Transcript Overview

Your Foundation: A Powerful Partner for Schools
© Copyright 2008 National School Foundation Association
Thank you NJEFP for your work……
Benefits your school foundation work brings to your
community (see handout for more details)
 Builds communication
 Raises awareness of school needs
 Improves academic and educational opportunities
 Prepares future school board members
 Adults acting on behalf of children
 57% of school superintendents: high or very highly
felt the foundation encouraged academics!!
 Meets needs currently unmet in children’s lives
 Offers the community the opportunity to be a
part of supporting kids!!
© Copyright 2008 National School Foundation Association
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K-12 foundations place in school fundraising world
Over 20,000 ESO’s in the US today:
 ESO = Educational Support Organization: PTA,
PTO, booster clubs, education foundations
 Education foundations (EF’s) = 12% of all ESO’s
 EF’s = highest producers among all ESO’s
 EF production: 60% < $100,000, however the
balance produce up to and more than $1M/year.
 ESO’s combined raise over $4.5 Billion
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© Copyright 2008 National School Foundation Association
Urban Institute 2010
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2009 charitable giving
Total = $303.75 billion
Giving by individuals, 1969–2009
Individual giving as a share of
disposable income, 1969–2009
Giving by type of recipient as a percentage of total giving Five-year
spans; does not include “unallocated”
Data began in 1978 for foundations and in 1987 for environment/animals and international affairs.
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Now…..what would you like to accomplish…….
If money was not a problem?
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Seven Steps to Success in your Foundation
1. Clarify your mission: why you exist
2. Build a team to assist you: start with core group
3. Develop a vision: be definitive, written plans (30
days to 5 years)
4. Get equipped: program, Case, add to team
5. Raise awareness: website, media
6. Ask for support: see hierarchy of effectiveness
7. Recognition and rewards: keep the gifts coming,
prepare for next fundraising cycle
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1. Clarify your mission (25 words or less)
 Over the top
 Under the radar
 Down the middle
• Scholarships
• Equipment
• Graduate degrees
• Return alumni to work, teach, create
• Advocacy (Dental, eye glasses, coats, backpacks, psych
testing, mentoring)
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Start with a clear mission & then…..
1.Mission &
2. Vision
Internal
© Copyright 2008 National School Foundation Association
Ask for support
Develop team, Case
Fundraise
Raise awareness
RnR
External
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2. Build a team
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Average yearly amount raised over the past 3 years
vs. BOD helping to identify, cultivate, and solicit donors
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
87%
40%
70%
71%
72%
64%
30%
41%
20%
10%
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BOD (and all team member’s) Responsibilities
 Attend and participate in meetings
 Donate
 ID, Cultivate, and solicit on behalf of the foundation
 Understand your responsibility to donors
 Understand your responsibility to integrity
 Understand you are building a stand alone NPO business
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Legal parameters
Reporting responsibilities
Policy standards
Financial integrity (Insurance, employee care)
Committees of the Board (average 3.5/EF)
“ Committees offer members a unique chance to recruit others
from the community to deep dive into projects, tasks and or
oversight of specific programs. ”
 Supports Foundation’s mission
 Individually contribute to fundraising goals
 Proving ground for new BOD members
 K-12 foundations average four working committees
 Your “walk on” program….can be very successful!
© Copyright 2008 National School Foundation Association
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What does a ‘great board member’ bring?
C
 Capacity
 Connections
 Commitment
T
 Time
 Talent
 Treasure
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 Wealth
 Wisdom
 Willingness to work
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3. Establish a vision
 What do you want to accomplish for kids over the next 30
days to 5 years
 Develop written plans addressing who will do what, when,
spending how much
 ID outcomes for kids
 Develop simple JD’s
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4. Get equipped
Develop A Viable Case
 Written document showing programs needing donor support
 “Arms” foundation personnel with a tool to take to potential
donors
 What are you specifically trying to do to improve the
education of children in your community….
 Be specific
 List multiple opportunities
 Surround these with success stories and pictures
 Include BOD member’s names
 List donor categories
 Abbreviated annual report
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ID programs that resonate with your community
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Align with the School/District & Superintendent
“ Responsible for children’s education and responsible for
marshalling the resources needed by the school’s staff to
accomplish this task.”
 Provides visibility and influence
 Shares the district’s strategic plan and greatest needs
 Demonstrates support for the foundation within the district
staff
 Most do not fully understand the critical power and potential
of the foundation board
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5. Raise awareness
 Website
 E-mail
 Media: Radio, TV, billboards
 Newsletters
 Local newspapers
 Donor letters
 Events
 Palm cards
 Brochures
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6. Ask for support
 Direct Solicitation: Face to Face
 Phon-a-thons
 E-solicitations
 Direct Mail
 Events
 Grants
 Sponsorships/sales/endorsements/partnerships/contracts
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Key components
 Case: discussed previously
 Sources: Grants (corporate or foundations) , Major donors,
Alumni, Parents, Internal campaign, Corps, Businesses,
entrepreneurial, selling, PMO partnership
 Actions: card, e-mail, coffee, call, media clips, speaker’s
bureau, event (Martini event) etc.
 Ask: ED calls, BOD member calls, e-mail news blast, on-line,
direct mail (personal or bulk), Rotary, Alumni event, your
event, door to door, whatever
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Sample fundraising plans
 Case + source + actions + ask = $
 Robotics + high tech corporation + appointment + face to
face meeting = 3 years of support ($100,000)
 Mentoring + local donor + mailings, cards, calls, media,
appointment set by a board member + face to face meeting =
5 yr program of volunteers from his company assisting.
 I-pads + alumnus + newsblast, website with on-line giving
program.
 Alumni bricks + alumni + alumni event + group request
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Foundation Performance: Implications from this survey.
 Selling small items is becoming less popular
 Events are reduced in favor of a “Signature Event”
 Major donor “asks” are becoming more popular
 Planned giving is growing in popularity as the US
faces an aging society.
 More than one third have endowments.
 20% are considering capital campaigns
 Average K-12 foundation performance: $10 $20/student.
 Alumni are more and more a focus of K-12
foundations
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Alumni must be a part of the process
Smart Boards in all
classrooms, PhD’s for high
tech teachers: (6,000
students K-12/ EF raises
$200,000 +/year)
Each high school graduate
receives $3,000 annually for
all four years of college. $13
M endowment added to
annually at alumni event.
(1,000 students in K-12)
A Midwest school district
(1,200 students K-12) added
$7.2 million in capital
additions to their building
largely through the efforts of
an alumnus.
7. Recognition and Rewards
 Thank donors (more x’s the better) be creative, be genuine,
think how you would like to be thanked.
 Recognize contributors: bricks, wall, plaques, annual
report, newsletter, picture etc.
 Steward donors: talk with them about how their gift made a
difference, meet with them to show them pictures, offer them
a tour of the facility etc.
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Key Foundational Structural Benchmarks
 Data base/Alumni….
 JD’s with budgets
 Strategic plan accountability (who, what, when, where)
 Annual report
 Gift acceptance guidelines
 Liability insurance
 Board orientation
 Policies and procedures manual
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Conflict of Interest
Fund management
Fund handling/Audit policy
Whistle blower
Document Destruction
© Copyright 2008 National School Foundation Association
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Thank you for your POWERFUL work !
© Copyright 2008 National School Foundation Association