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Quiet,
Passionate Givers
Most educators don't earn much, so
they feel passionately about cases
they support
By Christine Weiser
We all
remember our favorite teachers: those
men and women who shaped our lives
by going that extra mile, giving us
the encouragement we needed to feel
good about ourselves, to try harder,
to achieve more. These are priceless
charitable gifts that last a lifetime.
So why are teachers largely ignored
by fundraising groups?
"We call teachers 'the philanthropists
next door'," says Kristina Carlson,
President of FundraisingInfo.com,
an Internet-based fundraising company
that helps nonprofit organizations
raise money. "We have a database of
philanthropist who have given from
$5,000 into the millions, and one
of the things we see consistently
with educators is that they tend to
make large gifts later in life or
as parts of their estates. Many teachers
live frugally, but over time, they
accumulate significant money."
Take Margaret Allesee, a retired teacher
who donated $1 million to endow a
professorship in geriatric nursing
and rehabilitation at Oakland University
in Michigan (source: Women in Philanthropy).
Or, there's schoolteacher Mary Collier
Baker, who made a $5.2 million bequest
from her estate to Northern Virginia
Community College for unrestricted
use. Music and education teacher Eileen
Sears, who died in 2004, left a $3.8
million bequest to the University
of Dayton to augment a scholarship
fund that she and her husband had
started. The list goes on.
Teachers
Often Reach into Their Own Pockets
for Students
The National Education Association
(NEA) tracks teacher demographics
with comprehensive surveys every five
years. The latest "Status of the American
Public School Teacher" was released
in August 2003, and held some surprising
information about educators.
First, most teachers spend $443 annually
of their own money to meet the needs
of their students. Seventy-three percent
of teachers explained their choice
of profession was simply because they
wanted to work with young people.
Teachers also spend an average of
50 hours every week on instructional
duties. These statistics prove that
these are passionate people, but because
of the relatively low annual salaries
(averaging about $43,000 according
to the NEA report), educators have
been often overlooked as potential
donors.
Look again.
"Most public school teachers make
significant financial contributions
by supporting individual classroom
projects," says Julia Swope, Director
of Membership for the Texas Classroom
Teachers Association. "These include
special incentive programs for their
students, and purchasing any necessary
instructional supplies that are not
covered by the school district."
Teachers of the arts are another example
of this community enthusiasm. "Music
teachers are passionate about arts
advocacy," says Gary Ingle, Executive
Director for the Music Teachers National
Association, a professional association
for independent and collegiate music
teachers. "They give to arts groups
like symphony orchestras. They also
give to programs that support students,
especially when it means a disadvantaged
student will benefit through the arts."
Turning a Passion for Learning
into a Passion for Giving
"In our experience, teachers respond
best to email that has a direct response
mechanism," says Gary Ingle. "Given
the nature of teacher's busy lives,
email does not intrude on these lessons,
and the teacher is able to respond
immediately regardless of day or time."
As a group, Ingle says, teachers do
not consider themselves wealthy, so
they are very selective to whom they
give. "Our communication through fundraising
copy must be highly personal," he
says. "Music teachers care about individuals,
especially students. We must also
communicate a compelling vision of
how students will be positively impacted
by our organization, and that this
vision cannot and will not be accomplished
without our organization or their
support."
"When
preparing fundraising copy for teachers,
it is important to acknowledge them
as informed readers," says Kristin
Sargent, an analytics consultant for
Blackbaud, a provider of software
and related services for nonprofit
organizations. "Teachers need to be
recognized for the contributions they
make on a daily basis and the impact
they have on the success of the institution
overall. Talk about how their gifts
will not only assist in reaching the
targeted goal financially, but also
how they will help send a clear message
to the rest of the school community
about the broader impact educators
can make."
Sargent suggests the following tips
for approaching educators about donations:
- Make
sure you ask for their donations
before you reach out to others (such
as alumni and parents). This recognizes
that teachers play a vital role
in the success of the institution.
- Consider
approaching educators when they
return from summer break and are
planning for the year. Once support
from teachers has been accomplished,
the development office has a good
talking point when they reach out
to the rest of the organization's
constituents.
- One
of the most successful ways to solicit
teachers is by encouraging other
teachers to help ask. Setting up
a faculty annual fund or a major
gift committee can be the difference
between the success and failure
of an internal fundraising program.
"Today,
we see many teachers making significant
gifts," says FundraisingInfo's Kristina
Carlson. "They give because they care.
If I had a teacher making a $20 contribution
every year, I would approach that
person to discuss long-term opportunities."
With the right personalized fundraising
campaign, your group can turn a teacher's
love of learning into long-term support.
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