To think that there shouldn't be a prize for the most sponser money collected...

[minionmadness]

Ds's go to Beavers. Over the summer there was a scavenger hunt challenger that asked the Beavers to ask friends and family to sponser them to raise money to help with replacing equipment... All good so far.

At the end of this weeks session the leader announced that there would be a prize for the Beaver that raised the most money.

Immediately some of the parents turned to each other and gave each other the face. I personally don't agree with this and it doesn't sit right with me. AIBU.

YABU. I can't really see an issue here. Yes there will be those who are not in a position to raise as much as others but its probably just a piss pot prize to encourage the kids to raise as much as possible.
It really doesn't take much to upset some folk

I don't agree with it either, but I'm much less bothered by a beavers group doing it than schools doing it, which does happen in various forms.

Anything that rewards or effectively punishes children for the effort their parents do or don't make is entirely wrong, but I do have some sympathy with voluntary groups that do things like this because it can be very difficult for volunteers to get money in from the parents of their beneficiaries otherwise.

Yanbu i hate it to. My ds school do this to for raffles and sponsership but apart from me we have noone else to ask so he feels left out as he has no chance of winning. I suppose it gives a life lesson though.

But i can also see it from their side they just want to raise as much money as they can just a shame thats how they have to do it.

I agree with trying to find ways to raise money and would gladly contribute to request for funds as I understand they all volunteer their time to support our children. I really do appreciate this and I'm sure knowing the other parents they would too.

My issue is that these are 6/7 years olds that really don't yet understand the true value of money so will wonder why someone (who's family have more relatives and friends) has managed to collect more money than them.

Plus I have dts's so it's double the money for family to sponser.

It's a volunteer group raising funds so that this can continue for the children. I wouldn't have an issue with it, perhaps it's because some parents don't bother trying to raise anything.

School may be different but then again it's likely to be the PTA fundraising and lots of parents opt out yet expect their child to be able to use new items or have subsidised trips so if they have to use incentives then maybe it's the only way.

YANBU. It's raising a generation to judge achievement solely on financial gain. Isn't this why UK children are amongst the most miserable in Europe?

We do this at my school - little prizes for the children who raised the most - but we also put the name of every child who contributed (no matter how small the contribution) into a raffle. That way almost every child has a chance to win. Costs about £25 for prizes for a school of about 200 children and annually raises about £1000 for school and similar amount for charity.

Seasavage Oh wow.....

Yabu, it works.

I have been known to top up DC's sponsor money so they win a prize

DD's primary used to have a big silver trophy which the one who raised the most sponsorship for a swim got to keep for a year. The sponsorship was raised for a national charity, not for the school/PTA. DD won it on a couple of occasions, but it never felt "right" to me. Tbf, the participating children never seemed upset by it.

I wouldn't like that. It would put pressure on those families who cannot afford to contribute as much as others when they probably already feel bad enough as it is.

At least it wasn't at school. If it had been then it would have emphasised the division between those families even more publicly.

It sounds basically unfair. Those with loads of aunts/uncles or have parents who work in big offices & can take the form in and get all their colleagues to sponsor them will raise heaps. The well-off will always raise more too.

What were they being sponsored to do?

I really don't understand people who take their children's sponsor forms into their office/workplace. I don't mind sponsoring colleagues, but their kids?

I was passed a form to sponsor a colleagues husband doing a run....I'd never met the man. I hate people expecting not only sponsorship themselves but their kids/husband/auntie/cousins dog is too much.