Fundraising & Friendraising
Our school has a very clear philosophy on raising funds and on raising friends. With only a few fundraisers and friendraisers per year we are able to raise all the money we need and maintain enthusiasm for each event through the year.
First, the terminology: Fundraising has to do with those events which are geared to simply raising money by the sale of items.They require no commitment to the values of the school on the part of those making the purchase. Every September our school sells Entertainment coupon books.Twice a year our Meat & Cheese sales raise $3,000 - $5,000 dollars. These are fundraisers because they are a simple exchange of cash for goods. They are useful for raising funds for projects.
Friendraising, on the other hand, focuses on events which involve gifts or sponsorships from people who either have a commitment or might develop a commitment to the school through their involvement with the friendraiser. The annual Friendraising Banquet, as its name suggests, is a friendraiser. People come and give because they believe in the school or want to learn more about it.
Read-A-Thons, Serve-A-Thons, Concerts, or Dessert Theatres are a bit of both. In some cases there is a benefit received by the participant, but usually people get involved because of their personal interest in a child or the school. In every case, there is an opportunity to communicate the values and mission of the school (e.g. We believe in reading!) and in so doing we "raise friends" while we are raising money at the same time.
The Board evaluates each new proposal in part by asking, “Is it a fundraiser or a friendraiser?” Friendraisers are ultimately much more valuable to the school than fundraisers because of the commitment they represent.The school needs people who believe in and are committed to supporting its mission. Friends can refer potential students or potential teachers. Friends can volunteer, and yes, they will support the school financially when called upon. Most importantly, friends will pray.
Second, the Board is committed to not running more than five fundraising/friendraising events per year.Over ten months this amounts to one every two months which most parents, judging from our annual school survey, seem to feel is reasonable. The reason for this policy is to not overburden people with constant demands. While it is certainly true that more money might be raised initially by running another event or two; however, over time there is a loss of good will on the part of those doing the work, so in the end, there is no benefit. Remember friends are more important than funds!
Third, whenever a new event is considered, it must hold the promise of either supplanting an existing event or supplementing one. In order to supplant a current event, a new fundraiser/friendraiser must either be more simple, more efficient, more effective, or more in line with the mission of the school than an existing one. So far, no one has suggested an fundraiser that improves on the ones we have. On the other hand, our Read-A-Thon, has been changed to a Serve-A-Thon for our high school students because it was a more appropriate activity for this age group. So, for the past several years, our high school students have been involved in a citywide cleanup. These Serve-A-Thons have been excellent fundraisers and friendraisers, but have also encouraged our students to serve others.
In order to supplement an existing event, a new one must be able to be run at the same time with very little additional effort. Thus, the Entertainment Books were added to our Fall Meat & Cheese sale a number of years ago. This change was received positively by parents because it was viewed as providing an attractive alternative for many with really no additional effort on their part.
Whether we are raising friends or raising funds or a bit of both, each event must be considered in the context of the school’s mission and philosophy and in light of all the other events of the year. By holding to these principles we can continue to develop support for our school without unduly burdening our parents and supporters.
First, the terminology: Fundraising has to do with those events which are geared to simply raising money by the sale of items.They require no commitment to the values of the school on the part of those making the purchase. Every September our school sells Entertainment coupon books.Twice a year our Meat & Cheese sales raise $3,000 - $5,000 dollars. These are fundraisers because they are a simple exchange of cash for goods. They are useful for raising funds for projects.
Friendraising, on the other hand, focuses on events which involve gifts or sponsorships from people who either have a commitment or might develop a commitment to the school through their involvement with the friendraiser. The annual Friendraising Banquet, as its name suggests, is a friendraiser. People come and give because they believe in the school or want to learn more about it.
Read-A-Thons, Serve-A-Thons, Concerts, or Dessert Theatres are a bit of both. In some cases there is a benefit received by the participant, but usually people get involved because of their personal interest in a child or the school. In every case, there is an opportunity to communicate the values and mission of the school (e.g. We believe in reading!) and in so doing we "raise friends" while we are raising money at the same time.
The Board evaluates each new proposal in part by asking, “Is it a fundraiser or a friendraiser?” Friendraisers are ultimately much more valuable to the school than fundraisers because of the commitment they represent.The school needs people who believe in and are committed to supporting its mission. Friends can refer potential students or potential teachers. Friends can volunteer, and yes, they will support the school financially when called upon. Most importantly, friends will pray.
Second, the Board is committed to not running more than five fundraising/friendraising events per year.Over ten months this amounts to one every two months which most parents, judging from our annual school survey, seem to feel is reasonable. The reason for this policy is to not overburden people with constant demands. While it is certainly true that more money might be raised initially by running another event or two; however, over time there is a loss of good will on the part of those doing the work, so in the end, there is no benefit. Remember friends are more important than funds!
Third, whenever a new event is considered, it must hold the promise of either supplanting an existing event or supplementing one. In order to supplant a current event, a new fundraiser/friendraiser must either be more simple, more efficient, more effective, or more in line with the mission of the school than an existing one. So far, no one has suggested an fundraiser that improves on the ones we have. On the other hand, our Read-A-Thon, has been changed to a Serve-A-Thon for our high school students because it was a more appropriate activity for this age group. So, for the past several years, our high school students have been involved in a citywide cleanup. These Serve-A-Thons have been excellent fundraisers and friendraisers, but have also encouraged our students to serve others.
In order to supplement an existing event, a new one must be able to be run at the same time with very little additional effort. Thus, the Entertainment Books were added to our Fall Meat & Cheese sale a number of years ago. This change was received positively by parents because it was viewed as providing an attractive alternative for many with really no additional effort on their part.
Whether we are raising friends or raising funds or a bit of both, each event must be considered in the context of the school’s mission and philosophy and in light of all the other events of the year. By holding to these principles we can continue to develop support for our school without unduly burdening our parents and supporters.