Recently there was an anonymous article on The Motherish entitled ‘Stop asking me to volunteer at School. I’m too busy for that sh*t’.
In it, the author who works full time and has two kids, bemoaned the fact that she is constantly asked to volunteer her time at her kids’ school and after school club. She writes:
“How many other working mums and dads out there are guilted into volunteering when they don’t really want to?
I think it’s time for a change in thinking. Let’s stop assuming that parents will want to give up their time and help out for free.
Yeah, I’ll happily pay more for the privilege. I’ll pay the $50 lazy parents’ levy at the start of the year, or whatever. Just don’t ask me to volunteer. Please.”
She isn’t the first parent to ask to be let off the fundraising hook by way of paying extra money. The article I wrote about the Claytons Cake Stall was surprisingly popular, and recently a school in the United States took it one step further, sending home a unique letter asking parents to donate cash in lieu of activities they would normally be expected to participate in such as cake stalls and -athons.
That letter has gone viral across social media sites and clearly shows that there are definitely some people who have had enough of fundraising and volunteering at school. But a quick scan of the comments section also show there are a lot of people who don’t agree with this system at all.
So should there be a lazy parents’ levy?
Is it even fair to call it a levy for lazy people – as I am sure that there are many people who cannot offer their time at school for a million different reasons and none of them are because they are too busy lying on the couch watching Game of Thrones.
So what are some of the pros and cons of this type of ‘alternative’ fundraiser?
Pros:
100% profit goes to the school and not to fundraising companies and businesses
Families who are unable to volunteer at school events due to work or other commitments can feel satisfied they are still doing their part.
You don’t have to buy products you don’t need, or fill your kids up with sugar they shouldn’t have.
You don’t need to sell anything to anyone.
It’s easy.
Cons:
You can lose the sense of community that comes from having events and functions.
There is a perception that it is selfish and ‘too easy’ to hand over cash.
You might be teaching your children that you can pay other people to do things you don’t want to do.
Some people don’t have extra cash to hand over.
What are your thoughts on this type of alternative fundraiser?
Is there a place for simply asking parents to hand over cash each year to buy all the extras schools and sports clubs need to buy for kids?
Or do the extra benefits of fundraising and community events outweigh the inconvenience?
