Cover story
The refurbished Sixth Form Centre features a wall of inscribed plaques
concurrently, so make sure you signpost every success along the way. We established the Aylesburian
Annual Fund to support small, achievable short-term projects. This annual giving programme is the backbone of our fundraising work. We target new parents as a fi rst step on the donor journey but we ask all parents to participate every year. We mark completed projects, such as the refurbishment of our maths and art classrooms, by inviting our community to come together and celebrate. We also work with our PTA on joint fundraising projects, such as refurbishing the fi tness suite, music rooms and drama studio. Additionally, we had two
ambitious larger capital campaigns. These are project managed in phases. For instance, the end goal of a sports campaign currently in discussion could take years to accomplish, but breaking it down into achievable stages makes the story and the engagement more emotive. It also enables us to celebrate each phase, which is so important.
Prioritise and focus Fundraising is hard work so getting the basics right is essential: you need a vision, strategy, good data management and communications. It’s easy to get drawn into the detail, so don’t be afraid of saying no.
Play to your skill set This role can feel quite lonely and overwhelming, so be your own advocate. Know what you are good at and celebrate your successes. Be inspired by ideas that have worked at other schools, and reach out to others in the fundraising community. Follow fundraisers who share content on LinkedIn to motivate and inspire you, and use the IDPE network for state schools.
My skillset enabled the role to
evolve so that I now look after marketing, brand strategy and reputation: ensuring that who we are as a school is conveyed through clear press, PR and social media communications. This allows me to talk to everyone around the school and think big. I also provide support with admissions. Out of all our positive messaging comes the fundraising.
Be open to change You never know when something might happen that is not part of your plan, so be ready to go off-piste. As an individual or small team, you have the fl exibility to react quickly, think broadly and build momentum. We were in the fi nal throes of a science campaign when we noticed that Sport England was bigging up funding for squash, which was one of our strengths. The opportunity to potentially refurbish our courts was too good to miss, so we put the science campaign on hold for a year while we secured funding for squash.
‘As an individual or small team, you have the flexibility to
react quickly, think broadly and build momentum’
12 AUTUMN 2022 FundEd
Good data management A good system can make your job a lot easier but a database is only as good as the intelligence you put into it, and you do need enough time and expertise to populate the system. After a feasibility study, we invested in ToucanTech and it’s really effective for us. We can keep all our data in one place and carry out targeted communications, such as termly newsletters and information about the events programme.
Authenticity costs nothing We always pick up the phone and talk to people because we want them
to know us. For instance, we email out information about our annual fund and if people respond positively,
we get in touch. We want to say thank you and build a relationship with them.
To summarise: ■ It’s all about relationships ■ Allocate time to this role
■ Be clear about what you want to achieve
■ Your Case for Support is the basis for all fundraising activity
and should connect to the vision and values of your school ■ Be adaptable and realistic ■ Trust your instinct.
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