Did anyone's DC do fundraising for NAS and how did that go?

[Katastrofee]

I am considering to do this with DD1. I think it would be a good experience for her and could boost her confidence. However, I am worried a little that it might not work as expected and dent her confidence instead.

We don't really have an extended family or a huge network of friends that would donate because it's us.

The only realistic option we considered is for DD to organize a fundraising birthday party and to ask to donate through Justgiving instead of buying gifts. DD is on the spectrum, so she isn't hugely "popular", only 10 turned out to her birthday party last year. In a fundraiser this would be disappointing for her. She wants to raise £400.
Do you think more would turn out to the fundraising party out of curiosity or to help the cause?

Would inviting the whole school and allowing to bring friends be a good idea to broaden the number of people attending? Would they turn up?
A friend told me that boys from different schools fight at parties (?)

Another worry is that broadening the audience will make DD's ASD more widely known in our very small town. That would make her more vulnerable.

Do you have any experience of DS/DD with ASD doing fundraising?

All the comments gratefully appreciated.

Should I take any hints from the silence?

Ant thoughts at all anyone?

Is anything wrong with my question?

Could anyone share any thoughts, even if not directly addressing the experience and ignoring the specifics?

I do quite a lof of fundraising for autism charities, eg jumble sales, so think it is great. My boy doesnt get directly involved but it is all for him

I am not sure if people would like the birthday larty contributions idea, as mums can be funny about that kind of thing, being expected to give

Maybe aim small at first - one idea ie to go to school PTA and see about making NAS the school nominated charity?

Sick, thank you for your comments. Do you mean that mums would be happy buying gifts for the birthday, but not happy to donate instead?

A friend told me a story about an acquaintance of hers, who was receiving very expensive gifts for birthdays. One year he asked to donate to the charity of his choice and contributions were worth about a tenth of the value of gifts he was receiving. Do you mean this type of thing would happen?

I think mums can be funny, and might see it as too grasping, even though would be haply to spend £5 on some tat

Raising £400 is a big big total too, we have struggled to raise that from 5 hours on a jumble sale st,l

What about she and a couple of pals/ their mums do an after-school cake sale for the NAS - always popular?

Would you ask pals sitting next to your DS at school to fund raise with him and ask their mums to help?
I mean we don't have any friends whom I would think of asking such a thing. Do you suggest I bravely try?

I would probably go in via the mums, get chatting to some nice ones, then find someone on the PTA to help set up an "authorised" cake sale (if there is a PTA)

At my DCs' primary school there were cake sales every other day, on a little table in the playground, 50p a cake. Mums and kids either made or bought them and thy were eiher for the school or fr different charities.

I was always totally chatty about DS's autism, when he was at mainstream as a) I want to spread the word about autism and b) i understand that it is difficult fir people to know whether or not to mention it, so i had to sort of show it was fine

But i am quite a gobby one!

DD1 is in secondary school and in our area I never get to see the parents. i suppose we could try the PTA about cake sale and nominated charity.

Any other things we could do?

Is there an annual school fair for the cake stall?

V much trickier at secondary though

Sponsored swim or skip?

There is an annual fair, but the PTA is very focused on their own fundraising, but i suppose they might concede a stall.

How does sponsored swim work? Who sponsors?

The child draws up a form saying she is swimming, say, 50 lengths of local pool for NAS

Her friends, and your friends/family, sign the form with a pledge of, say, £1 or £5 if she completes the course

Could the party idea work in combination with the sponsored swim, e.g. invite to the birthday party and suggest to sponsor the swim if they so wish ...
Do you reckon this is also grasping?

Do they still do class parties at secondary? My Dd (12) is now only interested in pizza dinners out with small group of pals, or sleepovers

Yes, that's the thing, in year 9 they didn't do any class-wide parties. The PTA even stopped discos, so all the parties are in small groups. That's my thinking, since they don't have discos, they could turn up on Halloween for example? DD's closest thing to a best friend could suggest the others to sponsor the swim instead of buying gifts.

But you seem to feel they wont.

That might work, yes

Thanks Sickof.
off topic, but |I so can relate to the name you chose...

Does anyone else think it is a good idea? Is there anything else I should consider?

Funnily enough, the same idea occurred to me. Wanting to be more pro-active and it seemed a good way to promote awareness, particularly amongst their peers. (2 boys, both with ASD.)

I contacted the National Autistic Society, who sent me a pack of suggestions and some leaflets, with regards fund-raising. I also emailed the school's SENCo and Headmistress, requesting my wish to create awareness amongst the children and raise funds, in the process.

They were keen to help and I am going to have a meeting with,to put forward my suggestions. I'm working on several ideas, within the school, so it targets my children's peers but without them being directly involved, as they are too young and unable to know they are any different.

I didn't go through the PTA, as a first port of call, as not keen on the group currently in residence but have a group of mums that I am close to and I hope to draft them in to help, before approaching the PTA with the idea.

Good Luck 'KATASTROFEE' and have to say, I much prefer this spelling (Microsoft Word doesn't)!

Thank yoy sophj. You reminded me to get my head out of the sand and to face the fact that I will have to gain some cooperation from the PTA and the Senco. We have so many issues running with the Senco that I hoped to bypass her somehow, but I will need her buy in as well as the PTA's. Our PTA are in such overdrive to raise money that they view everything as competition, so I need to get them on side for this cake sale thing to work.

Did you find the fundraiser pack fuseful?