What is the annual fund? The annual fund is a yearly fund-raising effort designed to help the school balance its annual operating and special programs budget as well as to raise funds for the completion of the building renovation. The drive is coordinated by the Director of Development through three distinct efforts, the Annual Appeal, the Arts Community and Education Gala, (ACE) and grants from private and government foundations.
The Arts, Community and Education, (ACE) Gala: A special gala event targets donations from the corporations and private donors from the greater community and is held every 2-3 years in the spring and honors a member of the community that has demonstrated exemplary service, leadership and dedication to the arts, community and education. The 2011 ACE Nominee is Ken Kitchings. The 2011 ACE Award Gala will be held on Friday, April 29, 2010.
Some of the key goals for the 201 1 ACE Gala include:
- Raising $125,000 to support the school and its programs by securing 20+ sponsors and registering 350+ attendees for the gala event.
- Increasing awareness of the ISAAC Charter School in Historic Downtown New London and increasing recruitment by positioning ISAAC as a prestigious educational academy aiming for academic excellence.
- Providing an opportunity for the media outlets and communications professionals to become familiar with our presence, accomplishments, role in the community as well as the value of our honoree and his philanthropic accomplishments.
- Establishing the ACE Gala as a prestigious permanent honor for outstanding citizens in our community.
- Creating an enjoyable networking opportunity for members of our growing community.
- Providing exposure and recognition for sponsors and honorees.
The Annual Appeal: An internal fundraising initiative in coordination with the ISAAC Board, staff and parent volunteers who seek to raise gifts from the school constituency, including alumni, current parents, past parents, grandparents and friends with a goal of 100% participation from current families, staff and board.
Why is the Annual Fund important? The Annual Fund contributes approximately 10 percent to ISAAC’s annual operating budget, which allows the School to offer special opportunities to its students. Gifts of all sizes from alumni, parents, grandparents, faculty, board and friends help ISAAC reach its goal each year. Funding limitations of charter schools of Connecticut Charter Schools require that we raise funds from private donations and grants. As result from the recent global financial crisis, the per pupil allocation for Connecticut charter schools is flat for the third consecutive year and representatives of the State Department of Education's Bureau of Choice Programs have informed us that it will remain flat for another two years.