Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Bringing Kids Fundraisers to work...
Hi all - I'm curious what other people think about my little work scenario. I work in a fairly large office. There are maybe 60 people with another 30 or so off site. I got an email from one of the office dads saying that little susie is selling Girl Scout cookies and the form is in the lunchroom. Then I get 2 more emails from other moms who are saying that their kid is selling them too. Same sort of thing happened at Christmas time for the Boy Scouts but they were selling wreaths. #1 how do you pick which angelic child you're going to fund. #2 Is it fair to ask your coworkers to pick? #3 Why do parents sometimes get so persnickety if you decide not to contribute?!
While I think that fundraising for organizations like these are great (I work at a non profit so I totally "get" how important fundraising is), I really really really don't like it at work. People get competitive and territorial and I just want to stay out of the whole thing. One lady passed the booklet of crappy jewelry that her daughter was selling for school around each department and stood there while you looked at it. I just smiled and said that I support a few organizations financially and had spent my limit. Mostly I didn't want to do it because she was being pushy.
What are your thoughts on co-worker's children's fundraisers at work?
Re: Bringing Kids Fundraisers to work...
I think it really depends on the size of your office and its culture. At my previous employer, a few people had children and would bring in order forms but there were never any emails sent out to the entire company (granted, it was over 1000 employees if I remember correctly?Katie?), he did however let our department know when they were available.
In my current job, I WISH someone would bring an order form around! I have no one to buy cookies from
. So...while I am not opposed to parents bringing in order forms for such things, I do think there is a tactful way to approach it. A company wide email is not it, especially if there are other sellers around.
And to answer your question #1, I would buy 1 box from each child, or none at all. That way, if anyone gets b!tchy because you didn't buy, you can explain you wanted to be fair.
pinterest
I agree with Angela, definitely depends on the culture of the office. There are only 3 people I work with that have children, and only 1 that has a child of school age. So I was pumped to see the girl scout cookie order form.
In your situation, if it is a large company with many parents of school aged children, I don't think it's appropriate for mass emails. Maybe talk to your CWs your close with... but no mass emailing. And I think it's especially tacky for the two other mom's to be like... "OHH! ME TOO ME TOO! BUY COOKIES FROM MY LO!" JMO.
I kind of disagree with this, but it depends on the number of recipients for the mass e-mails. The office I work in has about 60 closely knit people in it, and I think that's acceptable. However, e-mailing the entire university is completely inappropriate. I would much rather have a mass e-mail cross my desk than to have someone stand there and hand me an order form to look over while watching me expectantly.
If multiple people are doing the same fundraiser, I don't really make an effort to support everyone, because really, it all goes to the same organization. I use the first-come-first-serve approach, and leave it at that.
) I would either buy from the first person who asked or some years buy one box from each. This year we had girls come around the neighborhood so I bought from them. I've never had a problem just saying "sorry, I already bought some, good luck!" If you have a coworker who is super-pushy about it, then you have another problem on your hands...
I work on a hospital unit and basically what happens is the parent brings the form in for cookies or chocolates or whatever and leaves is on the conference table for people to look at. I haven't ever seen 2 of the same types of forms at the same time except at christmas when 2 different schools in town were selling poinsettas which I can't buy anyway since I am afraid my cats will eat them.
How close are you in the office? I'd say just pick someone and be done with it. It's not like the person you bought them off is going to lord it over the other 2. No one needs to know. Otherwise just buy them off neither and get them in the neighbourhood. Here in my city the Girl Guides often set up a table at Wal Mart or Canadian Tire to sell cookies. Do they do that in your town?
I guess in the case of girlscout cookies, I'd much rather support the troops in my neighborhood rather than the work peep's kids. Is that bad?! I live in a neighborhood in transition (in the city, close to a lake, starter houses but lots of stuff in foreclosure. Its a cute place, just can't wait for it to transition!) I can imagine that the troops in my neck of the woods are going to have a harder time raising money than the ones out in the 'burbs.
As a mom, I don't like selling wrapping paper/trinkets/oranges/wreaths at work, and my daughter's school is always selling something. As a consumer I also think a lot of those things are a rip off. A lot of times, instead of buying a chocolate bar, I just ask where the money is going to and write a check to donate directly to the school/organization.
Now, that being said, I am the ONLY ONE in my entire office who has a daughter in Girl Scouts, so I confess that when cookie time comes around, my daughter sends out an email. And to be honest, I help my daughter sell them only because I and everyone in my office loves cookies.