What if the annual fund wasn’t viewed as “operational support?”
What if the annual fund wasn’t viewed as the “black hole of giving?”
What if the annual fund wasn’t viewed as being “too general” to be marketable?
What if, instead, the annual fund was viewed as a critical and compelling part of your institution? And what if the annual fund served a function that most all people could support?
If you work in advancement at an educational institution, the annual fund does, in fact, serve that kind of exciting, important purpose. We simply need to think and talk more about it in that way.
Imagine if everyone associated with your institution, viewed the annual fund this way:
Our annual fund is the foundation of our school’s overall culture.
In every classroom, at every practice and performance, in every laboratory, and in every place and way that we gather, we aim to show that our school is special. We are special because of the ways in which we care for our students, our professors, our families, and our communities.
We believe that giving is evidence of that special care.
When we give – regardless of the amount – but when we all participate by giving something, we show that we care.
Our annual fund is the place where people who care about our school show that care. Our annual fund provides comprehensive support for our students, our professors, and all of our activities. But, more than that, our annual fund is the tangible evidence that our community cares for one another.
Our school is a special place. It’s special because each of us willingly help to form a “community of care” that is unmatched.
Giving to our annual fund is the opportunity to show how much you care for our school and for our community.
We spend a lot of time asking people for gifts.
Perhaps we should spend more time educating people why giving is so critically important.
