About 14 years ago, our school’s elementary campus—then known as the Neighborhood Charter School—held its very first auction and raffle. From what I’ve been told, it was a quaint affair, held at a local VFW hall with Stouffer’s lasagna and salad served and around $10,000 raised. In what’s now become an annual tradition, this year’s ANCS auction and raffle—the Wonder Ball—will take place this Saturday at the Georgia Freight Depot with hundreds of guests getting to dine on a wonderful full spread from Endive on tables with beautiful floral arrangements from Tulip all while being entertained by performers, live music, and a celebrity emcee at an event that will raise many, many dollars for our school.
While the size and scope of our auction has certainly changed from 2003 until today, the spirit and purpose of it remains the same: to raise money as a supplement to our governmental funding that is necessary to provide the unique educational experience we offer to students at ANCS. The auction is a big, fun party, but there’s a great deal of time and thought that goes into it on the part of many people—from our auction chairs (this year: Sara Massey and Angelique Dumas Edwards), fund development committee, support staff (Kari Lovell, Martha & Jim Kessenich, and Kim Kurtz), teachers (Carol Keller, Nathan Bubes, and all of the teacher parade participants), and many volunteers. Similarly, fundraising as a whole at ANCS has had lots of time and thought put into it, guided by some core principles.
Many years back our board adopted a fundraising policy that laid out how solicitation of money for our school should be carried out (you can find the full policy here). When engaging in fundraising at ANCS, activities should be inclusive—so that families of all backgrounds can participate—and there should be clear communication and education about how the money will be used. There are also limits on fundraising, with only specific efforts that are approved by our board’s fund development committee (which raises funds through an annual campaign and auction that directly support ANCS’s operating budget) and PTCA (whose funds benefit the school community through mini-grants), so as to keep families from being asked for donations for one thing or another all year long. And the conclusion of the policy emphasizes a need for flexibility so that we’re continually evaluating whether our fundraising practices fit as the school evolves and its students and families change each year.
As you enjoy this year’s Wonder Ball (and, of course, bid on some items!), I hope you’ll keep in mind the time and care that goes into fundraising at our school—from putting on these kinds of events to how we’ll go about trying to raise needed funds in a thoughtful way.