Guide to Successful Fundraising in Schools

SA Cummins Dr Philip

Description

This book provides easy to follow and helpful advice on how to run a fundraising program within your school. It is structured around CIRCLE's fifty top fundraising tips, which have been accumulated during CIRCLE's extensive consultancy work across Australia in the last thirty years. This book is broken into parts and conceptualises fundraising as a giving tree continuum, nurturing the donor using the key techniques of friendraising, coupled with donor research and careful stewardship, to enable a smooth transition from small donor to large.

Informations

• Publié par: CIRCLE
• Date de parution: 15 janvier 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781783015740
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Dr Philip SA Cummins April 2013
This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be stored or reproduced by any process without prior written permission.
National Library of Australia cataloguing in publication data:
A Guide to Successful Fundraising in Schools ISBN 978-0-9874505-4-8 ISBN 978-1-7830157-4-0
Please refer to the National Library of Australia website for cataloguing in publication details.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
Part One: THE DEVELOPMENT OFFICE AND WHERE TO START
Part Two: FRIENDRAISING
Part Three: DONOR RESEARCH
Part Four: PUBLICATIONS
Part Five: THE ANNUAL APPEAL AND REGULAR GIVING
Part Six: MAJOR GIFTS AND THE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN
Part Seven: THE BEQUEST OPPORTUNITY
Part Eight: THE ROLE OF VOLUNTEERS AND TEACHERS IN FUNDRAISING
THE CIRCLE FIFTY TOP FUNDRAISING TIPS
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
EDITORIAL AND PRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Fundraising is essential to the survival of independent schools, whether they serve well-off communities or hard up. The conundrum of funds and how to raise them is also becoming applicable to government schools, where government funding falls short of many projected needs and aspirations.
We have written this book with a view to giving those who are responsible for fundraising in schools ideas, hints and tips of how to successfully achieve this process. As CIRCLE visits schools around the country and internationally we have encountered a range of innovative tips and techniques which have been employed in the development environment and which are helping the cause of educational philanthropy. This book is divided into eight sections based on those we consider to be the best.
Though most of the application of the hints and tips contained herein will fall within the remit of the Development Office, there should be ample opportunity for the Principal to contribute to some of these suggestions and, in many circumstances, for Board Members and/or Foundation Directors to do likewise.
The development process within a school is one of gently but creatively nudging potential candidates along the friendraising to fundraising continuum. If done well, and with sensitivity, it will make asking for the gift an easier and considerably smoother process. In today s fundraising climate, donors increasingly value a sense of proactive involvement in the projects they support. Schools need to respond to this, and be conscious of the need for providing feedback and transparency throughout the fundraising process.
Users of this book need to keep abreast of the tax advantages that will benefit them in their fundraising endeavours and seek independent advice from a qualified person where necessary, as these are subject to change.
Part One: THE DEVELOPMENT OFFICE AND WHERE TO START
In this part of the book, we examine the role of the Development Office, and its function in assisting the school in fundraising. We also examine the basic elements of fundraising and provide points of reference of where to start - particularly in the case of new and smaller schools.

PART ONE CONTENTS
1. THE DEVELOPMENT OFFICE: STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION
2. THE ROLE OF THE BOARD AND THE PRINCIPAL IN FUNDRAISING
3. FUNDRAISING - THE BASICS: INITIAL CONSIDERATIONS WHEN LAUNCHING A SMALL SCALE PROGRAM
4. WORKING OUT A STRATEGY FOR LONG TERM FUNDRAISING
5. PREPARING FOR A MAJOR FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN
6. DEVELOPMENT IS MARKETING
7. DEVELOPING A FUNDRAISING CASE STATEMENT
8. A SCAFFOLD FOR CREATING A FULLY FLEDGED FUNDRAISING PROGRAM
9. THE ADVANTAGES OF TAKING ON A FUNDRAISING CONSULTANT
10. ISSUES FOR NEW SCHOOLS LAUNCHING A FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN

1. THE DEVELOPMENT OFFICE: STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION
THE DEVELOPMENT OFFICE - ITS STRUCTURE, ROLE AND FUNCTION WITHIN THE SCHOOL
The first step in any consideration of building an effective Development Office is to get the structure right within the school. We have seen schools where Development Officers who may have been appointed for some time have not received adequate or proper support, either from the Governing Body or from the Principal. What s more, there does not appear to be a clear understanding of the need for this support or what such support may entail: some Principals will be willing to create a position, an office and a title, but then unwittingly hand the Development Officer an ineffectual budget, a tight rein and not enough time. As a result, the Development Officer has not been able to operate effectively, and little in the way of extra financial support has followed.
The Director of Development needs to be associated with a position of leadership. In schools which fundraise well, the Director of Development is generally in a position of authority, reporting directly to the Principal, perhaps a regular attendee at Board meetings and is given due seniority and respect across the school community. Schools which fail to support their Director of Development, usually by not providing access to the Principal and the Board, often underperform in donor engagement and eventual fundraising. Without this seniority and access, the Director of Development is unlikely to be regarded highly enough within the school community. Bear in mind that major donors will want to deal with someone who has demonstrable and appropriate status.
The third vital leader internally is the Business Manager, who must have a positive outlook in relation to aiding the fundraising function. Successful fundraising schools ensure that their Business Department is fully aware of the fundraising programs underway, is supportive of them and most importantly, does not pursue policies which run counter to the donor cultivation program. For example, donations need to be brought to the attention of the Development Department immediately - to enable thanks, and general communication with parents - needs to be against the background of who is being specifically cultivated.
It is of little or no use appointing a Development Officer to a school unless the Governing Body and the Principal are committed to the idea and are prepared to implement a suitable structure of support, including: The Governing Body needs to form a Development Sub-Committee whose task is to provide external support for the Development Officer s work and to keep development tasks in front of the Governing Body. This committee should extend beyond the Governing Body to include at least some major donors. Some schools do this by setting up a foundation whose Directors are entirely major donors and the support comes from them. Some of these have enjoyed a degree of short term success, but in the longer term a blend of major donors and Governing Body people may be more successful as a support group. A proper structure needs to be set up in order to receive any funds raised. Usually this will be a company structure. This has the advantage of separation from the school so that income to the fund will not be income to the school. The company will have responsibility for receiving, investing and disbursing funds and in some instances raising them. Some schools have only major donors as Directors of the company, but many longer term advantages can accrue from having the Governing Body and some of its members as Directors.
The company must exist for the benefit of the school so that its own earnings will be transparent as far as the tax situation is concerned. The school s building fund will probably become part of the company structure. The school needs to decide on the budget for the Development Officer and secretarial support, computer and research back-up, publications and functions. Before any steps towards an appointment are made, it is essential that the Principal and the Governing Body work out clearly the job specification for the Development Officer. Medium and long range fundraising targets should also be set for the school, as the achievement of these will be part of the Development Officer s task. The position is a key one in securing the school s future and so every care must be taken to appoint the right person.
INTERNAL STRUCTURE, SIZE AND STAFFING OF THE DEVELOPMENT OFFICE
Most Development Officers work by themselves with secretarial assistance. They do the best they can with the limited resources their schools feel able to offer. Schools, always pressed for funds, often feel unable to justify more staff, yet without more staff they won t receive the money they need.
One can only negotiate from a strong position. Let us say that you have a major gift program and an annual giving program in place. You have good lists, good communication with your community through newsletters, close contact with alumni, successful reunions etc. Everything is running smoothly and effectively but you cannot do any more.
The school needs a bequest program and the Governing Body thinks a capital campaign would be a good idea. A capital campaign is energy and time consuming (see Part Six ), even though it runs for a limited period of time and can be a lot of fun. If you are a one man band it does have the potential to disrupt the effective running of many other areas. Give the Governing Body their choice; one capital campaign or current programs. If they want both, then you may need to insist on additional assistance - either consultancy, professional, secretarial or all three.
A bequest program is always vital (see Part Seven ). Bequests offer enormous potential which will not be realised without the investment of time and money. Time delayed in starting is truly money lost. A lot of visiting, talking and care is involved. A suitable person, employed even one day a week, will be a valuable asset. With the best will in the world, a volunteer visiting on a regular basis rarely happens. Be prepared to argue for this one gently and often. If you win even half a day a week and can show evid