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The How to Create a School Sculpture Garden Manual
10. FUNDRAISING AND DONATIONS
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Staff
members and students share their talents to raise funds and support for
the garden.
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Fundraising is a major consideration and is ongoing even after the garden is completed. Solicitation of donations is considered part of fundraising. However, we differentiate between fundraising and donations because donations, while frequently monetary, can be services and materials as well. Often granting agencies ask for other sources of revenue and contributions referred to as "In-kind contributions." In-kind contributions of time and materials can be the deciding factor in determining whether or not your project is funded. Many agencies want to see that you can match the size of the donation you are requesting. In-kind contributions are one way to create the match without using actual dollars. There are many grants available for arts education projects. Be aware, however, that many of these grants will pay for your planning but will not allow you to spend funds for capital improvement. Any permanent change in the infrastructure is considered a capital improvement. At Nottingham, we changed the door into the courtyard. This qualifies as a capital improvement.
Develop a fundraising committee. Make sure it is represented on your Advisory Committee. Ask a well-respected community member to chair this effort. A much-respected public figure asked if he could be of assistance to us. He wrote a letter to many of his corporate colleagues on our behalf. Take advantage of matching corporate gifts. Frequently when company employees make charitable donations, the corporation will match or even double the donation. A five hundred dollar donation is wonderful; but a fifteen hundred dollar donation will go much further.
One of the first projects that should be completed early in your fundraising efforts is a brochure. We will cover the development of a brochure in another section of the manual. See Creating A Brochure. Once the brochure is complete, you need a plan to disseminate the brochure in prominent locations throughout your community. Students can certainly accomplish this for you. The Public Library is a good location, as the counter at your library is a very busy place.
Contact your local arts council and request their support. Banks within your community may also be willing to make a donation to your project. Banks frequently sponsor local projects as a way of giving back to the community, as do large chain stores. Many large chain stores have grant programs. These are often managed at the local level giving the local store the authority to make granting decisions. When you make these solicitations take care to let these potential donors know that their contributions will be publicly recognized.
Consider developing donation tiers. Your tiers could look something like this:
- Friend $1 - $99
- Patron $100 - $499
- Contributor $500 - $999
- Supporter $1,000 - $4,999
- Benefactor $5,000 or above
- Garden Dedication $90,000
Tiers have an important psychological effect on some donors. A check for $50 becomes a check for $100 when some donors see that it visibly increases their level of participation. Be sure to keep accurate records. You will want to make sure your donors are invited to groundbreaking, dedication, and other important events. Find a way to permanently memorialize the donations. A perpetual plaque either in or near the garden entrance is suitable. Make sure that the plaque has enough space to recognize future donations.
Get creative in your attempts
to fundraise. The painted cows and other figures that have cropped up all
over the country inspired us. Nottingham is known as the home of the Northstars.
This spring, we are making four-foot stars and mounting them on garden stakes.
For a donation of $100, an individual or business can buy a star to decorate.
For a $200 donation, our Commercial Design and Illustration class members will
design and decorate the star for the client. This raises more funds and provides
the students with a career simulation of a client designer contractual obligation.
The stars will all be exhibited at the front of our school, and as our school
is located at a large intersection, the stars will be prominently visible. Prize
categories will be created. Eventually the stars will be returned to their owners
to display as they choose. The project is simple, fun, and a terrific generator
of community support.
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