Annual Fund

The Annual Fund is a yearly fundraising appeal designed to support MSR’s operating budget. In order to balance the budget each year, the Development Office and volunteers work together to solicit the participation of each constituent in the fund. In 2010-2011, the total raised was over $100,000 in unrestricted and restricted funds. Annual Fund gifts can range from donations of $1 to $10,000 or more. The success of the Annual Fund is a testament to our firm belief in The Montessori School of Raleigh and its continuing mission of excellence in educating children.

Where do Annual Fund dollars go?
Unrestricted gifts to the Annual Fund support virtually every aspect of school life–refreshed Montessori Materials in the classrooms, faculty professional development, library books, science equipment, music and art supplies are just some of the ways Annual Fund dollars are utilized. Contributions to the Annual Fund are nearly always unrestricted gifts; they are given and spent in the current fiscal year.

Why is the Annual Fund needed to balance the Budget?
Tuition and fees in 2010-2011 covered almost 97% of the costs needed to educate the students at MSR. Annual Fund contributions and proceeds from the Spring Event address this shortfall, allowing MSR to provide an extraordinary educational experience.
How does the Annual Fund differ from capital and other periodic fundraising campaigns?
Periodic appeals are made for specific needs such as facility improvements or increases to endowment. These may be Capital Campaigns, major gift programs or special purpose events such as the gala.

Why a 3-year cycle for Spring Event?
At MSR, we see a real value in a 3-year cycle for learning. Children grow, stretch and develop along this 3-year plane, all the while having new and varied experiences in their learning. In much the same way, there is also high value in implementing a 3-year cycle for our Spring Event. It allows our community to experience variety in the events they attend to benefit our great school. Variety will naturally appeal to many more of our families and this, in turn, increases the total number of our families who attend and participate year after year. In addition, our school has dual goals to fundraise and to build community. While we must do both, in some years it is appropriate to emphasize one goal over the other. Blend these concepts together and our 3-year cycle for our Spring Event will look like this:

  • Year 1: Gala
    Silent and Live Auction and Fund-a-Need with dinner and dancing;
  • Year 2: MIX—MSR Idea Exchange
    MSR invites speakers to share their ideas at an event for both our school community and our wider Raleigh community, thus providing an opportunity for all of us to engage in life-long learning together. This event will be coupled with an online MSR fundraiser and will include a sit down dinner and dancing.
  • Year 3: Community Sharing
    A school-wide festivity celebrating students, families, faculty and all those who help to make our school A Portrait of Success.

Why did MSR make this change?
Because variety is the spice of life and we hope all of our MSR families are with us for many years. It is so much more satisfying to engage in a variety of different experiences in your school community, to be able to bring your unique gifts and talents to a particular event and to feel that everyone in the community has a chance to participate and to make a positive difference in the life of our great school.

How does the Spring Event help support the school?
Last year’s gala raised over $86,000 for the school! The Fund A Need portion of the evening raised over $22,000 to help the School purchase a new activity bus. The rest of the proceeds helped support the operations of the school in areas such as professional development, program development, and improvements to our facilities. This year is a MIX year and we are proud to be hosting Daniel L. Pink, author of A Whole New Mind on May 12, 2012 at North Ridge Country Club. This event will be open to all MSR families and the wider Raleigh community.

Does the Parent Staff Association raise funds too?
Yes! The Montessori Parent Staff Association (MPSA) activities are aimed at fostering a sense of community, keeping families informed and providing support to the school. 
MPSA raises money to host community building events such as the Fall Festival, garden day, ice cream social, and faculty and staff appreciation lunch.

Is our Annual Fund gift tax-deductible?
Absolutely! Unlike most tuition, all contributions to the Annual Fund are tax-deductible in keeping with IRS regulations.

Why is Annual Fund participation so important?
The Annual Fund provides a bridge between tuition revenue and the cost of providing a quality education for each student. When we seek funding from sources outside our community, we are asked first about parent participation in our Annual Fund. Last year, 32% of our families made a gift to the Annual Fund. Both our faculty and staff and our Board of Trustees participate at 100%. Our community wide goal this year is 100%!

What are matching gifts?
To encourage philanthropy and show their community support, many companies match the charitable donations of their employees. Simply obtain a matching gift form from your employer and send it to the Development Office with your gift. We will complete the form and return it to your employer who then completes the match.