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Fundraising consultant reports roughly $2.3 million in grant requests, identifies alumni prospects for Piper schools
Summary
At the Aug. 11 board meeting, consultant Lisa Pilofsky detailed a year of fundraising work for the district: about $2.3 million in grant applications submitted, identification of roughly 100 alumni prospects, and ongoing corporate outreach including a positive meeting with Panasonic.
Lisa Pilofsky, chief executive officer of Pilofsky Goodson, told the Piper School District Board of Education on Aug. 11 that her firm has submitted about $2.3 million in grant applications and has begun systematic outreach to alumni and corporate partners to support district projects and real-world learning programs. "We were able to screen about a 100 individuals, and came up with some good prospects that the district can begin to solicit," Pilofsky said.
The consultant presented a list of grants submitted and partnerships pursued. Pilofsky said the district recently submitted a $50,000 request to the John and Effie Speeds Trust for capital improvements and a separate $50,000 request to the NFL Foundation for stadium seating and lighting. She also described a Department of Justice school-violence-prevention application that could fund security-related equipment such as cameras or data-collection tools; she said the DOJ award process could take a few months.
Pilofsky said a Wyandotte Health Foundation request for support of the school nurse or nursing program remains pending, and that a Department of Economic Development tax credit application was denied but could be reapplied for next year. She described a competitive result on a Kauffman Foundation application and said a simultaneous submission to KCKCC (Kansas City Kansas Community College) was funded. Corporate outreach included a meeting with Panasonic officials, which Pilofsky described as "very impressed" and likely to lead to technology or equipment support in September.
Pilofsky described the firm’s prospect‑identification work as an effort to compile publicly available giving and civic‑engagement data into a prioritized list for solicitation. She explained that publicly available donor, campaign and charitable‑giving records were used to build profiles and that the district now has a pipeline of potential private and corporate supporters. "One of the first things we did was identify those alumni and those individuals who've been involved with the district who were known to the district and we had information on," she said.
Pilofsky also recounted outreach to local foundations and corporations, including a positive visit from Mackenzie Bridenthal of a family foundation at Security Bank and ongoing conversations with potential partners such as Chewy and JE Dunn. She said that the firm submitted naming‑rights proposals and explored workforce‑development partnerships tied to the district’s real‑world learning offerings.
Pilofsky told the board she will step back as the district’s foundation onboards a new executive director but remains available for special projects. "We gave 30 days notice and just are available at any time, but feel like you're in good hands," she said.
Board members did not take a formal vote on fundraising strategy during the presentation; the item was provided as an informational update and many grant outcomes were described as pending.
