CNN iReport

I am a former Scout, and when I was a kid our troop sold extra-large trash bags during the fall to raise money for our Pack. My Father would purchase the bags from a bulk supplier, and then our troop would have to assemble these bags into smaller packages in order to sell.  I remember how much I hated going door to door trying to sell these things, you would be surprised how many people will yell at a kid and slam a door in their face, but enough people were kind and willing enough to buy these bags and support our troop, and so when it was all done I usually sold more than my quota, and this always made me feel good. In fact when some of my customers would see me in the fall the  following year they would remind me to be sure and stop by because they like these large, oversized bags to use for leaf clean up. However, with the way things are nowadays it is not exactly a great idea to have young kids going door to door to sell; plus many communities require even the Scouts to honor doors posted with no-solicitation signs. So most Scouting groups have taken to selling at neighborhood Supermarkets and stores for a large percentage of their sales, and I believe this is great as it allows the kids to experience and participate in direct selling, which is a great way to build up confidence and gain experience (And for those naysayers who dislike the Scouts in the stores selling, there is nothing wrong with a polite no thank you, no one is there trying to make force you to purchase through guilt), but I have to disagree with the practice of parents selling their kids stuff at work. For one thing people may feel they have to if it is for the boss’s son or daughter, or the boss may feel like he has to show support for his employees and so may feel likewise inclined to purchase something, or one employee may feel compelled to purchase from another employee because that employee purchase something from their child’s fundraiser, ect, etc,... and so the circle grows. Truthfully it no longer has a place in today's office enviroment. However, the worse products are those that we don’t really need or want, the ones that they want you to sell from school or your childs hockey or soccer team, you know, the $20.00 roll of wrapping paper that only has enough paper on it to wrap two gifts, or the small, expensive boxes and cans of peanuts or fudge, which if you purchase at work usually end up being eaten collectively by the entire office. The part about this that really bugs me is the schools or sports teams only end up getting a small portion of the proceeds, the companies who specialize in marketing these “Fundraising” products are the ones who are really making the money. So if I purchase $25.00 worth of crap I really don’t need or want and the payoff to the school or club who is trying to raise the money is 35% they end up with only $8.75, with the company getting the other 65%. I would rather just donate $8-$10 to the fundraising effort, this way I end up saving $10 to $15 dollars and the school  doesn’t’ have to go to through all the trouble of organizing a fundraisers each month of the school year. This would be a huge savings for everyone, and in these tough economic times when more and more of us are watching our budget, it would probably be a lot easier getting a $5 to $10 dollar donation from each family than expecting them to drop more money on overpriced junk.