The Annual Fund: Supporting Advancement of St. Luke’s Episcopal School
For a school to maintain and expand its qualities of excellence, it needs the love and financial support of each member of its community. Most critical is the generosity of parents, friends and family to the Annual Fund.
What does the Annual Fund do?
The Annual Fund provides approximately 5%-8% of the St. Luke’s Episcopal School operating budget, a very low percentage compared to our peers. It does much more than simply cover expenses, though: because Annual Fund gifts are unrestricted, it permits the Head of School and Trustees to invest in making advances at St. Luke’s that will benefit your children immediately and with great impact. Foundations and philanthropists look at the success of our Annual Fund to decide whether to commit their support, often in the form of institution-enhancing major gifts. Your contribution to Annual Fund is leveraged as a result, helping provide the leadership that encourages others to donate.
What has the Annual Fund been used for in the past?
Some examples of what has been acquired with donations to the Annual Fund over the past three years include:
- Singapore Math Curriculum
- Journey’s Program for Language Arts
- Smart Boards for all classrooms
- NEO Computers for 1st-3rd graders
- Life Science Garden
- Maker Bot Thing-O-Matic 3D Printer
- Harkness Table
- Elementary School Science Lab
- Upgrades to the Middle School Science Lab to allow for higher level Chemistry Labs
How does the Annual Fund lead to even greater gifts?
A great example of this leadership role is found in the creation of the Life Sciences Garden, a new educational feature of St. Luke’s Episcopal School that offers benefits to students at all grade levels, from Pre-K through 8th. To establish the Garden, a formerly unused and inaccessible balcony underwent renewal with a new entryway. This revitalized an area of more than 500 square feet, giving it new educational purpose, all supported by the Annual Fund! And that was only the beginning.
Encouraged by the new space, the Fall Auction Party adopted the Garden as a beneficiary, as did The Women of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, funding the planter boxes, soil, seed, birdfeeders and benches. With their support, it became a fully functioning student laboratory.
Based on this level of enthusiasm, the Shield-Ayres Foundation made a magnanimous grant to equip the Garden with a solar-powered rainwater reclamation system, to teach conservation and respect for resources. The Shield-Ayres Foundation also funded the WeatherHawk meteorological station that informs student research with climate data specific to St. Luke’s and accessible through the Internet. With this support, the Life Sciences Garden has become an educational feature unique to St. Luke’s Episcopal School, achieving a new distinction. But were it not for the initial support of Annual Fund gifts, it would have remained an unused, inaccessible space.
What size gift is appropriate?
Each donation to the School is an act of love and devotion; we are extremely grateful for all consideration. Every gift, no matter the size, contributes to the participation rate, another key statistic examined by Foundations. St. Luke’s has been blessed by over 92% percent parent participation in recent years, a wonderful and rare achievement. Any size gift, large or small makes a tremendous impact on the school.
How is the Annual Fund Campaign organized?
Parents undertake the leadership of the campaign, volunteering to serve as chair of the annual fund drive for their grade level. In the 2011-12 school year the annual fund grade captains are:
PK-3 Dina and David Milner
PK-4 Megan and Stephen Maturo
Kindergarten- Teri and Greg Barnett
1st Grade- Julie and Damon Van Zandt
2nd Grade- Courtney and Brad Duphorne
3rd Grade- Marianne and Robert Wray
4th Grade- Elizabeth and Hunter Hale
5th Grade- Anita and Christopher Allison
6th Grade- Valarie and Greg Wright
7th Grade- Aliza and Willie Cantu
8th Grade- Roxana and Hamlet Newsom
Letters seeking donations will be sent from the school to each household at the beginning of the year, with pledge cards enclosed. Contributors may also donate online, here, or visit the Advancement office for a pledge card and envelope.
Please Note: Annual Fund gifts are fully tax-deductible as allowed by current IRS regulations.
Matching Gifts: Many companies match the charitable gifts made by employees; if yours is one, please let us know and we will process the paperwork needed – and your giving level circle will reflect both your gift and that of your company.
