To just bung the school twenty quid?

[NapQueen]

Dd came home from school last week with a sponsor form for a Dance a thon. Its to raise funds for a refurbishment of the school playground. And tbf it needs it as the current stuff got installed 25 years ago when I attended.

The dance a thon is the entire school, for 30 mins. So I feel like id be asking for sponsor money for what is essentially her pe lesson that week.

Additionally its a very small community, very very small place so id just be re-asking people who are probably already sponsoring other kids for something I dont think is sponsor worthy.

Aibu to just give the school twenty quid for their playground fund? If the school had just said "donations welcome, this is what it is for, give what you can, if you can" then surely that makes more sense than essentially asking the kids to beg money from the neighbours?

I hate sponsorships. Yanbu

YANBU.

I do the same all the time with those pesky sponsor forms. I hate the thought of asking family and friends to donate money. So i end up making up names on the sponsor form to make it look like people have donated, then handing in about £10-£20 worth of change.

surely most people's main sponsor is their parent? Or arrange a hostage exchange - you sponsor a friend's kid £20 and they sponsor yours £20.

Of course it's a beg for money - sadly the schools do need it though, the kids might enjoy it too!

Yanbu. Absolutely standard to do that.

I do this each year for the dses sponsored walk. I make up names and so,it the total amount I plan to give between the names. I can't ask people to sponsor my kids to go for a fucking walk!

I make up names and so,it the total amount I plan to give between the names.
That's a good idea. Never thought of that!

I do the same all the time with those pesky sponsor forms. I hate the thought of asking family and friends to donate money. So i end up making up names on the sponsor form to make it look like people have donated, then handing in about £10-£20 worth of change

I always used to do this too!

Ooh, you could have fun making up sponsor names. Am thinking Diana Quickstep, Ray Charleston, Christoph Waltz

Tbh I dont mind them begging for money for stuff that is over and above the day to day school needs. A new playground would be great but I can understand that they want to spend their budget on other stuff.

Its the wanting us to beg for the money from others.

They fund a lot of stuff at the school (bfast club is free, asc's are a quid a pop - they last 1 hr and no snacks so not til end of day ones but still!), so Im happy their budget is spent on this sort of provision.

But fuck me; I hate sponsorship forms for something kids do every day.

Most people i know just sponsor the child themselves under their own name or make up names. I remember my parents doing the same in the 70s

Gin

Yeah I just decide what I want to give then make up the form with granny, grandad etc.

Yanbu, I normally put dads name -£5, my name, £5, grandma & papa £5 and give the school the money.

Or if you really want to drive the point home you can use the infamous known to every supply teacher names...
Theresa Green, Ben Dover, Annette Curtain, Joe King, Mickey Mouse, Hugh Jarse, Phil McCrackin, Joanne Card.

I just put from all in the XXXX family followed by an amount.

I put several names down and give the money. I don't get the money from those people, I just do it to make the sponsor form look busier!

You don't need to fill the form. I just ask immediate family

When my DCs were at primary school, the cat used to sponsor them for stuff like this

Sponsor forms are a real pain. I think your idea is great (and generous)

we have 6 in our household, so when my son's school do something like this the other 5 sponsor him,
Me (mum)
DP (Dad)
Dog
Cat 1
cat 2

It is effectively a request for a donation - I see it as such these days anyway.
DD has a sponsored event at her school every year - we sponsor her but don't ask anyone else too, not even grandparents. I just view it as my annual school donation.

I suppose if they asked for a contribution from home then many parents would just sent anywhere from 50p to a couple of pound, assuming they actually bothered.
I think with a sponsored event like this (crap though it is) there is more of an expectation that the contribution needs to be higher. Although again some wont bother.

I think it depends on your friends, family and your kids. When I was little we would ask neighbours, friends parents (from different schools), grandparents, aunts/uncles, parents friends and then parents would give a bit too. Some parents would turn it into a real competition, taking it into work with them and getting loads of sponsors.

Depends on what you are going for, a 'life lesson' of money doesn't grow on trees, or why waste time. Both IMO vital life lessons.

My kids school put a note at the bottom of any sponsorship form saying that you can just donate as a family - they don't want the kids knocking neighbours doors. Tbh I usually just stick my own name down and stick £5 in.

My kids school used to send home tickets for coffee mornings you were supposed to get family and friends to buy. I just paid for 5 and returned the rest.