Thanks so much for your comment! Your point about groups who focus too much on the act of fundraising but miss the point about bonding is right on. In my experience, I knew that I couldn’t really launch a successful fundraiser until I got people to actually buy into our notion of community. That takes a lot of work, especially in our society with so many distractions, but it is vital to the long term viability of an organization. I greatly appreciate you pointing this out!

I agree. I’d add that — especially at the elementary level — you could add/replace “parent involvement” to/with “school spirit.” Schools with high involvement are like schools with high spirit — their fundraising certainly goes much better.

That’s why I cringe when I see too many groups putting so much of their focus on fundraising, especially at the expense of building community and involvement and spirit. Fact is that focus on fundraising in that way will result in you raising less money in the long-term. A cruel and ironic twist.

Tim Sullivan
PTO Today