense of bake sales

[conuly]

http://www.beyondchron.org/news/index.php?itemid=10364#more

They seem even more senseless now that somebody's done the math. I might just print this out and send it to the school next September.

Comments

[legendary-zelda.livejournal.com]

That's an interesting article, and certainly does make a good case for bake sales being pointless.

I do have some reservations about her advocating for schools asking for parental donations though. Public schools are supposed to be free, after being paid for by taxes. I'm concerned about a slippery slide from "donations" to eventual just charging of tuition, and thus an ending of free public education available to everyone.

[jedirita.livejournal.com]

It's totally true. This is why I told the church where I served as youth minister not to put prices on the goods for bake sales or car washes. Instead, offer these things for a donation. We earned about four times as much money as we would have if we'd put a price on things.

While the dollars and cents don't add up, there is a psychological component to it that the writer doesn't account for. I served another church that had a raffle every year. While I never did the math, I am 100% positive that the value of the goods people bought and donated to the raffle equalled or even exceeded the money we raised. I mentioned this to my church folk, and they said the thrill of the raffle was what made people want to participate. In other words, they'd fork over $300 to donate a TV, and then buy tickets on top of that, in order for the chance to win something. So while it made no economic sense, if we'd just flat out asked for people to give money, they wouldn't pony up.

People want to get something concrete, whether it's a piece of cake, or a chance at a prize. Without that incentive, they are less likely to fork over the dough. However, if they know it's a donation for a good cause, they are likely to pay more than it's worth, which is why people will donate $20 for a car wash that you couldn't charge $5 for.

[conuly]

Honestly, in poorer areas especially, that's largely where we're at. Ana's entering her fifth year of school now, and that means five years worth of being asked to supply post-its, ziplocs, hand sanitizer, and copy paper.

Good points.

[marveen.livejournal.com]

I'll also add that even given the prices where the author lives are high, most of the stuff is things you have on hand anyway. You may--shocking thought!--even have cookies already made and in the freezer so your family can, y'know, have one for a snack once in a while.

I will nitpick as well at this part:

It is also an hour that is then not available to help support the school at home - by reading to the kids, or helping them with their homework or with a major art or science project.

I contend your kids might be just as well served by learning to cook(decision-making), measure (math), bake (caution around hazards) and read a recipe (following written directions, more math) as they would by listening to a book being read to them.

Re: Good points.

[conuly]

Even if you have the stuff on hand, giving it to the school means you're not stuffing your OWN face with cookies, and really, who needs that?

As far as the kids doing the baking, dollars to doughnuts says half of them don't because even those few parents who do their own baking decide not to enlist help. (And most of them no doubt just buy a box of cookies and call it a day.)

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

So what? I'm going out on a limb here and assume that most people would sooner donate a batch of cookies or a cake, or BUY some cookies or cake, than donate the amount of money required to produce those cookies + some imaginary time rate + some imaginary amount of money that the kid would supposedly have spent on other people's cookies. I know I would. It may be senseless and irrational, but it's more fun, and sometimes that's reason enough.

[conuly]

I wouldn't. I'd rather they just said upfront at the beginning of the year "Look, our budget is short, and we really need this much money, which is so much per kid, and some volunteer hours would be nice too." Then we could all just write them a check and spend a few hours in the office proofreading their god-awful memos and be done with it. Plus, the notes home wouldn't be so bad that year.

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

So ideally, there would be a compromise solution - bake sales for those who enjoy them, and sensible volunteer work for those who don't? ;)

[conuly]

I'm actually okay with that, or, more correctly, with "alternative fundraising" (bake sales, craft sales, raffles, whatever) and direct soliciting.