Past Principal Points

First, the terminology: Fundraising has to do with those events which are geared to simply raising money by the sale of items. They require no commitment to the values of the school on the part of those making the purchase. Friendraising, on the other hand, focuses on events which involve gifts or sponsorships from people who either have a commitment or might develop a commitment to the school through their involvement with the friendraiser. Thus, the Meat & Cheese & Entertainment Book Sales are fundraisers because they are a simple exchange of cash for goods. The Banquet is a Friendraiser. People come and give because they believe in the school or want to learn more about it. Read-A-Thons, Serve-A-Thons, Concerts, or Dessert Theatres are a bit of both. In some cases there is a benefit received by the participant, but often people get involved because of their personal interest in a child or the school. In every case, there is an opportunity to communicate the values and mission of the school (e.g. We believe in reading!) and in so doing "raise friends."

The Board then evaluates each new proposal in part by asking, Is it a fundraiser or a friendraiser? Friendraisers are ultimately much more valuable to the school than fundraisers. The school needs people who believe in and are committed to supporting its mission. Friends can refer potential students. Friends can volunteer. Most importantly, friends will pray. Friends will be there through thick in thin, and yes, they will support the school financially when called upon. Funds from friends are much more important than funds from sales because of the commitment they represent.

Second, the Board is committed to not running more than five Fundraising/Friendraising events per year. Over ten months this amounts to one every two months which most parents, judging from our annual school survey, seem to feel is reasonable. The reason for this policy is to not overburden people with constant demands. While it is certainly true that more money might be raised initially by running another event or two, over the long run there is a loss of good will on the part of those doing the work, so in the end, there is no benefit. (Remember friends are more important than funds!)

Third, whenever a new event is considered it must hold the promise of either supplanting an existing event or supplementing one. In order to supplant a current event, a new fundraiser/friendraiser must be either simpler, more efficient, more effective, or more in line with the mission of the school than an existing one. Very few fundraisers are able to a) raise three to five thousand dollars, b) in three weeks time, c) twice a year with d) as little effort as we do with our Meat & Cheese sales. The Serve-A-Thon, however, replaced the Read-A-Thon for High School students because it was seen to be a more appropriate activity for this age group and therefore a better fit with our mission statement.