Annual Fund

Since 1958, St. Cecilia Catholic School has been blessed with the faithful generosity of dedicated parents like you. The support and commitment of parents like you were essential in navigating these last few challenging years and continuing to provide the high-quality Catholic education and formation our students deserve. It was this partnership that propelled St. Cecilia Catholic School to be a 2022 National Blue Ribbon School.

The Annual Fund is a yearly campaign to raise unrestricted funds for our school. Gifts received from this appeal help us narrow the difference between tuition and the actual cost of a St. Cecilia Catholic School education. Additionally, a successful Annual Fund campaign allows the school to address needs as they arise. Gifts to the Annual Fund support essentially every aspect of the school, including:

Security enhancements
Classroom and curriculum resources
Student financial assistance
Performing arts
Innovative technology
Faculty and Staff development
Campus improvements

The goal of the Annual Fund is to advance the mission and the long term viability of St. Cecilia Catholic School. The funds raised help to provide academic extras and enriching programs that tuition dollars simply cannot cover. The gifts received from this appeal also allow the school to address needs as they arise. The Annual Fund is the best way possible for current parents, alumni, the family of alumni, grandparents, parishioners, friends, and organizations to help make a financial difference in the future of St. Cecilia Catholic School.

There are multiple strengths of a strong Annual Fund;

All gifts count – no matter the size – a strong Annual Fund has at its core high participation from all groups – board members, faculty, staff, parents, parishioners, grandparents, alumni, parents of alumni and friends – representing the school community’s commitment not only to Catholic education, but to continuing the mission of St. Cecilia.
Gifts made to the Annual Fund are unrestricted – which allows the school’s leadership teams and school board to allocate those funds to the areas of greatest need within the school.
Tuition covers 85% of the actual cost of a St. Cecilia education. Gifts made to the Annual Fund help to offset the cost difference of what is charged in tuition, and the actual cost of educating each student.
Ways the Annual Fund supports the school – As part of the Campus Improvement Plan launched in 2017, significant improvements to the school’s academic programs, and campus improvements have been made. Those include: new literacy resources, technology upgrades, a 1:1 Chromebook program for 4th – 8th grades, and a long list of campus improvements.

Ways To Make Annual Fund Gifts

Online (and Online Recurring Gifts)
Making a gift online helps the school in various ways – it helps reduce fundraising expenses by saving money in printing, postage, and the resources involved in gift processing. That reduction in cost helps each gift make a bigger impact. The online giving form is secure – both as it is hosted on our site, and in terms of the payment process. Online gifts can be made as one-time gifts, or as recurring gifts. With recurring gifts – when a donor enters the amount they would like to give in the amount field on the form, the donor is charged the same amount each month. Donors can set the end date for when they want their recurring gift to end so the donor is in control of the amount and length of time of their gift. The first monthly recurring gift amount is charged immediately, and the same amount will then be charged in the following months, until the donor’s end date is reached.

Matching Gifts
Many corporations match donations given by their employees to non-profit organizations. If your company matches gifts to charitable organizations and depending on your organization’s policies, St. Cecilia Catholic School is a recognized 501c3 non-profit and may receive matching gifts. Please contact the Office of Community Engagement if you need information or paperwork regarding the school’s non-profit status to submit for your matching gift.

Tax Deductions
Gifts to the St. Cecilia Catholic School Annual Fund are tax deductible to the fullest extent provided by law.

Questions
If you have questions about the Annual Fund, please contact the Director of Community Engagement, Lindsay Willrich.