Successful School Foundation Development

Often foundation personnel race into fundraising events to bring in the much-needed resources.  In this rush to raise funds, important developmental and organizational steps are often undone or are poorly done. To build strong foundations in your school, take the time to move sequentially through these five steps.

Leadership: Includes the board of directors and the foundation's executive director. After organizing the foundation, the board must find an executive director. Whether an employee or a volunteer, the executive director develops the foundation strategy that closely follows the philosophy, mission and policies assigned to him or her by the board.

Staffing: Made up of employed support staff or volunteers (paid or not paid). These individuals embrace the vision and strategy of the leadership and develop and implement an appropriate fundraising program. The board should provide the staff with all the tools and resources possible, because they are truly the foot soldiers of every successful school foundation effort.

Community Presence: The community must be prepared for fundraising programs. Done well, these efforts help the community visualize the school foundation's mission, goals and objectives. This involves an organized, two-fold communication or marketing strategy. One part shares the good progress and events at schools and the other part clearly articulates the specific educational needs of the schools and the children they serve. It is vitally important for the community to understand the educational improvements and outcomes that will take place if the foundation is properly funded.

Raising Funds: Involves presenting an articulate plan for improving children's education and demonstrating to potential donors how their support will help this effort. Methods include building personal relationships with potential supporters and creating ways to gather support from the foundation's constituency. Planned and coordinated well, the fundraising strategy will move donors quickly and efficiently through the giving process.

Recognition and Rewards: Volunteers and donors must be thanked personally! This final but vital step helps to complete the loop, bringing the current fundraising cycle to a close as well as helping to re-open donor's doors for the next fundraising cycle.

When a fundraiser fails, it is often because one of these five steps was left unfinished. Watch for more about each of these steps in upcoming articles here at www.foundationsk12.org.