Over the past few years, I have helped many schools develop fundraising and marketing strategies. Some issues come up again and again. School staff are overwhelmed with existing workloads and struggle to find time to dedicate to income generation. Often, schools don’t know where to start, or what to focus their limited resources on. On many occasions, there appears to be a disconnect between the work of the PTA (or Friends Association) and that of the main school. This can then impede the collective ability of the school to focus on income generation. Some schools haven’t got to grips with understanding their fundraising priorities, resulting in a stop-start approach that loses its way at the first sign of trouble.
Other schools may have a wish list of new facilities or improvements, but haven’t clarified why these are needed, what impact they will have and, importantly, what evidence they can use to convince donors or funders that their project is worthy of support.
Every school is different – with its own distinct cohort of students, location and local community, buildings and history. So, it’s essential to take these variables into consideration to identify the most effective fundraising methods for your school. Yet every school has an ability to engage with external stakeholders – from parents and neighbours to suppliers and grant funders. This brings opportunity – an opportunity to frame messages in a way that encourages their support and gets them on board.
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