Materials

Foundation Policies:  sample documents

Job Postings and Position Descriptions

Board Organization & Management

• Strategic Planning (Jan 2023)

• Transitioning from all-volunteer to paid staff (8/2017)

• Motivating your board to raise more money (12/2017)

• Board Best Practices (8/2016)

• Starting or Re-starting an education foundation (12/2016)

• Summer Tasks (5/2016)

• Special Donations: designated funds and pass-through contributions: admin policies (10/2019)

• Recruiting and Maintaining Board Members (1/2020)

• District / Foundation Partnerships (3/2021)

• Re-Energizing Your Foundation / Reaffirming your foundation's mission (8/2021)

• Succession Planning/Task Division (5/2022)

• Insurance for boards/staff/events

Communications

• Effective social media for education foundations (10/17/2022)

• Communication Plans: Storytelling & How-To steps for creating a plan (5/2021)

• Communication Plans for Education Foundations (2/2017) 

• Communication Plans (10/2023): Rockford (internally-managed) and Chelsea (using a contracted partner)

• Invest in your brand (8/2019)

• Websites:  Tips for effective non-profit websites and ADA compliance (5/2018)

• Email Marketing (5/2017)

• Communications/Marketing: each foundation shares (10/2014)

• Electronic Newsletters (2/2019)

• Alumni Outreach with and without a district alumni association; merging alumni association into foundation (3/2020)

• Alumni Outreach: Alumni Nations and Central High School Foundation, Omaha, NE (3/2023)

• Sample Docs: Communications 

• Marketing Videos

• Networking

• Mailing Options (8/2023)

Donor Relations

• Donor Retention: Ways to Thank Donors (1/10/2022)

• Sample Thank You Notes

• Mastering the Art of Donor Stewardship (8/2018)

• Donor Recognition and Attracting New Donors (2/2016)

• Donor Database Management (8/2022)

• Donor Management Software: DonorPerfect (2/2019)

• Keeping donors engaged during the Covid-19 crisis

Fundraising

• Annual Fund Drives

• Events

  • Chelsea vs Dexter Rivalry Match (10/2019) 

  • Virtual/Remote Events

  • No Show Ball (8/2020)

  • Parent Camp 

• Planned Giving / Major Gifts (speaker Dorsey Gude 10/2015)

• Private Donor Outreach / Major Gifts (speaker Dave Ripple 1/2021)

• Online Auction Software: Greater Giving (2/2019)

• Endowment Campaigns (5/6/19)

• Educate! DETROIT:  lessons learned from a capital campaign (8/2019)

• Fundraising in response to the Covid-19 crisis (May 2020)

• Corporate Sponsors

• Kindergarten Welcome Kits

• Promotions Benefiting the Foundation

Grants & Scholarships

• Grantmaking:  Teacher/Classroom grants

• Scholarships

Legal / Finance / Government Issues

• State funding overview and update (8/2021) Mike Cuneo, Rockford Assistant Superintendent of Finance

• K-12 public education funding (10/2017)

• Visit from Brian Whiston, State Superintendent (5/2016)

• Tax law changes (12/2018)

• Cost of educating a K-12 MI student (12/2018)

• The CARES Act for Nonprofit Orgs (NSFA webinar on YouTube)

Resources for coping with Covid-19

NFSA Webinar Recordings:  CARE Act, Education Foundation's Role in Reopening your School District