A Guide to Successful Fundraising in Schools by Dr Philip SA Cummins

Author:Dr Philip SA Cummins
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: CIRCLE
Published: 2014-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

4. WEBSITE AND ONLINE DONATIONS

The school website is a very valuable medium when it comes to school fundraising. It should contain vital and up-to-date information about the specific needs of the school towards which the fundraising is targeted, and is also a forum for acknowledging current and past donors.

A website should outline particular and general fundraising drives such as capital campaigns, scholarships and ongoing endowment funds. It is important to maintain updated information and contact details so that potential donors can make contact with the school and speak to someone directly. The tax implications of donations should also be outlined clearly.

The school website should contain information about past fundraising drives, amounts raised and primary fundraisers and donors. Indeed, the website is an important forum for acknowledging donations and endowments and for publishing testimonials. Some school websites profile donors and bequestors in detail, telling their stories and linking them to the history of the school. This can be particularly valuable where the donor is an alumnus of the school, serving to promote both the values of giving and the traditions of the school simultaneously.

The website should also provide clear and easy instructions as to the donation process, including the best ways to set up a bequest. Indeed, many school websites enable online giving. It is important, no matter how a gift is made or its size, that the school acknowledge it promptly, appropriately and personally.

In the case of large fundraising drives such as capital campaigns, the website provides a space in which to keep current and potential donors and the wider school community informed of the progress of the project and the way in which their donations are being used. It may be appropriate to include a blog specifically addressed to the project for which funds were raised, written by the project manager or Director of Community Relations or even the Principal. Videos of the site and the plans can also be included on the website to create a sense of inclusion, transparency and excitement within the wider school community.

Bequest clubs can also be celebrated on the school website, with profiles of individual members. The archival opportunities should not be forgotten; to provide biographies of bequestors tied to their experiences at school personalises the school’s history and enhances the sense of community.

Key Considerations

Consider using your school’s website as a place for thanking past donors.

Consider ways of making online donations as seamless as possible.

Consider using different online media as a means of communicating current fundraising programs and building projects.

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