Bulletins

      During the past week, several people have asked what I do.  When I told them, "Marketing and Development for Catholic Schools," they replied, "Oh, you're in charge of the fundraising," which, in turn, caused a heavy sigh on my part.  One of them even went on to say, "Why do our schools do so much fundraising?  There has to be another way to raise funds."

     Sure - there are LOTS of ways to raise funds!

     The two most obvious is for a Catholic school to raise tuition, or ask a supporting parish for additional funding.  However, parents/guardians are usually making a large sacrifice to send their children to the school in the first place, and many pastors have a difficult time trying to balance just their parish's budget.  Asking parents/guardians for more tuition can result in their ultimate "no" - withdrawal of their child; asking a pastor for additional funds can result in his ultimate "no" - closure of the school.

     For those that do realize the difference between fundraising and development, what about those other sources of income that development efforts are supposed to be able to tap into?  Non-profit organizations can approach corporations, prominent philanthropists and foundations as sources of new revenues, which is where development efforts need to focus, right.

     Well...not exactly.  Remember that development is all about cultivating relationships and engaging people in the mission of your school.  Once a relationship is established, and engagement has taken place, then the "ask" can generate a substantial and sustainable source of revenues.  That said, here's where the funds come from.

     Recent statistics from The Case Foundation show 2006 revenues to non-profit institutions were given primarily by individuals.  75 percent of all gifts are from individuals, which is why an annual appeal to alumni and other individuals engaged in your school's mission is a critical component to your school's development effort.  Foundations provide 11.8 percent of gifts to non-profits - but be sure to have a worthwhile project in mind which a foundation or group of foundations can support.  Foundations want to fund projects to improve a child's educational experience, or provide lead gifts in order to encourage individuals to give to capital initiatives.  The majority of foundations will not fund operational costs.

     Bequests comprise 8.2 percent of non-profit income, and although they're usually in the form of major gifts from individuals, you need to be sure you have the expertise or access to a professional who can structure the gift to provide a maximum benefit to the donor while providing both short and long term income opportunities to your school.  These funds are usually used as lead gifts for capital initiatives, or as an addition to the principal amount of an endowment fund.  Rarely are these funds used to cover operational expenses.

    However, since corporations only provide 5 percent of all revenues to non-profit institutions, then why expend that energy, time and persistence, right?  After all, corporations are large organizations, and to get to the decision-maker can be very difficult.  Even though these funds can be used for operational costs, a lot of work can generate an insignificant amount of revenue because there are so many organizations asking for help from these corporations, so why bother - right?

     Wrong.

     The danger is that we have a tendency to group corporations and businesses together in the same category.  Corporations are indeed large entities, run by boards.  You might be able to garner a gift from a corporation if you know someone on the board, and they are able to convince the rest of the board members of your schools' excellence and service.  Businesses, on the other hand, are usually run by a small number of individuals, perhaps a "mom and pop" company, or even a sole proprietor.  Since small businesses are the most rapidly growing segment of the modern economy, it is imperative to engage the small business owners within your school community.

     Sometimes, however, it does take time to establish this relationship.  If only there was a way to identify businesses that were already affiliated with the school or parish.  Well, there is!  Next week, when you participate in the Mass on Sunday, be sure to pick up a parish bulletin and turn it over for advertisements from businesses that want to engage parishioners in their mission.  You can contact them to further engage them by describing the opportunities that exist within your school.  If several parishes support your school, then visit a new parish every week for your next current "lead sheet."

© Michael V. Ziemski, SchoolAdvancement, 2007

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