Office Employees Asking for Money for Fundraisers - Opinions Wanted

[kuntrygirl]

Lately at work, I have been seeing an increased number of employees who walk around the office on a weekly basis asking co-workers if they want to buy this or that. I understand that a person can say yes or no and be done with it, but when is this going to stop?!?!?!? It's getting out of control.

I know the schools always have fundraisers to raise money that goes to the school for the kids and that's great. I know that churches and other social organizations also have fundraisers for their particular reasons as well but when you have 30 employees in one office and 1/2 of them have some kind of fundraiser that they are collecting for, it makes it "uncomfortable" for some co-workers (not me).

Here is a list of some of the fundraisers that we have been asked to donate to throughout the years:
1. Cookie Dough - $15.00
2. Magaizines - (whatever the subscription cost)
3. Books
4. Plate Lunches - $7.00
5. Popcorn - $15.00
6. Cakes, pecan candy, etc. - $2.00 - $25.00)
7. Christmas wrapping paper (every year)
8. Christmas Cards (every year)
9. Raffle Tickets ($1.00)
10. The Pampered Chef (VERY EXPENSIVE)
11. Mary Kay
12. Tupperware
13. Pizza
14. Chocolate Bars
15. Candles
16. Cook books
17. Lollipops
18. Coffee
19. Peanuts, Cashews, etc.
20. Seasoning

When will it ever end?

Asking for donations for fundraisers IS allowed at our job and that policy it's not going away any time soon, so many of us just "deal" with it. When my co-workers come to my office and ask me if I would like to buy this or that, this is my normal/across the board response, "I would really like to donate, but I have to buy 300 lbs of feed for my animals this week." OR "Well, let's see how much does it cost? Ok, well the cookie dough cost $15.00, so I will buy the $15.00 cookie dough if you buy $15.00 worth of eggs from me. Deal?" That pretty much ends the conversation and they walk out.

So they have learned NOT to ask me to buy ANYTHING. And at the same time, I have NEVER asked anyone at my job or otherwise to buy ANYTHING from me. (Unless they come to me begging for money.) I like to turn the tables on then to see what they will say. And guess what their response is? "Well, I don't have any money right now." And guess what my response is, "Neither do I." (end of conversation)

So, how do you all feel about people asking money for fundraisers on a consistent basis (overkill)? Is it allowed at your workplace? How do you handle it? When is enough enough?

Maybe my co-workers don't realize that before they came to my office, that 15 other people were in my office begging for money.

 

[SillyChicken]

Technically, it's not allowed where I work. But people still do it. When asked, I just say "no".

 

[sutillman]

I work in a small office where 3 of us have children around the same ages. They are usually selling the same stuff for school, so we don't have to buy from each other. My boss has a child in first grade in a private school and sells raffle tickets once a year. We usually buy one ($5.00) because it's always for a really good trip or $2000. My child doesn't bring home anything to sell anymore. I stopped that years ago when it got to the point it was something every week. Everyone I know is as broke as me and I'm not wasting my time. The only thing he has sold is tomato plants for 4-H last year. He sold the most and got a free trip to summer camp. We live in a rural farming town and they pretty much sold themselves. But I would just make it plain that you don't buy from anyone so that you don't show favortism for one or the other.

 

[ChickenAlgebra]

My former office, nope, was NOT allowed. A manager got a wiff of anything, the packets or whatever were picked up and tossed out. Since it was actually strictly enforced for all, it was pretty darn nice.

 

[sparkles2307]

Coworkers send around the boy scout popcorn orders, the band fundraisers, and host tupperware and jewelry parties all the time. Those who can donate do, and those who can't don't and no one holds it against you if you didn't. Likewise, if I give A $15 toward her kids' band stuff, she will remember and reciprocate by ordering from me when its time for wrestling fundraising.

 

[MadameDork]

I'm grateful that when it is done in our office, it is just left on a counter and if you are drawn to it you want, but no one goes around asking. My sister used to request I bring my niece and nephew's in. Now that bugged me more. Those two seemed to be part of every fund raiser you can imagine, but since my sister worked from home, she figured my office was fair game. No, it was not. I think I did it once then told her I'm not begging people to buy stuff from me.

I had one coworker who would bring their kid in once a year to ask personally. I liked that. It was a tad of a guilt trip, but at least the child was participating.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
We had someone bring in their neice to walk around the office and ask for donations for some pagent that she was in.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

At our workplace, you can put up fliers with permission, but that is it. I did have a tech I knew well ask if I'd donate to a MS walkathon she was participating in (she has MS, and is working on MS studies), but she didn't just go around to people she did not know, and I personally was glad she let me know in that case. Constantly being asked for contributions to various causes is distracting and makes for an uncomfortable work place in my opinion. I'm on a 'do not call' list for my home number, I wouldn't want to have to deal with constant solicitations at work either. I would put together you case and ask for a flier-only policy.

 

[EweSheep]

I am very very SICK of our daughter's school kept asking for donations for the school, the soldier's well package, sports and general food things like pies and poinsettas to the point that all the staff kept pushing the stuff out. Enough is enough! I donate what I can and quit asking for more! What's new that if you don't donate your time, parents will be slapped with a $400 that we have to pay if we do not "service" our time with the school! If they can not get the money, then they have to raise the tution even higher. We are already paying over $339 a month, not including gas money, home brought lunches to be made and school supplies that my daughter needs. I swear it is already costing us over $500 a month to send our daughter to school!

As for GS, I don't go around begging. I would just lay it on the table and they can help themselves to the GS cookie orders. No hassle and they all love it!

 

[LarryPQ]

I hate the stupid fundraiser things too. We are on the third one, and school has been in 53 days.