School Fundraisers Can Drive Even a Favorite Uncle Batty

When my niece, Alantis, called the other day, she was talking so fast I could barely understand what she was saying. But I did manage to hear "Uncle Ro Ro" and "school fund-raiser" and "write a check."

So when I told her to put her mom on the phone, I asked my sister Zina, "OK, what do I have to buy this year?"

Thankfully, she said Alantis and Anastacia's school (that's her sister) got rid of the product-based fund-raisers and opted to simply seek donations for various projects.

"The classroom goal for the school is $100," Zina said, noting that most kids were expected to bring in $5 to $10 each.

"Fine, they get $100 each. I'll put the money directly into your account."

And with that, Uncle Ro Ro was done giving for the year.

Sorry if I sound like a sour puss, but frankly, I'm tired of the school fund-raisers. My wife and I don't have any kids — our money goes to our nine nieces and three nephews. But if we did have children (that's all up to God, but we're doing our part!), I can guarantee you that we wouldn't be going door to door trying to get rid of the candles, jackets, rugs, magazines, candy bars and whatever else school administrators can think of to foist on students and parents.

This position is in my DNA. My dad absolutely hated school fund-raisers when I was a kid. He didn't want any of his five kids knocking on doors. Oh, he wasn't against being a budding entrepreneur. He simply didn't think it was safe enough to roam our not-so-safe the neighborhood selling stuff (I'm confident that had we lived in a middle-class area, he would have had the same reservations).

So what he and my mom would do is look at the minimum and just buy the stuff. We weren't dripping with dough, but the thought of selling items for five children drove him nuts.

Unfortunately, far too many schools have been forced to do the fund raising as a result of budget cutbacks.

Band and athletic uniforms, computer gear and other necessities are being slashed by administrators, and in order for the needs to be met, principals and teachers have no choice but to make the move.

But Uncle Ro Ro isn't alone.

When I cracked open the March 29 edition of the Wall Street Journal, blaring back at me in the "Personal Journal" section was the headline "Parents Rebel Against School Fund-Raisers."

According to the story, written by Jeff D. Opdyke, parents are refusing to participate in such initiatives, and forcing the schools to find creative ways to get funds. In fact, the article notes that the schools spend an inordinate amount of time orchestrating the annual affairs, and don't get a big bang for their buck.

A trade group, the Association of Fund-Raising Distributors & Suppliers, said less than 50 percent of the money raised goes to the schools. And the Journal quoted a study by the National Association of Elementary School Principals showing that 64 percent of its members would rather not go down that road.

That's why I like what Alantis and Anastacia's school did, they signed on to the "Just Write A Check" initiative.

What a perfect name!

People like me want to boil it down to the simplest and most basic issue: How much do you need?

By going with this program, there is no need to store a ton of stuff in your house, keep up with the list of items and then go collect the money. Heck, if the homeless folks on the street have figured out that it's easy to just ask for the money, then why can't the schools?

In fact, maybe a school will use one of my wife's fund-raising names. She's an ordained minister, and has a "Spare Change" link on her Web site. This way folks who want to contribute to her ministry can offer their spare change and keep on truckin'.

If the school fund-raiser works for you, cool. But for Chloe, Trey, Faith, Solomon, Mykayla, Chelsea, Rachel, Raquel, Elizabeth and Jeremy, don't even bother Uncle Ro Ro with the sales pitch. Just ask for the dough and it's on the way.

Roland S. Martin is a CNN contributor and a talk-show host for WVON-AM in Chicago. Please visit his Web site at www.rolandsmartin.com. To find out more about Roland Martin and read his past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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