We are a small school and last nite we discovered we have enough labels for 6 jump ropes or 12 boxes of crayons! This is after the treasurer spent several hours counting/organizing/and reading all of the "rules".
I also told our treasurer to make a motion that we discontinue.........at least w/boxtops you get CASH and if you want to go buy 4 jumpropes and 3 boxes of crayons -- you can!!!
Our school has also decided to drop the Campbell Soup Labels. However, our Student Council did decide to pick it up. In place of the labels, we have begun an ink jet cartridge recycling program. This is a cash back program and we anticipate a sizable profit. We haven't yet sent in our first shipment, but we will be doing so soon. Parents and businesses are sending in alot of used up cartridges. The biggest obstacle for this is finding somewhere to store them until you have a shipment ready. The commercial size cartridges are quite large. But it is a thought for a replacement redemption program...
Our school is starting the Box Top program for the first year, I also received the information from Campbells, if your not doing so already after you explain the loss I would suggest replacing the program with Box Tops which are worth 10 cents a piece. While looking through the catalog for Campbells I estimated that each label was worth less than a penny. Good Luck!
At our first meeting when our enthusiastic box top chair explained how if each kid brought in 20 box tops we would make over $1,000 - a parent asked about Campbells labels. Running the meeting, I explained just as Tim did here, and said that as an exec committee we had made the exec decision not to do Campbells this year. Even still we continue to receive them in our mailbox at the school. The church I attend and our park district both have collection receptacles - I simply drop them off when I am in one of those two buildings and wash my hands of the whole thing. The well intentioned parents who send them in - someone is still benefiting from it and we aren't burning out our volunteers for a soccer ball. (Do you know how many soccer balls you can buy with the $1,000 we expect from Box Tops?)
Good luck and keep up the great work you do for the kids!
I couldn't agree with Tim more...I think if you break it down in black and white for the people who aren't understanding what you are doing, they will be surprised to see that the Campbell's labels are not beneficial to most groups.
No one who's been on this forum for long will be surprised to hear this, but....
I'm behind you 100% cahoes. Take your lumps and be done with it. I can't stand to see any volunteer efforts wasted -- volunteers are so precious. We could probably think of 50 ways a committed volunteer (and even just the parent clipping from home) could help your school/kids more than by being involved witht he Campbell's program.
Go to your meeting armed with the stats (you might even copy our feature story) and be sure to emphasize the fact that you're really trying to help parents and volunteers. Offer those sdame parents other ways to help, and be sure to show strong appreciation for their desire to help.
I've found that people are shocked when you describe exactly how much work goes into the very few dollars you receive.
parents clipping
volunteers trimming (ugh!)
volunteers counting
volunteers tying with string in just the right amounts (double ugh!)
lugging to post office
paying for shipping
All for a soccer ball.
OK, I'm done. But -- in case you can't tell -- I believe strongly that you're right.
