DEAR Jasminda,
MY daughter’s class is holding a fundraiser to raise funds to paint the play equipment.
I’ve let the relatives know and now they are getting competitive with their offers.
Kylie G.
Dear Kylie,
Fundraisers used to be done in a clandestine way, much like nanna slipping little Jimmy a cool fifty bucks in an envelope.
No one else got involved, and the exchange was beneficial without being showy.
Money was still raised, but there was no leader chart of donations.
No award for most funds raised. And no public humiliation.
Now things have moved online.
School fundraisers document funds raised in real time, with benevolent relatives able to leave a note for the school and broader community to see.
A fundraiser has, therefore, turned into a version of a sporting carnival (or perhaps The Hunger Games) with competitive relatives raising the stakes in $20 increments.
Nothing quite spurs on a family than to see that little Georgie is sitting level with the lowest donors, while silver spooner Ollie P is at the top of the charts with online messages like: ‘Go, Ollie, we love a good colour run’ and “Nanny and Pa love you, Ollie’ and ‘Colour Me Happy’ (from an uncle who clearly hasn’t watched Pretty Woman).
Then, before long, Georgie’s aunt (a stockbroker by day) ups the ante with a cool $100. It’s on! Ollie’s Dad, who notices his son is down by $10 makes a further $11 donation in a bid reminiscent of the ratings-winning bidding wars on The Block.
And so, while bank accounts are being depleted faster than oil reserves, the school’s P&C sits back and watches the proceedings with glee.
What started as an exercise in raising funds to repaint play equipment has morphed into a whole new range of possibilities.
Gerald, the P&C president calls in an architect to draw up a new concept plan.
A full-scale pirate ship is in the works along with climbing towers, an Olympic pool, and a zipline from the school canteen to the lower carpark.
Mary the treasurer fires up her Excel spreadsheet. Meanwhile, the kids are none the wiser.
They just want to run around being doused by coloured powder.
Don’t worry about competitiveness, Kylie.
Everyone’s a winner in this scenario.
Carpe diem,
Jasminda.
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