If you’re not already subscribed to ISM’s e-Lists, then you’ve missed some great conversation from fellow Development Directors. To get you started, we’ve collected several great insights from your peers around the country and the world as they crowdsource common knowledge to every Director’s problem.
- If your school has no donors at a specific giving level, then consider leaving out that circle in the school’s annual report.
- When evaluating whether to run an annual campaign and a capital campaign at the same time, a single message to promote the school through a comprehensive campaign might be more effective than splitting your philanthropic message.
- Donors who underwrite faculty tickets to school events have been able to consider them donations to the school, as they don’t receive goods or services in return.
- For those fundraising events with a “Fill a Need” segment of the offerings, schools have turned to live auctioneers supplemented with real-time digital systems to allow donors to see the impact of their donation on their smart devices. (One school even filled in a giant thermometer during the auction to have a physical representation of money gathered and goals achieved!)
- Some schools email the community with a printer’s proof of the list of school donors to ensure accuracy of names and amounts given to the school—and also garner some last-minute donations.
- Alumni can be petitioned through the occasional annual fund letter, a distributed school magazine or newsletter, moderated social media groups for meetups and reconnections—and through their parents!
- When preparing annual reports, many school Development Offices record the administrators who served during the time of the report, discretely noting if a new person has replaced that position since that year.
- The Board of Trustees at all schools should be at 100% participation in any annual fund or capital campaign effort, and together often give anywhere from 17% to 35% of the raised funds in a given year.
- Donors can “sponsor” an issue of the school newsletters, offering another fundraising opportunity for the school.
- Past students are often encouraged to attend school galas and fundraising events—though care must be taken that underage alumni don’t drink!
- Schools train their philanthropic parent ambassador-volunteers through (short) in-person presentations outlining the school’s fiscal and governing structure—reported to be well-received by new parents who may be unfamiliar with private-independent school setups—and take-home materials. One school gives out a school-specific booklet (“Guide to Giving and Getting Involved”) which includes a calendar of school events.
Additional ISM resources:
The Source for Development Directors Vol. 13 No. 7 Cleaning Up Your Donor Database
The Source for Development Directors Vol. 9 No. 7 Keep Your Alumni in the Family
The Source for Development Directors Vol. 12 No. 6 "Going Once! Going Twice!" —Awesome Auction Ideas
Additional ISM resources for Gold Consortium members:
I&P Vol. 39 No. 15 Driving Annual Fund Success Through Your Volunteer Cabinet
I&P Vol. 26 No. 3 The Hunt for the Lost Alumni: Four Strategies to Bring Them Home
I&P Vol. 40 No. 2 Planning the Comprehensive Campaign: Guiding Principles for Success
