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Fundraising Stories
A Board Member Speaks Out for K-12 Foundations
Oct 12, 2007
The McKinney Independent School District in McKinney, Texas holds a special place in the heart of Lynn Sperry, long-time school board member and executive committee member of the McKinney Education Foundation. Her three children graduated from the school system, and all five of her grandchildren will enroll one day as well. In fact, it was because she had children in school there that she served as a catalyst in developing the foundation as it is known today.
The McKinney Independent School District in McKinney, Texas holds a special place in the heart of Lynn Sperry, long-time school board member and executive committee member of the McKinney Education Foundation. Her three children graduated from the school system, and all five of her grandchildren will enroll one day as well. In fact, it was because she had children in school there that she served as a catalyst in developing the foundation as it is known today.
“In 1988, when our oldest child was a junior, I received a call asking me to contact several businesses to solicit funds [for] college scholarships for the graduating senior class that year,” Sperry remembered. “My efforts were met with defeat, as several of the companies on my list were unable to contribute because the donation was not in their budget.”
Despite that temporary setback, Sperry used her position as the chair of the education committee for the McKinney Chamber of Commerce to champion the need for an endowment fund for the scholarship program, her ultimate goal to put an end to what she called the poorly-organized, annual “door knocking” campaign.
“I really hated soliciting and felt that we needed an endowed fund to support the traditional scholarship program that had been going on in McKinney for many years. I felt that the process of gathering funds needed to be formalized. The contributors to the scholarship efforts needed an established 501-(c)(3) fund put in place so they could donate at anytime during the year.”
Sperry led the Chamber committee to develop bylaws and receive Articles of Incorporation for registration with the state of Texas, giving them the 501-(c)(3) status for companies and individuals to use for planned giving. They raised funds through that committee for several years before they spun off and officially became the McKinney Education Foundation.
During the early years of the foundation, Sperry and her colleagues found challenges in continuing to present scholarships while trying to grow the endowed accounts.
“We could not suddenly stop giving scholarships in order to build an endowment. Gradually, by educating our community and encouraging donors to see the benefit of building an endowment, and using only the interest to fund their scholarships, we began to build our foundation,” Sperry said.
But as the foundation grew, so did the need for office space and personnel, a need fulfilled by an understanding and generous administration which provided that space and the foundation’s first part-time employee. That, Sperry said, is when the foundation began to blossom.
“Prior to that, the foundation board was made up of very dedicated volunteers who worked hard. But, until we had an office and an official representative, we did not thrive. That support by the district helped us to grow, so today the foundation funds all its staff payroll and fringe benefits.”
The McKinney Education Foundation now has endowed funds in excess of $5 million, allowing the foundation to help a growing number of students each year. This year, it will award $300,000 in scholarships for the class of 2007.
Sperry strongly believes a good but distinctly separate relationship with the school district has led to the success of the foundation over the years. This separation, she explained, allowed for stability despite changes in superintendents and elected school board members.
Still, despite the McKinney Education Foundation’s history of success in growing endowments for its students, Sperry has even higher goals.
“My ultimate dream would be to grow our endowment large enough to be able to provide a scholarship to any McKinney graduate who has the desire to further his/her education.”
Sperry’s tenacity and motivation to help her five grandchildren and every single one of their future classmates obtain higher education is what has made her such an integral part of what the McKinney Education Foundation is today: a success.
For more information, contact:
Lynn Sperry
Executive Committee Member
McKinney Education Foundation
515-268-6630
www.mmeeff.com
