A Michigan middle school sent home a blunt fundraiser form that skips bake sales and door-to-door pitches, and just asks parents to donate the cash instead.
In early October, a student at Saline Middle School brought home a PTO form that cut straight to the point. No cookie trays. No magazine orders. No “-thon” walks. Just a request for money, wrapped in jokes that made clear the school had tired of the usual parent-and-kid sales grind.
Michigan dad Dan Reese saw the form, snapped a photo, and shared it online. The Daily Mail reported that he cheered the approach as a welcome break from the familiar routine.
"My daughter's middle school has the most direct fundraising strategy and I'm here for it. We can skip the whole charade,"
Reese wrote.
The Saline Middle School PTO form spelled out why it wanted direct donations. It framed the ask as a replacement for the chores families know too well.
"This fundraiser is in lieu of sending students home with the task of selling door-to-door, collecting money, and delivering goods,"
the form said. It added a second line asking families to help the PTO “achieve our goals to support our students and faculty.”
Then came the humor. Parents could pick a donation level paired with a ready-made excuse. One option read: “I do not want to bake, so here is the money I would have spent on those cupcakes.” Another said: “I do not want to walk, swim, or run in any activity that has the word ‘thon’ in it. Here is the money I would have spent on my child’s ‘free’ t-shirt.”
The sharpest line left little room for guilt.
"I really wouldn't have helped anyway, so here is $100 to forget my name,"
the form offered.
Reese’s post drew mixed replies. Some commenters defended the old model. One recalled magazine sales from childhood and said door-to-door work “built character” and got kids used to hearing “no.” Others called the form an easy way out that taught children nothing.
Plenty of parents went the other way. One wrote that the pitch was funny and that the boldness alone would have prompted a donation. Another said a child’s school had tried the same approach once and pulled “the most money they have ever gotten out of me,” calling it “wonderful and guilt free.”
After the post gained traction, Reese urged viewers to chip in. He suggested that if everyone who saw it sent the Saline Middle School PTO $1, he would become “the best fundraiser of all time.”
The school later posted on Facebook about its “Fall Giving” fundraiser. It asked for contributions to support teachers and students, called participation simple, and noted a chance at a “Cider & Donuts” party. “Every donation, big or small, is appreciated and helps us show our teachers just how much we value all they do,” the school wrote.
Parents already juggling work, sports, and homework do not need another weekend of wrapping cookie dough or tracking unpaid pledges. Saline’s form dropped the theater and asked for the check. That is the kind of plain dealing more schools should try.
