What Fundraising Really Feels Like
We didn’t sugarcoat it.
We asked 100 parents to describe school fundraising in one word.
Here’s what they said:
“Stressful.”
“Guilt.”
“Obligation.”
“Ugh.”
“Necessary evil.”
“Time drain.”
“Embarrassing.”
“Annoying.”
“Why are we still doing this?”
Oof.
But also… yep.
It’s Not That Parents Don’t Want to Help
In fact, most parents told us they do want to contribute, they just hate how it’s done.
Here’s what frustrates them:
- Tallying paper order forms
- Chasing down cash
- Feeling like if they don’t participate, they’re “bad parents”
This isn’t a participation problem.
It’s a system problem.
We’re Not Lazy. We’re Burned Out.
Parents are maxed out with:
- Kids
- Work
- Errands
- Groceries
- Appointments
- Mental load of a thousand micro-decisions
And then they get a form in their kid’s backpack asking them to sell frozen lasagna to the neighbours.
Again.
Fundraising needs to feel like a gift, not a guilt trip.
What Parents Actually Want:
Here’s what they told us:
✅ Easy online setup
✅ No inventory
✅ Quality products they’d actually buy themselves
✅ Transparency (where does the money go?)
✅ Less pressure, more results
What’s the Fix?
Brightraiser.
Built for busy parents.
Rooted in community values.
Designed to make fundraising feel human again.
- Canadian-made products supporting Canadian communities
- All digital
- Zero pressure
- Actually works
The result?
Fundraising that feels good,for everyone.