We collect Boxtops but do not give any "reward" for it and we still get alot of Boxtops. One local school has trophies that they rotate every week. The class that brings in the most Labels or Boxtops gets the trophy that week. We used to do pizza and coke parties but it used up most of whatever proceeds we were receiving from the Boxtops! I don't know what the right answer is..just sharing how we do it.
Shelly
Well I think from what you are saying that they
don't want to spend any money on this. They just want the kids to turn in the box tops and not get anything for it in the way your store currently opperates. They suggested you switch it to giving the winning class a donated pizza party. That translates into you not spending any money.
I assume their thought is why spend $200 to make $200 if we can just make $400. They are looking at it from a financial standpoint. You are looking at it from the point of the children loving it. Unfortunately they have final say.
We don't do a store, but we do hold a contest all year long to see which class can hand in the most labels. Each class has their own box and the class moms count them each month and turn them in. We keep a running tally so everyone knows where their class stands. At the end of the year the winning class wins their choice of a pizza or ice cream sundae party. At the end of the year on a really hot day we also run out and buy ice pops and give them to all the kids for participating and for turning in all the labels they did. The party and all the ice pops cost us about $75 and we raised about $1,300 in our school of 350.
When we started our Box Tops Store, we didn't have funding and spent months working on donations before we could even start the store. We now have it worked out so leftover odds and ends from the carnival and fundraisers help, but we try not to spend any money on it. Not to say that your group is right, but if you consider that a lot of schools just have a collection bin and still make over $1000 without much effort or any money, you can see why they wouldn't want to spend anything. We found that our store is the only way to get the kids excited and get the parents to send in the tops.
The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating-in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life. --Anne Morris
Ok, just to clarify (sometimes I do ramble) I purchase things let's say at target. Let's say I want to buy $200 worth of items and be reinbursed, they seem to have a problem with it. Even if I reason with them and say that my "store" will bring in over $400 (so there would be enough to repay the $$ and some extra to put in our account).
I would say that they don't want me to do the store anymore too except that they have a problem leting us spend money on the santa shop and on spirit items too. I just can't comprehend the money problem if the goods bought will not be handed out unless purchased (either buy box tops or $...depending on the project) it's not like I am giving it away for free.
But they say they can't just spend whatever dollar amount they want on these projects...I say as long as we are replacing that dollar amount and then some after the store is over who cares what we spend.
The whole thing seems odd. Your organization can spend money on the kids however it likes. That is what you are in business for. To say that money spent for the kids will raise red flags and cause an audit makes no sense. When you pay for a class trip or a school assembly, does that raise red flags and cause an audit? If you buy ice pops for the kids for a school event does that raise red flags and cause an audit? All your books need to reflect is what the money was spent on and the treasurer should have the receipts.
I would venture to guess that they just don't want any money spent on this and do not want a box tops store. It seems that instead of just being honest with you and putting an end to the box tops store they are feeding you a load of #^%$
to put an end to it.
I'm a little confused as to what you are asking. If it is about you making donations, whether monetary or goods, I don't see a problem. I find that I am constantly puchasing something out of my pocket because I feel it needs to be done even if it doesn't really fit into what our group wants to do. If I'm not understanding you correctly, could you elaborate a little more?
The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating-in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life. --Anne Morris
