We’ve all heard about the fundraisers that various extracurricular groups host, but are they really achieving anything?  Every day as I walk to class I see collection boxes for food shelves and the like, usually near-empty.  It’s common for classes to rarely have any donations when people come around to collect at the conclusion of a fundraiser. 

When I see an announcement about a new fundraiser, I admit that it rarely ever fazes me.  I’m always too busy chatting with a friend or dreading the massive pile of homework awaiting me when the school day ends.  The lack of donations for weekly fundraisers is not because they are under-advertised, it has more to do with the fact that we struggle to find the time to consider donating to a myriad of separate fundraisers.  Selfish as it sounds, taking time to find non-perishable food items or lightly used articles of clothing to give to somebody else is not a welcome addition to my laundry-list of daily tasks.

In the midst of the weekly fundraisers we often see on the announcements, there are some that are more successful than others.  They key differences are that more successful fundraisers collect money instead of items, and are generally more concentrated efforts.  Many students bring money to school on a daily basis, so when they see an after-school club selling something in order to raise money for a charitable cause, they are far more likely to stop and contribute.  Donating money is easier than bringing items to school, as it doesn’t add to my to-do list.  Heart Week, for instance, is usually a very successful fundraiser simply because it collects a lot of money over a short period of time through the sale of activities and candy.  As a busy MHS student, donating money during fundraisers is something quick and easy that I can spare the time to do.