Fund Development
Leverage biblical principles and an advanced research-based approach to grow donations and improve your school.
Increase Donations
Improve Programs
Equip Your Team
Fundraising for Christian schools has changed.
And it will continue to change!
The right path through the financial maze can be found, but it takes an attitude change and a willingness to try methods that your school has not previously attempted.
Holding a major fundraising project does produce needed income. However, raising substantial operating funds requires additional streams of income.
An effective fund development program is rarely accidental. Success occurs when planning is paired with a focused, skillful, long-term effort.
We help school raise funds to:
- Implement New Programs
- Purchase Equipment
- Upgrade Facilities
- Increase Tuition Assistance
- Help with Operating Costs
- And more…
The GraceWorks Difference
GraceWorks’ Annual Fund Development program uses the most successful development strategies in the industry and accomplishes one thing that other programs cannot: our process fundamentally improves your school.
Not only do you obtain much-needed funds, you have more satisfied parents and a sustainable annual fund development process.
- Increase support by asking beyond "the same old few.”
- Improve coordination between the development program and a congregation’s stewardship program.
- Establish a mission-oriented approach to generating school support.
- Bolster an endowment program sponatneously through additional publicity generated by the Annual Fund
- Strengthen relationships with sponsoring church(es) by developing other sources of income instead of relying so heavily on the church members.
- Train your people to think of development and not just “fundraising.”
- Get alumni, grandparents, and other “friends” of the school involved.
- Lay a foundation for a future capital campaign.
- Strengthen or initiate future financial security through estate planning.
- Invite local businesses to become partners in school support.
- Access coaching for 1 year to make sure your campaign stays on target.
Why Start an Annual Fund?
Does this sound familiar:
- “Is it in the budget?”
- “Do we raise tuition again?”
- “Staff salaries can only be increased if tuition goes up.”
- “Let’s see, this is October and already we have had two candy drives, a beef jerky sale, a bazaar, a carnival, a garage sale, and the truck of fresh grapefruit we ordered from Florida will be here tomorrow.”
Are these or similar financial concerns expressed at your board meetings? What are your future plans and provisions for increasing staff salaries and benefits, expanding the curriculum, upgrading and adding to the facilities, or adding new programs and staff? What’s ahead for your school in 3, 5, or 10 years? Will the school’s current base of support continue? Are you in the process of planning new income streams to strengthen your school and remove some of the burden from supporting individuals or churches?
More and more Christian schools are initiating an Annual Fund or Annual Development Program. The purpose of this program is to raise annual funds for current year needs. Many schools raise 5% to 15% of their operating budget. This is a major amount of income that can happen on a yearly basis once the program is properly installed.
Why start an Annual Fund now? Why not? Every Christian school has potential donors who would be most happy to give, if only they knew your situation. The Annual Fund provides these donors the opportunity to support Christian education.
"Your job is not only to ask people for money, but to ask the right prospect for the right gift by the right solicitor at the right time and in the right way."
-Dan Krause
A Closer Look at GraceWorks' Annual Fund Development Process
All schools have potential supporters who have only to hear of your mission and they will support it. It’s very simple – find those who believe in you and you ask them for financial support.
So, what is the best way to ask? We answer the question with an onsite workshop, “The AMAZing Annual Fund.” GraceWorks comes to you!
The AMAZing Annual Fund Seminar is a 2-day seminar, at your school or other facility in your community, that focuses on the essential details to start (or expand) annual fund income from $40,000 to $200,000 or more, depending on the size of the school.
The seminar trains a core leadership team to implement the program. A case statement, telling the story of the school and how the school is worthy of support is finalized. Plans are developed to communicate with potential donors through special mailings and newsletters. Specifically, The AMAZing Annual Fund Seminar includes:
- ANNUAL FUND — What Is An Annual Fund? How Is the Annual Fund Used? Who Supports the Annual Fund? How Do You Generate Annual Fund Gifts? How Do You Ask? Strategy Decisions, Setting the Goal, Table of Gifts, Gift Clubs, Matching Gifts, Memorials, Annual Fund Checklist
- LEADERSHIP — Annual Fund Chairperson, Spiritual Leader, Secretarial, Cultivation, Major Gifts, Phonathon, Recognition, Volunteers, Calendar of Events, Development Team Checklist
- CASE STATEMENT — Reasons for a Case Statement, The 5 Parts of the Case Statement, The 4 “Don'ts” of the Case Statement, Case Statement Checklist
- DIRECT MAIL APPEAL — What Is Direct Mail?, Segments of the Mail Appeal: Mailer, Cover Letter, Brochure, Reply Card and Return Envelope, Direct Mail Checklist
- DONORS — Whom Do You Ask? Donor Target Circle, Prospective Donor's Checklist
- PHONATHON — Whom Do You Call? Who Does the Calling? Location, Date and Time, Material Needed, The Night of the Phonathon, Phonathon Checklist
- MAJOR GIFT PROSPECTS— Prospects, Finding Them! Cultivation of Prospects, Process of Obtaining Gifts, Donor Life Cycle, Major Gift Checklist
- ASKING — One-on-One Asking, Dealing with Fear, How to Ask, Asking for the Lead Gift, Tips on Asking, Asking Checklist
- RECOGNITION — Showing Appreciation through: Correspondence, Gifts, Special Events and Annual Reports, Tips on Expressing Recognition, Recognition Checklist
- RECORD KEEPING — Prospect/Donor Reference Card, Donor's Permanent Record Card, Phonathon Call Record Form, Computers, Record Keeping Checklist
Your school will have everything you need for a successful Annual Fund program.