School Foundations: Unique Supporters of your District’s Goals Heidi Toale, Executive Director Spencer Community School Foundation Jim Collogan, Project Director National School Foundation Association

2 Abbreviations & Terms  BOD: Board of Directors of the foundation  BOE: Board of Education of the school  ED:Executive Director of the foundation, whether volunteer, part time, or full time  GWT: Generational Wealth Transfer  NPO: Not for profit organizations, foundations are NPO’s  PMO: Profit making organizations, most businesses exist as PMO’s  SF:School foundation  MD: Major donors

3  Improves communication with the community  Raises awareness of school and district’s needs  Creates volunteer opportunities  Finds and involves school alumni  Provides alternative funding sources for schools  Marshals community resources for the school  Offers an opportunity for the community to express its support for the community’s children…its future Value of a K-12 Foundation

4 Does the education foundation focus on raising student achievement? NSFA National Survey, Feb Presented at AASA in March, 2007

5  Mission: In agreement with your school leader’s (superintendent and/or BOE) plans for academic improvement The Foundation’s Mission

6  Supported Organization  The School  Supporting Organization  The Foundation Link = Strategic Plans School-Foundation linkage: the school’s strategic plans

7 School-Foundation Linkage  BOE member(s) sit ex officio on the BOD of the foundation  Superintendent or his or her representative sits ex officio on the BOD  ED of the BOD meets regularly with school administration (Super and or BOE)  Annual report is submitted to the BOE and Super

Individuals $ % Foundations $ % Bequests $ % Corporations $ % Source: Giving USA 2006 Report 2006 charitable giving Total = $ billion

Environment and animals $ % Foundations $ % Human services $ % International affairs $ % Arts, culture, and humanities $ % Public-society benefit $ % Unallocated giving $ % Health $ % Religion $ % Source: Giving USA 2006 Report Types of recipients of Contributions, 2006 Total = $ billion Education $ %

10 History of Educational Philanthropy  Public Colleges and Universities: (IA, ISU, UNI) grew tremendously in 70’s and 80’s.  Community Colleges: (DMACC) grew in 90s.  School Foundations: Growing in the 2000s  Started in CA and MI in the early 80’s  Grew rapidly in low tax support states: FL, TX  Now resurging everywhere in light of GWT, the growth of community and family foundations and increased educational grant opportunities

11 Fundraising Sources

12 Where are foundation resources being spent?

13 Foundation Performance: National Survey Implications  The greater the involvement of the BOD, the more resources raised.  BOD’s understand their role as donor/investors first.  BOD involvement consists of identifying, cultivating and soliciting for the SF.

14 How many people serve on your board of directors?

15  Selling small items is becoming less popular  Major donor “asks” are becoming more popular  Planned giving is growing in popularity as the US faces an aging society.  More than one third of SF’s (37%) are beginning to endow funds for future use.  Some SF’s (17%) have considered or are considering capital campaigns Fundraising Performance: Survey Implications

16  Print media: The foundation’s story told through its own newsletter and local newspapers #1  Palm Cards in schools and offices #2  Websites and news-blasts are #3  Annual reports #4  Donor letters #5  In school luncheons, visits etc.  Rotary, Kiwanis, senior center presentations  Billboards/RTV  Phon-a-thon: awakens friends and funds  Prize patrols, Principal for a day K-12 Foundations Can Improve Communication with the Community

17 Spencer, IA Enrollment ~ 2,000 pop. ~ 11,500  Established in 1987  15 board members plus superintendent and school board representative  Meet monthly, Aug. – May for 1 hour - not a minute longer  Annual Foundation board retreat for planning and setting goals  Became active in 2000 with hiring of part-time ED  Member of NSFA

18 Scholarships & Teach for Excellence Grants

19 Scholarships & Teach for Excellence Grants Speakers and authors Field trips Enhancements for the classroom

20 Partnerships Foundation - School – Business Partnership Metal Technology at High School Raised over $75, NATIONAL award

21 Dream Fulfilled Kruse Music Endowment Marvin and Lucille Kruse established endowment with Foundation Donor designated for music program and new middle school Foundation raised over $102,000 with match of Kruse funds Enhanced and enriched the MS band, vocal and classrooms – touches every student and the Spencer community

22 Grant Writing Heidi Toale gathered input from Spencer’s teachers about what they would do to enhance and enrich education in their school. “I incorporated their comments into a grant,” she shares. “We were awarded $400,000. With that, I get the opportunity to raise $200,000 to leverage the grant. We will have a total of $600,000 to benefit our students and community!” Spencer Community School Foundation

23 Gift to Education $100,000 Gift to Education for Smart Boards Announced to:  School Board  Pep Rally  Teacher In-Service  Local Paper, Radio  School Newsletter  Foundation Newsletter  Theme for annual giving program

24 Alumni  Establishing alumni association  Working with local alumni and class reunion organizers  Establishing relationships with teachers and current students  Building an alumni display  Maintaining all past yearbooks

25  Improves communication with the community  Raises awareness of school and district’s needs  Creates volunteer opportunities  Finds and involves the alumni  Provides alternative funding sources for schools  Marshals community resources for the school  Offers an opportunity for the community to express its support for the community’s children…its future School Foundations: Unique Supporters of your District’s Goals