FUNDRAISING & VOLUNTEERISM
AT LAKEWOOD CATHOLIC ACADEMY:
A Parent's Guide
Fundraising and volunteerism – contributions of time, talent, and
treasure – are a vital part of life at every Catholic school. This
is certainly true at Lakewood Catholic Academy. Organizations such
as LOFT and the Athletic Association raise funds through a variety
of activities, including sales and social events, to support and
sustain their own operations and to contribute toward many of the
activities that make our school a special place.
The LCA administration also raises funds, primarily to help close
the gap between tuition charged, the parish subsidy that we
currently enjoy, and the actual cost of an LCA education. This
year, tuition will cover just 52 percent of the true cost. Even
after the parish subsidy of $1,000 per pupil, there remains a gap of
28 percent of that true cost – the “tuition differential.” We also
raise funds for important capital improvements to the campus that
are not a part of the annual operating budget, primarily through our
volunteer-driven Bingo program.
What follows is more information on the variety of fundraising and
volunteer activities and opportunities at LCA. We hope that LCA
will be a beneficiary of your own contributions of time, talent, and
treasure.
There are many ways to support Lakewood Catholic Academy, ranging
from participating in organized purchasing opportunities that
provide a percentage of profits to the school, to attending social
events created to raise funds and build a sense of community, to
simply writing a check to the Annual Fund.
There are also a myriad of opportunities to volunteer time and
talent to the school, replacing the need to pay for such services.
In short, there is a way for EVERYONE to help sustain LCA!
It’s also important to note that some activities are NOT
fundraisers. For example, purely social events such as “Breakfast
with Santa” or the “Elf Shelf” Christmas sale, while they may
occasionally accrue small profits for LOFT, are not intended to
raise money.
Here is an overview of fundraising activities that support Lakewood
Catholic Academy.
The LCA Annual Fund
The Annual Fund is the simplest and most direct way to support LCA.
It's also a great way for families who are unable to participate in
other fundraising activities to contribute with maximum impact.
The Fund is a simple direct-mail campaign, in which members of the
LCA community, including current school parents and parishioners
from each of our founding parishes, are asked to make a
tax deductible
cash gift or a pledge payable over the course of the school year.
Monies raised through the Annual Fund are
unrestricted funds — they are applied directly to the LCA operating
budget, helping to pay teachers a fair wage and to allow the school
to achieve its primary goal of educational excellence while
remaining affordable to all.
Our goal for the Annual Fund is 100 percent participation. EVERY
GIFT counts toward the success of the Annual Fund drive — $5, or
$5,000.
In the parent survey completed after the end of our first year of
operation, a number of individuals commented in the fundraising
section that they’d “prefer to just write a check.” The Annual Fund
allows you to do just that. It is also a way for those who can
afford to pay the actual cost of an LCA education to do so in a
tax-deductible fashion.
The
Spring Auction Event
The second major institutional fundraising activity is the Annual
Spring Social & Auction Event. The Spring Auction Event is a great
social occasion that raises substantial funds for the school.
Typically scheduled for the last weekend in April, this year's
auction event takes place on Saturday, April 28th, 2007.
Like the LCA Annual Fund, monies raised through the Auction Event
are unrestricted funds that simply help to operate the school and
mitigate tuition increases.
The event is highly volunteer driven. It's an exciting project and
a great way to have fun while supporting the school.
In addition to volunteer help, we also seek donations of auctionable
items. Look for information to come home in the school packets and
to be published on the web after the first of the year on all
aspects of our Spring Auction Event, and start saving those special
treasures for auction.
LOFT
Fundraising Activities
In considering the fundraising activities of LOFT — the LCA
Organization of Families and Teachers — it is helpful to look at
LOFT’s mission statement:
We,
the Lakewood Catholic Academy Organization of Families and Teachers,
shall strive to promote the spiritual and temporal growth of
Lakewood Catholic Academy. We shall engage in the raising and
contributing of funds to be used for the enhancement of the
organization and for the benefit of the school to promote the best
interest of Catholic education.
Anyone who has spent time at LCA is aware of the many special things
LOFT does to enhance our school. Whether organizing social
activities that bring us together as a community, providing funds to
our teachers to improve their classrooms or as Christmas bonuses —
or in countless other ways — LOFT has a huge impact on our school.
Many
LOFT fundraising activities involve the purchase of items that the
buyer wants or needs anyway, such as Easter Candy or the Spring
Flower Sale. In some respects, these activities are as much services
as they are fundraisers — with profits accruing to LCA rather than
to a store or business.
ADDITIONAL FUNDRAISING PROGRAMS
Market Day
For
over 30 years, Market Day has been providing convenient, healthy
foods at a value for families, while raising money for schools and
parishes. The program offers over 180 easy-to-prepare, quality
items that are great for busy families.
LCA friends and families can purchase budget-friendly selections
while helping LCA at the same time. All funds raised through the
Market Day program are used to support technology investments at
LCA.
Look for your monthly Market Day flyer in your child’s take-home
envelope. It’s also possible to make orders on-line.
Athletics Fundraising Activities
While the LCA Athletics program is generally funded by registration
and playing fees and income from concessions and gate fees, the
Athletic Boosters occasionally conduct fundraising events. Look for
information on these throughout the year. Of particular importance
is the need for volunteers to handle concession sales and to
organize tournaments and events.
Miscellaneous Fundraisers
Individual departments, such as the LCA Music Program or the
Library, will hold occasional fundraising activities over the course
of the year. Funds raised are used to improve programs and
facilities and to make key purchases of equipment or supplies.
Additionally, there are fundraising activities conducted on behalf
of the current graduating class to help pay for special eighth-grade
activities.
When in
Doubt, Volunteer!!!
While treasure is important, time and talent are too. There are so
many venues for volunteerism at LCA that there is something for
everyone. If you would like to volunteer for any activity at LCA,
send email to: volunteer@lakewoodcatholicacademy.com. You’ll hear
from us.
The LCA
Bingo Program:
Critical for Capital Improvements
The Lakewood Catholic Academy Bingo Program is a critical source of
funds for the school. Unlike the Annual Fund or the Spring Auction
Event — both of which are specifically geared to augmenting the
annual operating budget — proceeds from Bingo are devoted 100
percent to the capital improvements needed to the LCA campus.
A quick look around the campus and you’ll note the importance of
these funds. Already, bingo money is paying for the new roof on the
C wing installed this past summer. Future improvements will include
new roofs on the remaining buildings, new windows, improvements to
the bathrooms and to the LCA gymnasium.
The Bingo program has the demonstrated ability to bring about
$250,000 per year into the school’s capital budget. Importantly,
this is funding that comes from outside the parish and school
communities, lessening the burden on our own families.
The
LCA Bingo Program is 100 percent volunteer driven. It is also the
single most efficient way for an individual to help the school to
raise funds.
We ask that each family work one bingo session per month. There are
plenty of jobs, from cashier to caller, both in and out of the
cafeteria.
Did
you know that if each LCA parent volunteered to work a shift at
bingo, each volunteer would only need to work once every four
months? That’s just three times per year! PLEASE VOLUNTEER FOR
BINGO! Click
here for more information.
copyright 2005, Lakewood Catholic Academy.
site created by
Handsome LLC
