2012 Development Update

Thanks to the 50+ donors who contributed to our holiday appeal!!!  The SLLIS community raised over $11,000 in November and December.  I am happy to report that the matching gift challenge to the parent community was met twice over!  The majority of the funds given were unrestricted and will be used where most needed.  A portion of the funds donated was restricted and will be used to support after school programs, facility improvements, the library, and our greenspace.

If you missed the 12/31 deadline, please remember that you can give your 2012 tax deductible gift anytime in the current calendar year.  Don’t forget websites like goodsearch.com that make a donation to SLLIS with each earmarked purchase or tools like the eScrip (www.escrip.com) card that donate a portion of what you spent when used at Schnucks and a variety of restaurants!

Last week, a group of parents and staff came together to discuss the components of PA fundraising and next steps as the fundraising taskforce transitions to the SACs.  The outcome of this meeting shows continued excitement and energy around parent fundraising as well as a space in SLLIS’ larger fundraising strategy for parent involvement.  The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 1^st at 4pm in the Parents’ Lounge.

We are in the process of scheduling our first Institutional Advancement Committee meeting.  The IAC is a subcommittee of the board and will focus on such fundraising tasks as major and planned gifts, gala level events, capital campaigns and endowments.  If you are interested in learning more about the IAC, please email Rachel.dsouza-siebert@sllis.org for more information.

Have a great week!

A letter from Rachel about donation allocation

So… Where does the money go?

This question has come up in more than one conversation I’ve had over the last few weeks.  As The French School and The Spanish School continue to grow and as SLLIS plans for the future, charitable contributions will become increasingly important.  Donors retain the right to instruct how their gift is used.  Many donors make an unrestricted gift, and these gifts are typically used where they are needed most – for example, an unrestricted gift could be used to maintain our required fund balance, make capital improvements and support our Social Equity Campaign.   Some donors choose to be more specific about where their gift is used – in this case (and these are just examples), a donor could specify that their gift be used to endow a teaching position, purchase supplies, enhance a music program or support a particular grade/classroom/school.   As a donor, you always retain the right to know how your gift was used and what impact was made.

If you have not yet given, I encourage you to consider a tax-deductible gift to SLLIS.  An anonymous donor has offered to match parent donations between now and the end of the year, up to $1000.  If you have any questions or would like to learn more about SLLIS & charitable giving, please do not hesitate to contact me!

In January, I will share the results of our appeal and the next steps necessary to create a strong, multi-channel giving program for SLLIS.  In the coming months, I will be working with members of our board, staff, and parent volunteers to launch a variety of planned initiatives to ensure SLLIS’ long-term success.  I look forward to working with you and creating a stable foundation for SLLIS’ growth.

Wishing you the best,

Rachel D’Souza-Siebert

Director of Development

Ways to Give

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and here we are – in the thick of the holiday season, waiting for our first snow fall.

As you may know, the holiday season is also a popular time for charitable giving.  Below, you’ll find a variety of ways to support SLLIS in the months and years to come.

• Annual Appeal: Giving in response to the letter you received. Donors can provide a “restricted” or an “unrestricted” gift to SLLIS.  Unrestricted gifts will be used where there’s the most need.  Restricted gifts will be used as the donors instruct.

• Matching Gifts: Your place of employment, affinity organization, or credit card company may match your gift to SLLIS, up to a certain amount each year.  Some employers will even double or triple your gift during targeted campaigns  For help locating the necessary, documents, please email Rachel.dsouza-siebert@sllis.org.

• Gifts In Kind: Our students always benefit from contributions of classroom supplies, art materials, books and other material goods that enhance the school day experience.  These types of charitable gifts are tax deductible as well!  When donating an in-kind gift, please make sure to fill out the In-Kind Donation Form.

• Host a Friendraiser: Everyone loves a party!  Volunteer to host a friendraiser – it can be a themed gathering or just an evening happy hour with close friends.  SLLIS can give a small presentation at your event and follow up with your guests for a continued relationship and/or monetary contribution.

• Corporate Giving: Does your place of employment have a foundation?  Put SLLIS in contact with the foundation officer or community outreach staff and we’ll take it from there!

For questions, don’t hesitate to contact Rachel, our Director of Development, at 314-633-8318 ext. 871 or Rachel.dsouza-siebert@sllis.org.

Happy Holidays!  Stay warm this week!

 

 

Annual Giving Opportunity

Dear families,

As you know, our schools are tuition-free and funded by the state like other public schools.  Our state funding provides our resources for general operating needs.  This year, one of the important steps that we took to assure our long-term sustainability was to hire a Director of Development.  Rachel D’Souza-Siebert joined our staff this fall and is implementing a multi-layered strategy to garner additional financial contributions for SLLIS. During our budget process each year, we do not include any contributed income and are committed to operating our schools on public funds, with a 5-10% reserve balance each year. To date we have raised over $800,000 in local contributions to support our capital needs, social equity programs and strategic planning.

One component of our development strategy is the establishment of an Annual Fund. Each year SLLIS friends, families, staff, board, community advocates, and previous funders will be asked to contribute a monetary gift to our school community. This gift, and any gift made directly to SLLIS, is a tax0deductible charitable contribution. Your gift helps to make our growth possible. When we solicit external groups for major gifts, they will be reassured to learn that we have high levels of donor participation from our immediate community. A modest gift from your family will help us demonstrate that participation.

In the coming weeks, you will receive a letter mailed to your home requesting your support. Each fall, we will send home our most important appeal, with hopes that families will make their contributions before the end of the year. This is the first year we are making this request for your support and we look forward to sharing the success of this campaign in the coming months.

Best,

Rhonda