Cover story
Our routemap Two school fundraisers share their recent jouneys
‘CONTRIBUTIONS SUPPORTED THOSE IN NEED’
‘As a large secondary school, we can no longer solely rely on money received from the government. Our fundraising journey was in its infancy when Covid-19 struck, and was focused on providing additional resources, opportunities and support for our students. We tended to avoid events-
based fundraising due to the lack of time and budget. Instead, in 2019 we established the SGS (Steyning Grammar School) Changing the Future annual fund, having consulted with parents and carers and received only positive feedback. We asked for contributions on a voluntary basis and raised more than £7,000 in the first year. Our school is at the heart
of the community it serves, and during lockdown our fundraising focus shifted to the welfare of our students, their families and the wider community – our ‘SGS Family’. From March onwards, we collaborated with our local community hub to deliver food and essentials parcels to those in need. In April we reached out
to parents and carers and asked for voluntary contributions to the annual fund so that we could provide a Covid-19 school response. We also approached our suppliers, as well as local businesses and charities. The response to the appeal
was phenomenal, whether financial, practical, or providing supplies for the parcels. For instance, we received donations of devices such as iPads from parents and carers, and these have been enormously helpful in facilitating home learning for some of our students. Our fundraising goals will
look different for the next academic year but the welfare of our students and families remains central. We feel confident that our lockdown fundraising efforts have put us in a strong position and we will continue to forge strong links with our wider community.’ Steph Coomber, development officer (15 hours a week), Steyning Grammar School, Steyning, West Sussex (2,250 pupils)
‘During lockdown our fundraising focus shifted to the welfare of our students, their families and the wider community’
‘REGULAR GIVING IS GROWING’
‘Schools have had to fundraise to cover the basics for some time, so having to cancel events because of Covid-19 was a huge blow. Our plans to completely refurbish the art rooms were put on hold, though the fact they were empty meant we could at least redecorate! A lot of Covid grants related to
outreach work, but our staffing was already stretched, making sure that all students received their lessons at home. There was IT funding available to support home-schooling, but it had to work within the capacity of the school network, which is not infinite. We were able to supply a few students with laptops but then faced further issues because some did not have access to WiFi. Moving forward, I think fundraisers
have to be creative and ready to adapt. We may be able to plan for summer events outside where it’s possible to limit numbers, but we’re likely to run more virtual activities, such as online quizzes, raffles and possibly auctions. Priory School has been developing
a regular-giving income stream for some time. It was controversial at first because people rightly saw education as something that the state should provide as a right. Having come from the voluntary sector, which has a 99% success rate with appeals, I found it far more challenging to attract funds for a school! However, over time, this income stream has made a significant difference to our fundraising and is something we intend to grow further. A letter from the headteacher goes
out three times a year and donations are made to our Friends of Priory charity, which allocates funds as needed.’ Amanda Burgess, community liaison and income generating manager (22.5 hours a week) Priory School, Lewes, East Sussex (1,136 pupils)
18 AUTUMN 2020 FundEd
IMAGES: SPICYTRUFFEL;MICROVONE;DENISKRIVOY; TEDDYANDMIA/
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