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Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School

Minutes

Advancement Committee Meeting

Date and Time

Friday May 9, 2025 at 9:30 AM

Location

ANCS Admin Offices

423 Georgia Ave 

Atlanta, GA 30312 

(entrance on Cherokee Ave)

In accordance with Georgia's open meetings requirements, notice of this meeting has been posted at both campuses and on the ANCS website.

Committee Members Present

Ashley Coogan, Barrett Krise, Bex Godsey, Evan Saadat, Jonna Martin, Rebecca Wagner

Committee Members Absent

Susannah Darrow, Wakita Jacobs

Guests Present

Alastair Pullen, Paige Teusink

I. Opening Items

A.

Record Attendance

B.

Call the Meeting to Order

Rebecca Wagner called a meeting of the Advancement Committee of Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School to order on Friday May 9, 2025 at 9:32 AM.

C.

Approve Minutes

Barrett Krise made a motion to approve the minutes from Advancement Committee Meeting on 04-04-25.
Ashley Coogan seconded the motion.
The committee VOTED to approve the motion.

II. Advancement

A.

Financial Report

  • April fundraising goal was $5,000, but $19,000 was raised. 
  • The group is under $8,000 short of the goal this year. 
  • Corporate matching is included in the number. 
  • Suggestion to include one last solicitation for corporate matches. 
  • Target families who have not donated this year, especially if they haven't done their school supplies.

B.

Giving Week Report

  • Started at $112,174 with a total goal of $140,000 and ended at $132,719. 
  • $14,000 raised during giving week. 
  • Recurring donor enrollments moved to 44 from 20. 75% were kindergarten and first grade families. 
  • Largest new recurring gift was $2,500 for the $2,500 corporate match. 
  • Monthly recurring gifts have increased 45%. 
  • Targeted work is needed for the third to fifth grade group. 
  • Saying it out loud over and over again will make it easier to donate.
  • First graders will get their extra field day. 
  • Remind people how lucky we are after those incredible events.

III. Sponsorships

A.

FY26 Sponsor Package Proposal

  • A $10,000 Premier Platinum package has been added, making the sponsor the presenting banner sponsor for the event of their choice during the school year. 
  • This only applies to PTCA events, not Winter Wonderland or similar events. 
  • The $10,000 level includes being the banner sponsor, potentially with logo placement on the Run with the Wolves shirt and a header banner with a click-through link on the ANCS homepage. 
  • ANCS Music Fest is launching this year, entry only for the $10,000 level with the option for a table or activation on site. 
  • Fall Fest has been included in place of Wonder Ball. 
  • The Silver sponsor level is now the lower tier, with the bronze sponsor level being removed.
  • Suggestion to create a giving society for families (e.g., "wolf pack level") to recognize their donations, separate from corporate sponsorships.
  • Concern about giving race entries as perks, as it could reduce revenue from the event itself. 
  • Need to analyze the profit and loss (P&L) for events to understand the actual value of perks versus sponsorship levels.
  • All solicitations, sponsorships, and in-kind donation sign-offs need to be managed internally.
  • To ensure awareness of who is being asked for donations and to avoid multiple requests to the same businesses. 
  • Need to manage the perceived value of in-kind donations.
  • In-kind donations should be recognized at a lower value than their retail value.
  • Need a gift acceptance policy that defines what it means to accept a gift and what the PTCA provides in return. 
  • In-kind gift value is typically set by the donor, not the organization. 
  • The organization doesn't determine the value; the donor does. 
  • Suggestion to recognize in-kind donations at a percentage (e.g., 50%) of the donor's stated value to account for potential costs. 
  • The communication piece is key.
  • All communication regarding sponsorships should go through one designated person to maintain a consistent voice. 
  • A centralized form should be used for all solicitation requests to ensure accountability and documentation. 
  • The form should track who is asking for what, from whom, and for what purpose. 
  • Need to ensure that businesses are responded to in a timely manner.
  • The existing Google spreadsheet used to track sponsors should be used by the committee. 
  • PTCA chairs need to be informed not to solicit on behalf of their events. 
  • Need examples of well-written acceptance policies and internal communication strategies.
  • Reframe fundraising efforts as "community engagement and solicitation" to avoid confusion.
  • The fiscal year 2026 sponsorship package is ready for a vote. 
  • The deadline for sponsors to sign up for the fall event Music Fest is September 5th.
  • Send the packet to existing sponsors in June and new solicitations in July. 
  • Checks can be dated for the next fiscal year (25-26) even if received earlier. 
  • Graphics will be added to the sponsorship package and then sent out. 
  • Sponsorship street team will solicit sponsors over the summer, focusing on last year's sponsors. 
  • No sponsor has first refusal on the top package.
  • Sponsors can reserve an event by paying 50% of the sponsorship fee. 
  • Bigger sponsors pay in installments, but reservation isn't guaranteed until 50% is paid
  • Bingo night is in January and will be indoors.
Bex Godsey made a motion to Approve the fiscal year 2026 sponsorship package.
Jonna Martin seconded the motion.
The committee VOTED to approve the motion.

B.

End of School Year and What's Next

  • Recurring giving is a good way to keep up momentum.
  • Evan & Barrett are willing to solicit people for sponsorships. 
  • Others can help with communications ideas and event planning. 
  • Grandparent mailer is going out to 250 people.
  • Assistance is needed with the grandparent mailer. 
  • The cards haven't come in yet, so the mailer will be pushed to the week of May 19th. 
  • A sign-up will be sent out for people to help stuff envelopes.
  • There will be about 300 envelopes with return pledge cards. 
  • There is a list of grandparents that have donated this year and an added list of new grandparents within the last four years that have not donated this year. 
  • The goal is to meet on the morning of May 19th to assemble the mailers.
  • People can come after drop-off or pick up materials to stuff at home. 
  • There will be a rotating door for people to come and help when they can.
  • The mailer includes an opportunity to donate online or send a check. 
  • There is a business reply envelope included.
  • Solicitations in the courier for corporate match. 
  • Rising kindergartner events are happening. 
  • Put something in the wolf pup bags. Put together by Natasha. 
  • A welcome email is sent to new families, outlining ways to get involved, including joining the PTCA and donating. 
  • Include a pledge form with donation requests, allowing people to commit to a specific amount. 
  • Use the card created for grandparents, tweaking it for parents, highlighting reasons for support. 
  • Consider "Pledges of Plenty" at the beginning of the year, but ensure it doesn't get lost amidst school supply and other kickoff-related noise.
  • Pledges create a "hot list" for follow-up and potential upselling. 
  • Pledges provide a forecast of incoming funds and allow targeting larger gifts. 
  • Parent representatives from each grade could email their class, encouraging pledge form completion and donations.
  • Gather & Grow table at open house was not successful.
  • Incorporate pledge reminders into teacher updates and communications.
  • Leverage class parents to target smaller groups of parents for fundraising.
  • Focus on one singular message per event to avoid overwhelming parents.
  • Consider passive fundraising methods like a Gather & Grow banner with a QR code in the hallway. 
  • Integrate a video about the spring fundraiser on the EC TV. 
  • Remind parents about school supply donations in summer communications. 
  • Integrate the pledge with school supply donations, offering a QR code for electronic pledges.
  • Include a pledge card with a QR code in the folders teachers distribute.
  • The system doesn't automatically send pledge reminders. Once pledges are entered, reminders are sent via manual email. 
  • New families can be overwhelmed by the school culture.
  • Ashley mentioned confusion around the budget, funding needs, and school supplies.
  • Events like the ice cream social can be unclear to new families. 
  • There's an email push for new families, but clarification is needed. 
  • The new family farm event is an opportunity to make asks. 
  • Pairing new families with older families can help answer questions. Natasha is working on this initiative. New families can ask questions without using the Facebook group or teachers. 
  • Meeting at events like the ice cream social can create a friendly connection.

IV. Closing Items

A.

Adjourn Meeting

  • Thanks were expressed to the committee members for their time and flexibility.
  • Rebecca was thanked for stepping into the chair role.
  • The committee has made good strides in creating infrastructure.
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 10:25 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,
Paige Teusink
Documents used during the meeting
  • 2025_04_04_advancement_committee_meeting_minutes.pdf
  • Fund Development Report April 2025.xlsx - FD Report.pdf
  • FY25 Insights Report GG GIving Week .pdf
  • SPONSORSHIP PACKAGE FY26_proposal.pdf