Nov 2007 Editor's Letter
By: Jill Pinheiro

Over the years, I imagine your school has honed your fundraising process, finding out which types of fundraisers work for your school and discovering those that appeal to your particular mix of parents and community members. And, it's clear that parents, in particular, play a big role in your school's fundraising efforts.

According to a recent national survey commissioned by the Association of Fund-Raising Distributors and Suppliers (AFRDS), parents recognize that supplemental funding made possible through product fundraisers is necessary for a quality education today.

Key findings from the survey include:

* Eight out of 10 adult Americans supported at least one school fundraiser during the school year by purchasing foods, gift-wrap, magazine subscriptions, gift items and other products.

* Nine out of 10 parents of school-age children support these types of fundraising programs by purchasing at least one item.

* Most parents – 71% – actively sold items to help out.

"The data shows that communities are motivated to support school fundraisers but, for many people, there are limits as to the number of times each year they will purchase fundraising items," said Russell Lemieux, executive director of AFRDS.

He suggested schools consider reducing the total number of fundraising efforts each and focus only on those programs that are most efficient and yield the most funds.

"By putting a greater effort into a fewer number of fundraisers with very specific goals, schools will find that they can successfully raise the money they need and get greater participation in their fundraisers from school families and the community at large," Lemieux said.

In our annual focus on finance and fundraising, we detail how to make your capital campaigns successful and get the most out of the fundraisers that you hold.

I'm always interested in hearing from you. You can reach me at jill@cspmag.com .

God Bless,

Jill Pinheiro
Managing Editor