My son's soccer team are doing a fund raiser. Instead of doing the usual 'box of frogs' thing, they are doing a thing where we are supposed to get 25 people to pay $2 each for a 'square' on a card and once we've sold all the 'squares' we open up all the tabs on the back and one of the squares wins $25 (with the other $25 going to the club's funds)

Now, is it me, or is this just more encouragement of gambling? i.e. betting $2 i the hope of winning $25?

I don't mind the kids selling chocolate frogs to their friends or the neighbour's for $1 or $2 each - in my mind that's a straightforward sales transaction - people get something straight away for their money, if kids get pocket money they seem quite happy to spend a bit of it on chocolate, and if you take a box of them into work, although people may moan, most don't mind a quick sugar boost at some point during the day, and don't mind paying a small amount for it.

I really am not happy at the thought of asking people I know to cough up $2 with, most probably, nothing back for the money. And with all the stuff in the press these days about what a problem gambling is in the State, I feel this sends out completely the wrong signal to the kids at the club.

I hate confrontation though, so shall I just put $25 of my own money into the return envelope and say nothing, or should I return it empty with my comments?? After all, I guess it's not a lot different to selling raffle tickets.

What do you think?

D

OMG thats a tuff one, you have got me thinking now...and I am suposed to be painting :doh:
I think the box of frogs is much better for fundraising, although when my daughters footy team do it its me who ends up buying most of them.
I think i am with you on this one, maybe if you talk to some of the other parents and see what they think? Maybe they feel the same but dont want to rock any boats.
sarah

Its just a bit of fun, If you actually know 25 people well enough to ask, then I would.

If not, Id put the 25 bucks in. Its not like James is being asked to Gamble.
If you disagree with Gambling, thats a a different matter.

I agree.

I think I'd be inclined to buy the lot.

Nat just had a Sponsored Marathon at school. Two laps of the school grounds. I gave her $10 and didn't ask anyone else. i get really uptight about this sort of thing and I hate asking people for money like that. Its so much easier to just do it yourself. Kindergym another example. Gave me raffle tickets to sell last week. i just bought the lot myself.

As to whether its a gambling issue, not sure, I think its just an asking people for money issue for me.

Jo

If you're really unhappy with the gambling aspect I would tell the school - but maybe still give the $25 donation to show you are happy with fundraising generally.

We had these issues once or twice at the UK primary school and there was a religious community locally whose children did not participate in anything like this. They made donations in other ways but there was no attempt made to stop the school doing these. In fact the one I liked best was when they wound up a clock, parcelled it up and left it for 7 days and we all bought squares betting what time it would stop on.

Now funny you have put this thread on, as my OH and I were having the same conversation the other day!!

My daughter has come home with one of these box things for dancing, and firstly I hate this having to ask people to "donate" especially here where it isn't family and it is mainly people we dont know "that" well, and I feel similar to you that it is promoting gambling, but then like you say on the other hand it is similar to raffle tickets!!

Personally we decided we would donate $10 (as we are right tight :rolleyes: ) as I feel we pay enough in :sign53: fees without donating MORE money, and being we only been at this dance school for four months and this is the THIRD fundraiser we have had, I am a strong old believer in charity begins at home!!! :unsure:

This is a strange one... I have never really looked at this sort of activity as 'gambling' because it is usually connected to fund raising... you know name the teddy on the counter for charity etc etc..

:huh: :huh:

I guess this is a tough one but i am on several fundraising committee's being for school & sports teams and its very hard to find ways to raise money. You need to ask the club what they are planning to do with the funds that are raised. If its going back to benefit your son. Alot of people who i have sold lucky sqaures just buy one or two squares then return the envelope with unsold numbers well then would try and sell them to people who are wanting to purchase extra numbers.

Hope this helps but fundraising is very hard work and very time consuming!

We had Abby's school fayre last week (in the rain!) and now I think about it, it was all gambling eg: £1 for 3 tickets on the bottle tombola, if you get a number ending 5 or 0 you win a bottle, and lots of those types of activities, I think of them more as a game of chance and a bit of fun, not gambling. But I can understand how difficult it must be to find enough people to buy the boxes if you are new to an area. I get fed up with all the sponsored thingy's they do here, I feel embarrassed to ask friends/family all the time.

I wouldn't get to uptight about it - this type of fundraising has been going on for many a year. In the UK, groups I have participated in like the fishing club raised funds through the 'pontoon card' ticket sales and the scouts used hidden football squares. Nobody was ever asked to fork out a mortgage and it did help to buy much needed equipment.

People in Adelaide who have such an addiction to gambling will easily find other ways - since Skycity have a loyalty card which inserts into the pokie machines during usage and accumulates a players points, your fundraising scheme pales into insignifcance!!

Very, very common type of fundraiser here - absolutely harmless. I'd be more worried about kids watching their parents quaff copious amounts of chardonnnay at the weekend than spending a couple of bucks on a fundraising game.