Three Fundraising Advantages Private Schools Have Over Public Schools

While the vast majority of children in the United States attend public school and receive a solid education, there are thousands of private schools that offer an excellent alternative. I have worked as the primary director of a private school, and I have had my own children in the public system. Therefore, I have seen the good and the bad of every situation.

There are many positives for a public institution, but in this article, I will discuss the advantages that private schools enjoy when it comes specifically to the topic of fundraising.

self reliance

I once had lunch with the administrator of another private elementary school. This man was new to his job, but he had over 20 years of experience in the public school system. He knew all the ins and outs of standardized testing, of meeting state educational requirements, and even knew quite a bit about personnel management.

However, he invited me to lunch to reflect on the issue of fundraising. Throughout this man’s professional career, the vast majority of the funds needed to run his school came from the state. He was never forced into an auction or a golf outing. Sure, the PTO had a few bake sales and the kids sold cookie dough from time to time, but for all the important things, like payroll, building maintenance, and certain supplies, the state just doled out the money when needed.

Now, however, this man found himself in a situation where parents had to pay tuition, there was no money from the state, and they had to cover any budget shortfalls with fundraising increases. He was quite nervous about such a high order.

Having spent my entire adult life working for non-profit agencies, I was pretty used to this notion of paying for everything ourselves. So I see this as a clear advantage for private schools. At the end of the day, we have no one to bail us out financially. If a donor steps up and helps us, it’s only because we developed a relationship over time that they felt comfortable making such a donation.

We in private schools have had to build these support networks, have had to become adept at holding silent auctions, developing relationships with businesses around town that support us, and coming up with creative new spins on product sales.

In the end, I think private schools are therefore more prepared to handle financial challenges, because we know how to survive on a day-to-day basis.

alumni development

Since private schools are typically smaller than their public counterparts, we often don’t have a large number of people to talk to when trying to raise money. Therefore, private schools are often looking to broaden their audience, a common tactic is to turn to our alumni for financial support.

If students develop properly over time, they can become a very valuable resource. Alumni may attend auctions and golf outings, may establish scholarship funds, may initiate building campaigns and pay naming rights to certain rooms or halls, and may assist with recruiting new students. Basically, with the right motivation and encouragement, alumni can generate private school cash in a big way.

Now, a lot of work is required to properly develop alumni. It all starts when the person is actually a student. The school needs to create such a positive atmosphere that the impact remains with the student for the whole life of the school. This goes for academics, the quality of teachers, the quality of classmates, the school building itself, extracurricular programs, school athletics, rivalries with other schools, even the school mascot and “spirit-ware” (t-shirts, hats, etc)

As soon as the student leaves school, the school needs to establish a post-institutional relationship with him. Letters, newsletters, websites, meetings, and networking opportunities with the entire alumni organization will help the student transition into a fully engaged alumni/alumnae.

Once again, if a private school can successfully tap into this market, it will have a huge advantage over public schools in the field of fundraising.

integrated community

The third area where I noticed that private schools have a fundraising advantage over public schools was in the concept of community. In my experience, I saw that the families in the private school felt closer to each other than the families I have seen in the public schools. Perhaps this was because the classes were so small.

Because there were so few families, I was able to personally meet all of the families that had their children enrolled in our private school. He was aware of the various challenges each family had at any given time and how those challenges played out in his children’s lives on a daily basis. I was able to make very strong connections with a large number of families.

Not to detract from the authenticity of relationships, but it helped the school’s fundraising efforts when we all felt like we were “in this together.” If a parent knew that we at school were really helping his child during a difficult time, he might be more likely to volunteer or donate money. Again, I’m afraid this sounds calculated and insincere, but it wasn’t. There was a natural bond between the school and their families, because we shared something so important in common: their children.

That’s why I feel it’s so important that school leaders make an effort to be involved in the lives of their families. Anything you can do to help your students and their parents will be incredibly appreciated. They will benefit, and in the long run, the school will also benefit from the friendship.

conclusion

I have been involved in both a public school and a private school, although I must admit that my experience is much deeper in the private school. While both have strong fundraising advantages, both struggle with built-in disadvantages. The lesson I learned is to make the most of whatever situation you find yourself in and do everything possible to maximize your strengths!

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