Dealing with Upset Parents in School Fundraisers | Tips and Strategies

[dianevill]

Bravo! I think that sounded very professional. Great job!

 

[pamperedbecky]

Great job! I look forward to hearing what her response is, if any. You did your best, so don't beat yourself up in the least. You handled this VERY well. My blood would be boiling too because you're only trying to do some GOOD for your school! What nerve, I tell ya!

 

[KellyTheChef]

Wow! I just read through this thread and I am horrified at how mean her contact "comments" on your website were!

You were very courteous and professional in your response. Well done!!

Let us know what happens...I hope it turns out well for you! You did/said all that you can, so feel good about the way YOU acted!

 

[finley1991]

AWESOME response!

PLEASE let us know if you hear from her again!

 

[bethsbiz]

Wow.

What a nasty email surprise.

She should NOT be taking her hostility out on you...rather, she should contact who approves fundraisers for her school ( as mentioned in other posts). I also think that sending her a carefully crafted reply -- which should include that this fundraiser was APPROVED by HER CHILDS SCHOOL -- is essential. I would also include an attachement or flyer of items under $20.oo (also as mentioned in another post).

What a witch. You do need to respond but you also just have to know that she is the exception, not the rule.

Good luck!

 

[kspry]

Great reply!

I am also dying to know her

whole list of reasons why Pampered Chef is an absolutely horrible fundraiser for the school.

 

[scottcooks]

Stay on the high road. As someone wiser said...keep your words sweet because you may have to eat them. She probably had a bad week, or her DH lost a job, or something...you just never know.

One thing I have learned as a teacher, is when parents gripe so much there is usually something else going on (often divorce) but that if we treat them how we want to be treated, they most often come around.

The other thing is - when someone complains a lot - they Do CARE! She might be a loose canon, or she might just be your next Exec Director! Offer her the opportunity, and she can apply her love for PC products to more appropriate fundraisers she chooses.

This may be goofy, but she's probably ticked that other people can now have access to the 'cool' stuff she thought she was keeping for herself, so she is in danger of being out-tricked / out-gourmet-ed / out-pampered!

God Bless and Take Care!
-praying for paige and her family-

 

[pamperedlinda]

Nice response Tristen, very courteous and professional. As everyone else has already said.....let us know what her response it.

 

[vwpamperedchef]

I agree with Linda, very courteous reply. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[dannyzmom]

WHAT A FABULOUS RESPONSE!
I would LOVE to see her face as she is reading it - LOL

 

[chefkristin]

Well you handled that very nicely!!! :thumbup:

 

[Chef_Linda]

Items under $15I have made up these flyers for a Bazaar that we are doing on the weekend and you can see the vast amount of items that are under $15. They are themed for Christmas. Hope that they help!:angel:
View attachment Gifts under$5.doc

View attachment Gifts under $10.doc

View attachment Gifts under$15.doc

 

[KirstenAnne]

As with all of themAs with all fundraisers you do not have to buy anything. Donate the $100.00 if she feels so strongly. Had a fundraiser this weekend and only one person wanted to piggyback with the shipping and handling with the chair person.

 

[bsaxman]

Updates? Any response to your most recent letter????? I'm dying to know!!!

 

[jcsmilez]

Updates? Any response to your most recent letter????? I'm dying to know!!!

No updates. I'm really doubting that she will email me back. Actually the email that she included on her "contact me submission" got bounced back to me -- then I noticed that it said .con so I edited... I'm hoping it is the right email and am debating about giving her a friendly call to make sure she received it and see if she has any other concerns...:yuck:

BTW - Newport News, VA! I've been there... long ago -- I have family that live in Hampton and Norfolk. I love this site, I get to meet consultants all over the country

As with all fundraisers you do not have to buy anything. Donate the $100.00

My $100 expenses mostly incurred from paying for copying the paper, catalogs, envelopes and bags that I needed to create the packets. I'm offering the kids an incentive -- class with the most gets a pizza party and then a Target gift card for the top seller and for the most bookings. Those will more than likely come out of the 10% that I am giving to the school.
-----------
To answer questions from earlier posts -- I didn't actually get the list from the Principal - he just said that he received a list of her concerns and left a positive message on her answering machine. I am very curious too!!

 

[bsaxman]

Oh wow you have family this way! That's awesome! I grew up in Hampton and Poquson, and moved to Newport News after I got older. I like it here but I'm seriously READY to do something different! We're looking into moving somewhere right outside of Nashville, TN. My husband and I will be going that way to check out the area and the housing sometime in december...

Hope all goes well with your fundraiser!!!!!

Yours,

Brandi

 

[caynreth]

I'm originally from Nashville. It's a great place to live. Look into the Maury County side of Spring Hill, just south of Nashville. No property taxes there! It's also just beautiful country.

 

[bsaxman]

One big reason we're looking into it is because it is still somewhat city-ish, not complete hicktown, and the housing market is much lower then where I'm living right now. We can barely afford to rent, much less own a home here... Even small houses or condos with 2 br, 1ba 900 sq ft are hard to find for less then $200,000! My husband & I already both work full time jobs, and do Pampered Chef and I'm going to school!!!! We just can't afford to pay that much for a house unless we fasted for 2 weeks out of every month and didn't use the heat or ac! Hahah. Seems like in that area you get way more for your money... We're really hoping that it will work out!

 

[jcsmilez]

It's hard to say really -- It seems like where the cost of living is so much lower so are the salaries. Depending on your line of work it seems to just balance out... sometimes.

 

[kisrae]

All the respones are great.

I've been the president of two school PTO/PTA's for the last 5 years and there is always one parent who has something negitive to say about every fundraiser.
Talking to the principal and the chair of the fundraiser is enough. I wouldn't respond to her at all. She will feed off of it and possible twist your attemp to make peace with something else.

I would have the chair put in the monthly newletter how your fundraiser went and how much money was raised. If this crazy lady needs to complain more she will to the chairperson and the chairperson should be able to calm her down or "rope" crazy lady into another fundraiser. I would put CrazyLady in charge of a fundraiser and get a taste of her own med.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

All the respones are great.

I've been the president of two school PTO/PTA's for the last 5 years and there is always one parent who has something negitive to say about every fundraiser.
Talking to the principal and the chair of the fundraiser is enough. I wouldn't respond to her at all. She will feed off of it and possible twist your attemp to make peace with something else.

I would have the chair put in the monthly newletter how your fundraiser went and how much money was raised. If this crazy lady needs to complain more she will to the chairperson and the chairperson should be able to calm her down or "rope" crazy lady into another fundraiser. I would put CrazyLady in charge of a fundraiser and get a taste of her own med.

I agree. This is the best advice - if someone has made up their mind that they don't like what you are doing - you won't be able to make peace......and she sounds like someone who is (to quote others on this board ) one of the "perpetually offended".

 

[bsaxman]

It's hard to say really -- It seems like where the cost of living is so much lower so are the salaries. Depending on your line of work it seems to just balance out... sometimes.

Yeah normally where cost of living is lower, pay would be lower as well... except my husband is employed by a company with locations across the country and for him to transfer it would be a lateral move, so pay would stay the same... great for us, if that's what we end up doing

 

[jcsmilez]

Yeah normally where cost of living is lower, pay would be lower as well... except my husband is employed by a company with locations across the country and for him to transfer it would be a lateral move, so pay would stay the same... great for us, if that's what we end up doing

That's wonderful! This is a great time to do it too - especially if you are looking to buy a house since the prices have plummeted so much. You can get a nice brand new house with good land in Northern CA right now for under $200,000 -- the comparison is crazy!

 

[roxylady]

I am in the midst of a High School Boy's Soccer Team fundraiser and at the parent meeting one father told me he is NOT going to send HIS son door to door to sell ANY kitchen product. So, I invited his wife to host a party in her home and the team would still get $3 toward their efforts and if she would be so generous as to donate the free product value I would see to it that the team would receive an additional 10-15% of the sales as well. This seemed to work, her party was just at $620 and I placed all orders on the fundraiser. Then I gave her her choice of stoneware FREE. I did this by adding it to another hostess' of mine order at 30% off so I only spent $16 on the stoneware and the team made an additional $623 toward the total sale of the fundraiser. Now, the fundraiser has not ended as of yet but I hope it will help greatly in meeting my $6000 goal for Nov. The father is happy because his wife sold the products and not his son, the wife is happy because she got a free piece of stoneware, I am happy because I got $620 in sales and 2 bookings for $16. ALL is well.

I just wanted you to know that sometimes, it isn't all bad.

 

[jcsmilez]

. The father is happy because his wife sold the products and not his son, the wife is happy because she got a free piece of stoneware, I am happy because I got $620 in sales and 2 bookings for $16. ALL is well.I just wanted you to know that sometimes, it isn't all bad.

That's great to hear! I'm hoping that mine will turn out positive. I have not heard back from this parent so we'll see. I did invite her to do a show though... again, we'll see!

 

[amomoftwo]

That is really uncalled for. If I wasn't such a nice calm mother, I would go to her house and give her a beating. I live in a small town and I have several people like that but once they realized that most of my commission goes to the sponser of my fund-raiser they aplogize and normally buy twice as much, out of guilt. Is there any way you can email me a sample of your packet or at least your flyer. email me it at [email protected]

 

[cat]

I was gonna say something and then noticed the dates of these posts and that this occurence took place 2 months ago!! Must have just missed the drama...

 

[peggyscookin]

Just my quick 2 cents! I just did a FR for our school band! It was fantastic!! They sold $8500 in products and that's with just 65 kids out of a possible
200+ band members!! I had so many Mom's call me and thank me for giving them something practical to sell!!! Everyone is tired of the candy bars, over-priced food (that su**s!!), and even candles from other home-based businesses.
I had a few that told me outright that they weren't interested. That was fine, since I hated selling the over-priced crap in the past. Like others, I just told them that we have products from $.75 and up, and I'm sure that everyone could afford $.75!!!
As much as you would like to be rude right back , just kill her with kindness!! That way there won't possibly be anything bad she could say about you or PC.

 

[byrd1956]

I agree w/Coleen, (don’t forward w/o permission) & w/Debbie (maybe giving her a chance to open her home to friends and family that would like to support the school). As legacypc46 said, it is community service on your part; you are donating your time and money to help. If your child also attends the school, you have the connection of being supportive parents . The whole student body benefits from any fund-raisers the school has whether the individual student participate or not. (If they are raising money for a guest speaker, dance, etc. will the parent of the non-participating student want their child excluded from the benefits? So, respond to her e-mail with a phone call. Don’t ignore her . Although I hate having to talk directly w/someone so negative it would be better than an e-mail. Write out a script and keep the tone of your voice positive. Make it short and sweet. Robyn

 

[byrd1956]

I agree w/Coleen, (don’t forward w/o permission) & w/Debbie (maybe giving her a chance to open her home to friends and family that would like to support the school). As legacypc46 said, it is community service on your part; you are donating your time and money to help. If your child also attends the school, you have the connection of being supportive parents . The whole student body benefits from any fund-raisers the school has whether the individual student participate or not. (If they are raising money for a guest speaker, dance, etc. will the parent of the non-participating student want their child excluded from the benefits? So, respond to her e-mail with a phone call. Don’t ignore her . Although I hate having to talk directly w/someone so negative it would be better than an e-mail. Write out a script and keep the tone of your voice positive. Make it short and sweet. Robyn