Kids sponsorship stuff

[Graciescotland]

DS1, age 3, has come home with his first sponsorship form from sports relief. I always loathed sponsored stuff when I was younger, my mum was on benefits and couldn't afford tit for tat sponsorship with my friends so I'd end up knocking on neighbours doors, which was fairly common in those days. I suppose we were the original chuggers.

I don't want DS to be left out but do I really have to go through asking friends/ family for sponsorship?

WIBU to just sponsor him 20 quid and tick the gift aid box so they get a bit extra? Or should I write down our family/ friends to make form look a bit fuller and still give. them 20 quid but not gift aid it as I don't feel like it'd be honest.

I normally write a few names down and put in the money myself. I cant be doing with the asking friends/family, etc for money

We only ever sponsor from us.

Especially the ones that actually require no effort from the child.
e.g. kick a football.

I don't do sponsorship unless the child is actively engaged in it (so older than 3) and it represents something of a challenge (so not something dead simple they do every day).

DS will neither know nor care if you do it and I doubt you'll be the only one if you choose not to.

I hate it too!

I tend to sponsor them about a fiver and gift aid it, occasionally ask the inlaws if I see them at the right time. But I don't bother other family as they all say 'put me down for £x' and then I don't see them for months and feel a bit miserly chasing up a few quid here and there, even though it has cost me say £20 overall.

All my neighbours have children/grandchildren of their own so I wouldn't ask them. They might feel obliged. And their kids would probably then ask me!!

For some charity things there is a target/gift ie 'raise £5 and get a special xyz' so I just give them whatever the target is so that DC get their badge/postcard/bookmark in assembly.

Just be careful re gift aid. Make sure you are earning more than the gift aid tax you are allowing the charity to claim back. One of my parents retired friends got a tax bill from items she had donated to a charity shop as she didnt realise it was for tax payers only. Concerned me that the tax office is watching that closely. As for the 20 up to you if you put Aunt 3, Uncle 5, Gran 5 and yourself 5 or the whole lot as 20.

Oh yes and get ready for Pots Of Love or whatever its called. The children decorate a plant pot and start growing a daffodil for mummy. Then if they want to take it home as lovely surprise gift for you which they have been planning all term, you have to stump up the suggested donation!

That was Aunt for 5 not 3

He's only in Nursery so I don't imagine the task will be onerous. It's a generic letter attached so I know the primary school children are doing a cross country run but only that nursery stuff will be on site.

It is a bit odd to sponsor when you no idea what it is but I suppose it's in aid of a good cause. Does anyone ever say anything to you or kids teenandtween? Our registration teacher always use to push us to get more sponsorship as the days went on.

YANBU at all - I used to hate all the sponsorship stuff too.

I would do as you suggested - just write your name on it and gift aid it. Is this for a school/nursery? It will probably the admin staff who deal with the money and they will not know or care whether your donation came from just you or other people.

I also used to give about £5 per sponsor form, as they tend to come in thick and fast once the DC are all in school.

as per my other posts, be VERY careful with Sports Relief.

you could say you are donating, but to a better-run charity.

I also hate sponsorship stuff, especially when its something that anybody can do. When DS1 was a toddler they done a sponsered ' walk round the park' thing to raise funds. I mean FFS, where's the achievement in that? .

Generally, I've always been way too embarassed to ask folk for money for somethign that is so tat, so we donate 10 quid and write down the names of 10 family/friends and have them all donating a quid each. My heart sinks whenever I see a form though...

As an aside, I also hate it when these things happen at work - your reasonably fit workmate is running 5k and wants you to give them money - I'm generally a meanerson and unless someone is doing a feat that I wouldn't want to do myself (as I think it'd be too tough) I say no... I can run 5k, so no dice!

I've usually lost the sponsorship form within about 20 minutes of it entering my house. I end up bunging a tenner in an envelope and no one has ever questioned it.

I am another who puts in £10 and writes down various Aunts / Uncles / Grandparents at a £1 each to make it up to the £10. I have an agreement with my sister that she does the same for her children.

I did quite enjoy the items fitting in a sandwich bag beginning with a letter, but it did become a competition between the parents as there was a prize for the child with the most items and another for the most unusual item.

Glad to know I'm not the only one who dislikes this stuff.

It does add up though, this year I've paid 34 quid in voluntary contributions (pays for glue/ paint/ consumables), 34 quid in mandatory contributions (snacks). Donated for the christmas fair 10 quid, children in need 2 quid. A few quid here and there for trips/ snacks etc.

I don't really mind and am lucky to be financially stable but wouldn't it be possible for them to give you a list at the beginning of the year and you could tot it up/ pay a set weekly amount/ pick and choose what you're willing to donate to as opposed to the constant stream of paper.

I definitely put a tenner in an envelope and leave it at that - I see it as no different from the 'fundraising' fancy dress days they have at preschool, and ultimately if the charity has the money it will benefit.

I don't think anyone looks at the form TBH!

I really hated the emails I used to get at my old place of work: "My lil man is doing a Toddle Waddle tomorrow at the local park and I want to get him lots of lovely sponsors on his list!!"
"My little girl is doing a Chatterbox Challenge with her nursery school and we're asking everyone we know to sponsor her.."

Needless to say, I don't do that myself!

One of my workmates stepson has signed up to go on a big trip to Africa and has to raise 2k for it. Needless to say, for the last year, every 2-3 weeks she has brought a form or a tin in for some crappy underachievement he's done that we're meant to give him money for so he can go on his trip.

Well, you know what, I'd love to go to Africa for 2 weeks as well, but I think it'd be unreasonable to expect all my work colleagues to pay for it...

So many people just take the piss with sponsorship.

I hate sponsorship forms with a passion - just ask for a donation.

Added to which my DC have no living GP and we live hundreds of miles from my family and on a different continent to DH's.

Am so glad everyone just does it themselves I had awful visions of having to sponsor everyone in his nursery class a quid and they would do likewise.

Tenner is loads, don't bother with the gift thingy.

I never send my kids out to get sponsers, always put in the money ourselves. I do sponser the neighbours kids when they come knocking at my door.