Page 28 - 2017/2018 Salesanium Annual Report

Advancement
Institutional advancement continues to build connections between the school and its constituents through an engagement program that is attempting to be more personal in its outreach and provide greater recognition to donors at all levels. This effort continues to yield impressive results with a small staff. On the heels of a record year of fundraising in 2016-
17 — $1,912,000, which featured two landmark gifts of $500,000 and $150,000 — performance in 2017-18 remained strong, with $1,250,000 raised in annual giving.
This is the school’s third year in a row raising more than $1 million for annual giving alone, lifting the sights of what is possible for all involved. Participation in annual giving set a record, with more people – 2,815 constituents
– making a gift than ever before. Parents of graduates and friends of Salesianum led the way for increased participation, with another constituency, young alumni, setting new records for participation as well. Additionally, the GiveCampus platform, which now processes all credit card and recurring gifts, helped to drive participation, through social-giving campaigns, such as those for
the Joe Boxler Memorial Scholarship and the newly established Joe Panunto Scholarship.
Continuing trends from recent years, the endowment and financial aid continue to be drivers for annual giving. Of the 30 largest gifts to annual giving in 2017-18 — all
of which were $10,000 or more — 25 were designated for endowment or direct financial aid. This overwhelming
support is not merely a reflection of the school’s emphasis on this area, but a tangible sign that the school’s most committed donors view financial aid, and the endowment that funds it, as central to Salesianum’s mission. The Advancement Office spent a significant portion of the prior fiscal year examining how to better connect donors to the students who benefit from their gifts. The results
of this examination are mixed, with several changes in process and reporting needed to create a system that both stewards and informs donors, while appropriately involving students. This will continue to be an area of emphasis in the year to come.
Another significant change for advancement and donors during the 2017-18 fiscal year was the retirement of For the Boys. After more than a decade of raising money — mostly for the Parents Association — the event was taken off the calendar so it could emerge with a different name and format in 2018-19, this time with a greater emphasis on its new mission: funding financial aid. For the Boys generally received positive feedback from attendees
for building community and promoting fellowship, but frequently failed to raise funds commensurate with the input from volunteers and staff. We are grateful to all who helped to make this a fun and fruitful event with their support over the years and are eager to experience the evolution of this event in the years to come.
The advancement office also assumed the management of the retail operation of the Salesianum School Store during the 2017-18 school year. This transition marked an effort to consolidate the school’s branding efforts in a single office and provide an opportunity for advancement staff to meet the very constituents they serve while staffing the school store.
THIS IS THE SCHOOL’S THIRD YEAR IN A ROW RAISING MORE THAN $1 MILLION FOR ANNUAL GIVING ALONE, LIFTING THE SIGHTS OF WHAT IS POSSIBLE FOR ALL INVOLVED.
26 SALESIANUM SCHOOL ANNUAL REPORT | 2017-18