Hi everyone,
For some time now when approached by a parent or young person asking for a donation for Girl Scout cookies, wrapping paper or popcorn, I have simply given a cash donation. When I hand over a $5 contribution instead of purchasing two boxes of Girl Scout cookies, the organization gets a $5 contribution instead of approx. .60 cents/box. From my perspective, it feels like a win - the organization doesn't have to place an order for the goods, and the organization gets more money. And I don't have to face a box of Thin Mints on my desk when I've had a particularly rough day. At first people are a little surprised, but when I explain to them that I don't really want to support the cookie industry, they understand. It occurred to me recently that this is also the best choice from an environmental perspective. When I give $5 instead of purchasing two boxes of cookies, I am saving the resources and energy that would have gone into the production of those two boxes of cookies including all that packaging waste. Plus I'm setting an example that hopefully others will follow. I'm sure there are other people who do the same thing when approached to buy something in support of a worthwhile cause, but I've never seen a discussion about it on the internet. So, I'd like to "market" this suggestion and get more people thinking of this option. Do any of you have some suggestions for some websites where I could post this suggestion? And of course, if any of you are members of lists/groups or involved with print or on-line newsletters, would you be willing to include this suggestion? At some point wouldn't it be great for our planet if we can divorce the act of giving a contribution from having to get something in return? Can you imagine the sales pitch? "Hello, we're running an environmentally responsible campaign. Rather than asking you to buy something you don't really want that uses our limited resources, we're simply going to ask you for a small contribution, all of which will go directly in support of our cause."
Thanks and Happy Holidays everyone,
Kate
The Girl Scout Cookie Dilemma
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Amen to this idea. The same concept goes for school fundraisers. This time I have refused to sell "(not so) exciting" items or let my son sell them. I just can't buy into this idea, either, that my son will get something out of being a little sales man. Instead, I gave money to the school PTA. The problem I ran into is that there is a reward that is tracked by the number of items you sell (same with cookies and every other fundraiser). Of course, the reward was something so exciting that trying to explain to a 6-year-old that he isn't going to sell junk just to watch a BMX show was too much for him. I secured promises from the PTA president that he would get to attend because I donated money. He didn't get to attend because she forgot as this was very foreign to her and she had many other more important things she was addressing. Which is understandable. I was bucking the system. Lesson learned - in trying to get the concept out there, make sure that these issues are addressed. I have huge doubts the "you'll feel better for your contribution" argument will work. This is why junk selling has become so very popular. You are definitely fighting an uphill battle as people have been conditioned for so long to "get something in return". How about "you won't be filling your house up with more stuff you don't want"? Some parents will also be excited to not have to haul the junk back out to the masses (we all know this falls on the parents). The other difficulty is actually securing a donation. My husband and I had agreed to donate last year and failed to follow through. I only ended up donating this year because I ran into the PTA president. When junk is sold you have highly increase the likelihood of an actual profit as money must exchange hands. Are there ideas out there to highly increasing the likelihood of an actual profit (donation) without the goods? Same thing goes for Arbornne and Pampered Chef. All I did was make a donation to a "friend". What if I just bought her a gift, instead?
Christi Upton
My thought on these fundraisers is not to buck the system--there are some advantages in having students raise money to support their organization or goal of going on a band trip, etc. but to identify more environmentally friendly ways to raise money. Ideas may include: penny drive--students collect pennies in aluminum cans. The cans can be recycled and it's amazing how many pennies can be collected. selling environmentally appropriate "entertainment type books"--in the Seattle area, we have the Chinook Book, which has coupons for sustainable businesses,etc. selling coupons to a local carwash--again, the Puget Sound Car Wash Association sells coupons for car washes at a discount to nonprofits. People then go to the carwash instead of washing their car in their driveway, with soap ending up in local streams. selling bulbs for the garden Selling "waste-free lunch kits" --plastic containers that include healthy lunch recipes. Selling reusable shopping bags--Chico bags and others have a fundraising program. Having a walkathon or readathon where people can pledge to support the number of laps walked or books read. If you dig around, I believe that you can collect used printer cartridges as a fundraiser. Some grocery stores have member cards where the proceeds go back to the school. This doesn't solve the situation where you are supporting a neighbor kid but if you have a child, get involved with the organization and suggest some more sustainable type fundraisers.
Jennifer Howell
One of the local Girl Scout troups solved this problem by offering the "Zero Carb" solution. They had a stack of recycled receipts - one side showed the zero carb cookie drawn by the girl scouts, the other the $3.50 donation receipt.
-- Claudia Haack
Strategic Initiatives Director
Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corp.
431 Charmany Drive
Madison, WI 53719
608-249-9322 x109
When the school fundraisers come around we (my wife and I) do the same thing, make a donation instead of buying overpriced stuff we didn't want in the first place. We make sure that the donation is made by giving the child a check to put in their order book. When we were co-presidents of the school community group we arranged to sell a coupon book that actually provided a return for the purchase. This is now a common practice and as we have always received good value when this item is being sold we will make a purchase.
Bear Slothower
Hi Kate,
I totally agree. One of the first places to start would be with charity fund raising programs in schools. Here in Sydney, Australia, we have various fund raisers for our school, and I have been totally disgusted at the way children are "incentivized" to go sell chocolates, get sponsorship for jumping rope for the heart foundation, etc etc. It seems that the fund raising organizers have decided that children can only be engaged by dangling a whole lot of plastic rubbish from China in front of them! My own kids know where I stand on this and they do the right thing, but they are really conflicted when they see their friends picking up the various toys as a result of doing what should be a truly charitable act. I would add a question to the discussion, which is "how do we get the charity back into charity?" Children don't need incentives to give, their little hearts are usually the first to engage in a good cause.
Andrea Koch
Sustainability Coach and Consultant
Sydney, Australia