Do they actualy benefit schools? (Sainsbury's Active Kids Vouchers)

Member Name: stokx

Product:	Sainsbury's Active Kids Vouchers
Date:	04/03/09 (250 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Free prize draw.

Disadvantages: Tax treatment may remove advantages for schools.

One active schools voucher is awarded per £10 spent at Sainsbury's, shoppers then donate vouchers to a school which can exchange them for sports or cooking equipment.
A football costs 112 vouchers, a wooden spoon is worth 8 and a Rhythmic gymnastics kit goes for 2344 but there are lots of options.
Schools vouchers have been available this time of year for the last 4 years and will continue for at least the next 5 years.
The 2009 vouchers have a new feature which lets customers enter an online prize draw for £50 in shopping vouchers; the chances of winning must be very slim as Sainsbury's don't count them out for each till meaning that staff can give away as many as they want.
It's hard to see vouchers making a big difference to schools if Sainsbury's uses these donations to write off tax; that would just mean the same amount of money from a different source. I guess they might give one school an advantage over another in the short term until government funding is reallocated relative to need.
If you are collecting it's worth asking for extra vouchers e.g. "any spare" or "any uncollected".
If ever you don't pick up your entitlement you can get them by asking any cashier or at customer services - you won't need any proof.
You can buy vouchers with nectar points, 500 points (worth £2.50) gets you 50 schools vouchers, you can get them cheaper on ebay.

Summary: I am undecided and cautious on this one.