What's A Foundation, Anyway?

I’ll put this on the table: Asking others for money ranks as one of the tasks I hate to do. I’m not sure why. I certainly don’t mind being asked for money, and I have no problem saying no if I don’t want to donate. So maybe it’s the “fear” of rejection that I don’t like when I have to do the asking.

When I joined the District 205 Foundation, I found out that I would have to ask people to donate to the Foundation. There were several things I thought I’d be doing when I joined the Foundation Board, but this wasn’t one of them. I figured that those who were good at approaching others and asking for money would be the ones to do it.

So I have learned a new skill. In the process, I also realized that there are a lot of people living in Elmhurst who don’t know much about what the Foundation is or does.

The District 205 Foundation—basically a group of volunteers that raises and disperses money to benefit the students in district schools—has been around since 1989, which is the year my daughter started kindergarten at Jackson School. Back then, it seemed like everyone knew that it was an organization that primarily provided grant money for projects and programs in the schools. Among other things, the Foundation sold Christmas ornaments, decorative throws highlighting historical Elmhurst sites, stationary, and held an annual Christmas tree sale to raise money. (They still do: check them out at http://www.elmhurst205.org/foundation_gifts).  I’m sure they must have asked people to donate, but it also seemed like lots of people, including a good number of the staff, donated to the Foundation on a regular basis, often recognizing someone or honoring their memory. How do I know? Contributors’ names were published a couple times a year in their newsletter.

But in the last few years, donations have been down. Yes, I know it’s the economy. But it’s also been the switch to relying on technological advancements. The convenience of email has supplanted paper mail delivered to the home mailbox (witness the U.S. Postal Service’s loss of revenue and suggestion to cut back on delivery). It’s ridiculously quick and easy to text others using smartphones. So we have much faster communication (practically instantaneous at times). As we get used to this type of communication, we tend to rely on it the most—and not use other forms of communication as much.  

Organizations like the Foundation, however, aren’t about to text you about their upcoming fundraiser. That’s going a bit far. Instead they are relegated to using email and facebook (and the U.S. Postal Service) to promote themselves. Since email is now, for many of us in this community, our main mailbox, we are inundated with messages that we either don’t have time to read or just don’t want to read. Thus, we scan and delete…or ignore.

The challenge for an organization like the Foundation is figuring out how to communicate effectively with people so that they will come to know and understand what it does.

So here’s a quick rundown: The operations of the District 205 Foundation are completely separate from the school district. Its Board of Directors is an independent group of parents, with a teacher and me thrown in to help give some perspective about how things work in the schools. The superintendent is invited to attend meetings, but is not a voting member. This independence is necessary so that the money raised can be used to fund projects or programs that may not even be on the district’s radar, or for things that the district may not be able to afford. 

For example, let’s say a teacher wants to use e-readers such as the Kindle or Nook with students. She knows that such technological tools are engaging to students, and these readers allow students to easily highlight and make notes while reading—a skill that’s important in learning how to comprehend what one reads. However, the school or department budget isn’t able to fund such a purchase, so the teacher submits a grant application to the Foundation and makes her case to the Foundation Board. If granted, she can use the devices the following year and then report back to the Foundation (as well as to her principal) on how the devices helped students learn. If improved student achievement results, she may be able to make the case that more should be purchased using school or district funds.

Always, the grant request has to benefit students, and the more students it can benefit, the more likely it is to be approved.

(Check out the foundation’s website to see how it supports discovery, excitement, innovation, and creativity in education: http://www.elmhurst205.org/foundation. Watch a video or read about the grants.)

Giving to charity is a very personal decision. Each of us has a reason for donating to a specific nonprofit organization. I simply ask you to consider giving to the District 205 Foundation. Whether you give $5 or $500, the money helps support various projects and programs that benefit students at all schools in District 205. The more money the Foundation raises, the more good it can do to benefit our students.

There are other ways to help, too.  Attend an event (see below). Purchase one of the gifts. Make a donation. Volunteer to help with events. And if you can’t do it now, keep it in mind for a time when you might be able to. Chances are, if you have children or grandchildren in the public schools, they’ve benefited from a grant that the Foundation has funded.

The District 205 Foundation hosts an annual dinner/dance/auction/fundraising activity called Midnight Masquerade (Black and Orange Ball), which this year will be held Saturday, October 22. It is the Foundation’s biggest fundraiser. Many local businesses donate to help make this a success, and over 250 people attend and participate in its silent and live auctions (as of this writing, tickets were still available; go to http://www.elmhurst205.org/MMTicketInfo for more information).

The Foundation also sponsors Christmas tree sales (http://www.elmhurst205.org/HolidayTreeSale) and is the source of many of those small, brightly lit trees lining the front yards of many neighborhood blocks in December.  If yours is one of those darkened blocks in Elmhurst, consider asking your neighbors if they want to liven things up a bit this year!