Fund Development

Leverage biblical principles and an advanced research-based approach to grow donations and improve your school.

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Increase Donations

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Improve Programs

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Equip Your Team

Fundraising for Christian schools has changed.

And it will continue to change!

The right path through the financial maze can be found, but it takes an attitude change and a willingness to try methods that your school has not previously attempted.

Holding a major fundraising project does produce needed income. However, raising substantial operating funds requires additional streams of income.

An effective fund development program is rarely accidental. Success occurs when planning is paired with a focused, skillful, long-term effort.

We help school raise funds to:

Our Annual Fund drive finished with over $75,000 last year and our goal this year is $ 100,000. We owe much of that to you.
Bob French, Chairman Board of Education
St. Paul Christian, Aurora, IL

The GraceWorks Difference

GraceWorks’ Annual Fund Development program uses the most successful development strategies in the industry and accomplishes one thing that other programs cannot: our process fundamentally improves your school.

Not only do you obtain much-needed funds, you have more satisfied parents and a sustainable annual fund development process.

Why Start an Annual Fund?

Does this sound familiar:

  • “Is it in the budget?”
  • “Do we raise tuition again?”
  • “Staff salaries can only be increased if tuition goes up.”
  • “Let’s see, this is October and already we have had two candy drives, a beef jerky sale, a bazaar, a carnival, a garage sale, and the truck of fresh grapefruit we ordered from Florida will be here tomorrow.”

Are these or similar financial concerns expressed at your board meetings? What are your future plans and provisions for increasing staff salaries and benefits, expanding the curriculum, upgrading and adding to the facilities, or adding new programs and staff? What’s ahead for your school in 3, 5, or 10 years? Will the school’s current base of support continue? Are you in the process of planning new income streams to strengthen your school and remove some of the burden from supporting individuals or churches?

More and more Christian schools are initiating an Annual Fund or Annual Development Program. The purpose of this program is to raise annual funds for current year needs. Many schools raise 5% to 15% of their operating budget. This is a major amount of income that can happen on a yearly basis once the program is properly installed.

Why start an Annual Fund now? Why not? Every Christian school has potential donors who would be most happy to give, if only they knew your situation. The Annual Fund provides these donors the opportunity to support Christian education.

"Your job is not only to ask people for money, but to ask the right prospect for the right gift by the right solicitor at the right time and in the right way."

-Dan Krause

A Closer Look at GraceWorks' Annual Fund Development Process

All schools have potential supporters who have only to hear of your mission and they will support it. It’s very simple – find those who believe in you and you ask them for financial support.

So, what is the best way to ask? We answer the question with an onsite workshop, “The AMAZing Annual Fund.” GraceWorks comes to you!

The AMAZing Annual Fund Seminar is a 2-day seminar, at your school or other facility in your community, that focuses on the essential details to start (or expand) annual fund income from $40,000 to $200,000 or more, depending on the size of the school.

The seminar trains a core leadership team to implement the program. A case statement, telling the story of the school and how the school is worthy of support is finalized. Plans are developed to communicate with potential donors through special mailings and newsletters. Specifically, The AMAZing Annual Fund Seminar includes:

Your school will have everything you need for a successful Annual Fund program.

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