In an editorial last February, The Voice fought for something to be done about the “fundraising fatigue” on our campus. A semester later, the school, in classic Trinity fashion, has overachieved.
Student fundraisers have been almost entirely paused. The moratorium came in response to worry that fundraisers had become too frequent — practically every week — and lost their potency.
“As an institution, as tuition has become more expensive, the concern is that families and/or students [felt] compelled to participate in all of these events,” Head of Upper School Dr. Tracy Bonday said. “It [became] sort of a, for lack of a better phrase, nickel-and-diming of people.”
The scope of fundraising events is now limited to just those with an established history, such as the sophomore student council’s campaign for cancer awareness or the senior student council’s Canstruction. Going forward, the administration hopes students take a more service-based route.
“If we go back and look at our mission and our goals of what we want to educate students to be able to do when they leave here, there’s a reason to create a different level of exposure,” Bonday said. “What we deem [to be] service work … isn’t necessarily just ‘I get to come in jeans and pajama pants.’”
Of the fundraisers we still have, most include a competitive aspect, which is fun but does nothing to further service. In fact, this year’s cancer awareness week centered wholly on rubber ducks — a step down from previous years, when cash collection was bolstered by information about the cause.
By letting these somewhat gimmicky events slide on the basis of tradition, the school has created an unfair double standard. Furthermore, the lack of a clear policy confuses students about what is still on the table. Bonday, however, believes the nebulousness will help avoid unnecessary strife.
“There aren’t specific criteria of why something would or wouldn’t [be allowed],” Bonday said. “I think we’re trying to not get in a situation where we’re constantly having to go, ‘This one sounds good. This one doesn’t’ … I don’t think I want to be pitting student organizations against each other for that.”
Ambiguity does not solve conflict; it invites it. Flatly rejecting most fundraisers signals to students not that they must put more thought into how they serve, but that the service they are doing is unwelcome.
Senior Sallee Rosen is the vice president of the Florida Junior Classical League, a statewide organization for Latin students. In September, eight member schools across the state decided to host sock drives for homeless communities. Though Rosen had the option to run the drive within Trinity’s Latin Club, she was prevented from taking it to the broader student body, shrinking her pool of possible donors tenfold.
“Every other school was able to do it except for our school,” Rosen said. “Putting a hard stop to the service we’re allowed to do … It just feels weird.”
Humanitarian projects like Rosen’s do not involve a direct transaction but are still discouraged under the blanket moratorium. In the school’s eyes, any effort expecting students to donate results in undue pressure to contribute. Concern over families feeling slightly uncomfortable should not override concern for the less fortunate.
If a student sees a fundraiser happening and feels compelled to help, it does not mean the organizers have done something wrong. Rather, it means they are living out Trinity’s mission statement by being an “ethical, resilient leader” who “selflessly shar[es] the best of themselves.”
“[The moratorium] comes across as not trusting the student body to … help out the community,” sophomore and treasurer for Trinity’s UNICEF Club Everest Lochbryn said. “I think it prevents a lot of good from being achieved [and] a lot of money [from] being raised for good causes.”
The administration worries for our education’s sake, too: Families could be less likely to give directly to the school if they continue giving to individual causes.
“Trinity itself is a nonprofit organization that has needs to fundraise as well in order to support our programs and our new buildings,” Bonday said. “Constantly having students going out and supporting their organizations potentially has implications on the school’s ability to do larger-scale fundraising on behalf of our own needs.”
It is indeed important for the school to support its own endeavors, but we cannot use that as an excuse to step away from service. Enhancing our facilities and helping the underprivileged are not incompatible. Instead of choosing between them, we should be grateful that we are in a position to donate at all.
Despite these misplaced priorities, Trinity has worked hard to provide school-sponsored service occasions. Just last month, the Sophomore Day of Service yielded 25,000 packaged meals for the hungry. That is a great start, but one day of forced service means little if not followed through with contributions students are truly passionate about.
Some students have found great ways to involve our community more directly than donating. For example, Voters Club has made a tangible impact by fostering civic engagement through voter registration drives and political discourse. The middle school Builders Club has for years worked on individualized holiday gift baskets for families in need.
The administration should work harder to highlight these successes as viable fundraising alternatives. At the same time, they must understand that such efforts require resources not immediately available to everyone. If a days-long competition or off-campus event is not feasible, a simple sock drive still helps. Any effort to serve the community is commendable, and students should never feel otherwise.
Fundraising fatigue is a real problem. So let’s fight the fatigue — not the fundraisers.
The lead editorial expresses the opinion of the Trinity Voice editorial staff. Please send comments to [email protected].
