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2:22 p.m. - 2008-04-16
ding dong
When I was a kid, and my softball teammates or musical cast members were selling chocolate covered pretzels or magazine subscriptions, I was never allowed to sell them. My mom would always say "Just ask your coach/teacher how much your uniform/bus ticket/registration fee is and I'll give them the money."

I basically wasn't allowed to fundraise. Because my mom didn't want me bothering the neighbors and relatives every time one of the activities I was in decided it was time to have a bake sale, hoagie sale, bagel sale, etc. I think she also felt like it was weird and kind of insulting that our teachers would assume our parents couldn't afford or wouldn't want to pay for our expenses. And going door to door begging the nieghbors would send that message to them too - I have this nice house but I don't care enough to give my kid 30 bucks for her costume in the high school production of Bye Bye Birdie. I totally understood this growing up and didn't even mind that I never got any of those prizes for selling the most candy bars. I admire that sense of responsibility and wish more of the parents of the kids I work with shared that kind of sensibility and ownership.

However, now I'm all grown up and I do this for a living. I am currently organizing a fruit basket sale as a fundrasier for our summer camp. I am also doing a letter writing campaign and writing 4 grants at once. I have to admit I get a little weird feeling every time I ask for money because I can see my mom rolling her eyes and reaching for her purse - to spare Mrs. Spingola next door from a 10 year old's pitch on the glories and many uses of gift wrap.

Mom - I need to raise about 7 grand in the next few weeks. So, if you want to cover that so I don't have to bother anyone, I'm cool with that.

Just kidding - she did agree to buy a fruit basket earlier this week.

The fact is, despite all of those bake sales and hoagie sales (ew! how long had that cheese and those cold cuts been room temp.???) most people are uncomfortable asking others for money as adults. Even when the cause is good. Even when you know the person you're asking has plenty of money to give away.

The nice part about all of this is that not that many people can do my job, on either end - successfully work with kids from low-income families in urban neighborhoods and ENJOY it - and find the funds to keep the program floating along. So, figuring out how to become comfortable with fundraising is a skill. It's one that I've had to work up to and am still working on.

So if your kids come home with the form letter and the order sheet - maybe let them try - you might have the up and coming entrepreneur/fundraising guru of her generation out there selling those Girl Scout cookies!

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