Elementary school nails fundraising with this hilariously honest donation form

Raising funds can be hard work for students as well as parents, but one US elementary school came up with an ingenious plan that hit the nail on the head.

The “alternative fundraiser”, devised by the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) at a school in Kentucky, provides a list of things students and parents can opt out of and pay a small donation instead.

The fundraiser form was posted on Reddit by user Charlie-Olliver, who said it was a hit among the parents.

He told the Press Association: “This one simple ‘alternative fundraising’ form resulted in donations totalling just over $1,000 (£700), which is quite impressive for a small Title 1 school.

“Title 1 refers to a school that has a high percentage of students from low-income families and receive additional government funding for programs for economically at-risk students.”

He added that while a handful of parents found the note “tacky”, most people “appreciated its humorous honesty and straightforward nature”.

“Often, the school will partner with a fundraising company. These companies usually carry overpriced items which the children and parents are encouraged to sell to family and friends.

“The adults all dread it, and the kids are only doing it for the cheap prizes the company offers as motivation. Not only is it horribly time-intensive, but the school only ends up receiving maybe 25% of the total profits.

“Smaller fundraisers, like bake sales, are also inefficient in terms of time and money.”

He said that while parents were more than willing to help contribute to their school, many were “sick and tired of traditional fundraisers”.

Olliver said he is now working with the school’s PTA to come up with better alternatives.

He added: “Potential ideas would include avoiding fundraising companies, consolidating multiple small events into two or three large ones and providing targeted and practical ways in which parents can donate or volunteer with better efficiency.”