I am often critical of the phrase “too much of a good thing,” especially toward actions that benefit the community, but I have found that the oversaturation of fundrasers by various clubs and classes has dulled their own effectiveness.
According to the Digital Giving Index of Network for Good, 31 percent of all donations to charities and fundraisers per year occur in December. This number can be attributed as a fault of the consumers, who do not have consistent habits. On the other hand, the organizers of charity events and fundraisers are well-aware of the disparity in society’s generosity between the end of the year and the rest of it. Instead of spacing out the events throughout the year, the various organizers compete for attention in times where consumer generosity is higher.
The intentions behind these fundraisers are clear, but the community simply does not have the resources to properly sustain the amount of fundraisers that it currently does. A single flier on the bulletin boards that litter the school does not stand out amongst the myriad advertised events that take place around the same time, nor does one afternoon announcement in a sea of similar plugs. Even when a fundraiser gets off the ground, there is not much room for it to breathe in its designated slot on the calendar. Most postponed fundraisers eventually deflate into outright cancellation, as the community has already moved on to the next batch of events.
There are issues on the side of the consumer as well. Most members of a given fundraiser’s target audience don’t have a consistent, disposable supply of money to donate. Many will only choose one to support out of the rest, but with a copious amount of fundraisers available, the combined income of the events splits into negligible portions for each. A similar problem emerges from the act of donating. Most people can satisfy their feeling of obligation by donating to one charity or fundraiser. As a result, it is unlikely that multiple fundraisers will benefit from one given participant.
I believe that the club and event sponsors should coordinate to create a schedule that maximizes effectiveness of each event throughout the year.