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DeKalb County Schools Education Foundation aims for $195,000 in first-year fundraising after State of the District boost
Summary
Foundation leaders told the DeKalb board they formalized operations, joined the national association for education foundations and set a $195,000 fundraising goal; early results include $68,750 raised through State of the District sponsorships and $6,300 from a brick fundraiser.
A representative of the DeKalb County Schools Education Foundation updated the board on May 1 about the foundation’s recent activity, new partnerships and fundraising goals.
The foundation is now a member of the National Association of Education Foundations and has expanded to a 10‑member board that meets monthly, the presenter said. The foundation’s stated mission is to create partnerships that support literacy, mental health and teaching excellence.
Early results and priorities: The foundation’s annual fundraising goal for the fiscal year is $195,000. The group raised $68,750 from 24 sponsors at the recent State of the District event and has raised $6,300 to date from a “Pathway to Excellence” brick sales campaign targeted at the FermBank Science Center. A new online giving platform (GiveLively) is being set up to support one‑time and recurring donations, and the foundation plans an employee‑giving drive to debut at the district leadership conference.
Partnerships and grants: Inspire Consumer (a corporate partner) committed to donating USDA‑approved “smart snacks” to elementary students as part of a wellness initiative. The foundation is designing a small teacher grant program — $1,500 awards — with formal application criteria to support classroom projects.
Operations and staffing: The foundation currently has a coordinator who provides day‑to‑day oversight (identified as “Mr. Thurman” in the presentation) and is exploring how to scale staffing and the board’s fundraising capacity.
Board discussion: Members asked about donor communications and reporting, frequency of in‑school distributions from corporate partners and the possibility of the district supporting a larger full‑time foundation staff to boost fundraising capacity. Presenters said donations and grants are currently managed by the district’s grants and partnerships office and that some partnerships distribute product every few months.
What’s next: The foundation plans more outreach at district events, aims to formalize grant criteria and is exploring how to expand employees’ monthly giving.
