Newsroom
Turning to Alumni for your Fundraising
By Judy Taylor
Executive Director, Decatur Public Schools Foundation
Does your foundation need an extra boost in its fundraising efforts? Are board members at a loss for exciting ideas that bring in necessary dollars?
By holding an annual event that draws graduates back to your community, you can raise the extra funds you desire. In fact, you can market that event as a “signature event” that your alumni and community look forward to each year.
The Decatur, Illinois Public Schools Foundation has been doing just that for eight years. By coordinating an annual alumni event, the foundation accomplishes numerous benefits: creating additional awareness about the foundation, involving community businesses through sponsorships, engaging district graduates and reaching potential donors.
According to Judy Taylor, executive director of the Foundation, three areas of critical to the success of their event, which raises between $60,000 and $80,000 each year:
- Recruiting the right committee members outside the current board of directors. “You need a big committee that creates a buzz within the community” says Taylor. “And the right chairperson makes or breaks the event.”
- Getting local media excited about the event. Securing media sponsorships early is crucial, says Taylor. “They want to support education, and this is a great way to do it,” she said.
- Highlight what your foundation does for students. “The event has to be connected to the importance of supporting the foundation,” says Taylor.
Ultimately, the event serves to connect with current and future donors by sharing success stories of its graduates and educating the community on needs of the district. “It has to be a feel-good event that features the positives of supporting students.”
