BUILD A BASE
O
ngoing fundraising is becoming commonplace in schools as a way of addressing tightening
budgets and responding to the increased pressure to provide more than just education. But if you’re new to approaching income generation in a strategic way, the ‘blank canvas’ can appear daunting. There are many potential sources
of funding – from PTA events to setting up a school fund and developing income streams from trusts, alumni, legacies, sponsorship and the corporate sector. But whether you’re stepping up to take on fundraising as a volunteer or in a salaried role, you need to take stock behind the starting line fi rst. This is not going to be a straightforward run and there will be hurdles. When I began a part-time role
as fundraiser at an inner-city secondary school fi ve years ago, there was little regular income- generation activity in place. I was
‘This is not going to be
a straightforward run and there will be hurdles’
SUPPORTER
There are many hurdles to cross in creating a donation culture in schools, but the rewards will be worth it, says Sharon Noble
supported by a well-informed and enthusiastic team of governors but there was an urgent need to fi nd funds to support our students and refurbish the dilapidated school buildings. The expectation was that I would build a donation culture and database of supporters, but I knew I fi rst had to identify what had worked in the past. This included a small school fund and relatively small- scale fundraising via the PTA, but also some major grants (including one for a football pitch). Early on, we decided one ‘quick
win’ could be to run a campaign for parental donations to the school fund. We hoped this would encourage regular donations and build up ‘unrestricted’ funds to plug some of the gaps in our budget moving forward. (We’d carried
out a fi ve-year budget forecast that made an interesting and daunting read!) It would also, we thought, help develop a broader giving culture at the school, extending it from a small group of amazing PTA heroes to a wider school community notion of parents donating to support their child’s education. Plus, it could provide the beginnings of a donor and supporter database. If 50% of parents donated a fairly
small amount, the school fund could become a useful income-generation tool to help us build new facilities. A marketing plan was established, materials produced (in-house) and a letter sent home.
Hurdle one: demographic Our campaign was poorly received. This was partly due to the lack of focus of the fundraising drive, with no specifi c items detailed, but also our demographic. Many parents wrote back concerned that if they didn’t contribute, their child may miss out (despite our letter being carefully worded to the contrary).
30 AUTUMN 2020 FundEd
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