Annual Fund Basics

What is the annual fund?

• Basis for growth
• The first gift given
• The Gap b/n tuition and the cost of running
• The "A" in T.E.A.M. (Tuition Endowment Annual Fund and Misc.)
  
• Public face of fund raising
• Source of potential major donors
• The 90% of people
• The most democratic fund of fund raising
  

Goals of the Annual Fund

• Participation -
• Major gift cultivation
• Revenue
• Trained volunteer pool

CFO's are being more conservative than before and many Annual fund goals are flat for this year.

Have a plan and know that a calendar is not a strategy.

Where do you start?

• analyze the last 3 year's funds - benchmark with competitor schools
  
• set a goal
• decide on strategy.case.focus for the upcoming year
• take the economy into account?

Board should give 25% of the annual fund. Get the major gifts in in the fall. The Board Chair should give the first gift.

LYBUNT's (Last year but unfortunately not this) and SYBUNT (Some year but unfortunately not this)

Send something out in the summer explaining what it means to be a parent of your institution.

*Over 50% of tuitions to independent schools are paid for by grandparents.

Reunion giving should be 30% of total annual fund.

Reunion classes should increase their giving by 60% and participation should increase by 40%.

Online gifts are larger mail in gifts.

Give now button on the home page.

How effective are phone-a-thons? Tough one with caller id's.

3 goals for next year:

Be the sponge.
Maintain/increase participation.
Maintain/increase visits.