DR WALLACE: I play on our high school football team. Before school let out for the summer, we were asked to come up with creative ways to raise money for uniforms and equipment when we returned at the end of August.
I’ve been thinking about different ways to set up a fundraiser, but I’m not sure what would work best. The goal is to raise money, not to have some fancy, creative idea that may sound good on paper but in practice only brings in a trickle of funds.
All this got me thinking I might ask you: Over the course of your career, what fundraisers have you seen raise the most money? — I need some good fundraising ideas, via email
I NEED SOME VALID FUNDRAISING IDEAS: Over the years, I’ve actually seen many interesting fundraising opportunities put to the test in practice. Candy and cookie sales have never really done well, probably because the Girl Scouts have already cornered that market.
Saturday morning pancake breakfasts generally sold quite well, but weren’t exactly the best in terms of revenue collected.
A well advertised and well communicated car wash usually yields good results, but the best I’ve seen over the years have always been the Saturday afternoon fish fries! For some reason, people love eating fish but don’t always have the tools to replicate the practice at home, not to mention that many households don’t want to deal with the smells and all the work that goes into a fish fry dinner.
This is a great opportunity to serve something that many people enjoy eating but few enjoy making. Also, be sure to include plenty of side dishes, including fries, onion rings, and even fried vegetables and/or desserts. Beverage sales like iced tea, lemonade, soda, etc. also increase the money raised at these events. Hosting a well-advertised and well-executed fish fry is usually one of the best fundraisers for local high school sports teams.
DR WALLACE: My older brother and I were raised by a single mother since elementary school. I am currently a sophomore in high school, and my brother moved to another state a year ago.
He got into a lot of trouble in high school and with the police in our neighborhood. I’ll spare you the details, but he caused my mother a lot of heartache and grief while he was still living with us.
My mother literally smothers me because she’s afraid I’ll act like my brother and because I’m a woman she’s afraid I’ll run into guys like him.
Actually, my personality and behavior are nothing like my older brother’s. I’m a good student, I don’t cause trouble at home with my mother, and I’m pretty responsible overall.
Despite this, she keeps me on a tight leash and I am not allowed to attend about half of the activities, outings, soccer games, and other events that my friends are allowed to attend on a regular basis. How can I get my mother to relax? — Smothered Due to My Brother’s Badbehavior, via email
SUFFERED BY MY BROTHER’S BAD BEHAVIOR: Over the decades, there have been many letters similar to the one you sent me today. Parents tend to overreact with younger children when an older sibling misbehaves, gets into serious trouble, or worse.
The best thing you can do is to come up with a plan to gradually push your limits with your mother’s approval. Think of your situation as a rubber band flying across a table: if you pull it too far apart and put a lot of tension on it, it may not break right away, but it will seem like it will at any moment. That’s how your mother sees your situation. She’s afraid to let you go too far in case something breaks.
So try to take small steps, but continually show her that you deserve her trust. Thank her for letting you stay out half an hour later, for example, or for going to an event that she may have previously prevented you from going to. While you’re there, send her a message or call her, and when you get home, thank her again for her trust. Repeat this process regularly and dynamically, and over time, you should be able to gradually and steadily expand your freedom and social horizons.
