Do you include voluntary donations on termly fee statements?

[Paul Dennett]

There are mixed views at my school on the inclusion of an option to add a donation to the termly fee invoices.

We used to raise c.$80k per annum this way, albeit at a time when there was no other fundraising. I’ve spoken to some of the wealthier parents who encouraged us to reinstate them, and who explicitly stated that it would not be a barrier to their responding to other appeals or making major gifts (NB I’m conscious that what people say and what people do can differ!).

However, within the school there are those who have been told – I assume by fundraising consultants – that you mustn’t mix business and philanthropy. My own experience has been that you need to be prepared to be a lot more nuanced than this, unless your organisation is so rich you don’t really need the income!

It would strengthen my case for reintroducing the option to have supporting evidence or anecdotes from the sector. I would be grateful to hear from those who do include this on their termly invoices, and any observations on the impact (positive or negative) this has had on other forms of giving? I am also interested in hearing any arguments and evidence against the practice too, though!

Many thanks

Paul

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