I've always loved the sound of the Beatles song "With a Little Help from My friends." Not to say I don't love the sound of the Joe Cocker Woodstock version, but the Beatles' version was written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon specifically for Ringo to sing; still very "Beatles," but customized for his unique singing range.
Those who've listened to my "song" over the years can recite one of my favorite stanzas: "Who Owns Your Fundraising Process?" I've developed a new list of friends who are helping our schools do just that: the TLSP Advancement Cohort. These six members from five of The Lutheran Schools are paid staff with a full or partial responsibility for their school's fundraising activities. They can take the fundraising ideas presented by The Lutheran Schools Partnership and customize them to fit the needs and resources available for their schools. With Cohort members, we can discuss advanced fundraising techniques, bounce future ideas around, and serve as a test market of sorts before expansion of new, TLSP-wide activities. Look for upcoming information on such topics as the ALDE Collaborative Partnership, Partnership Charitable Gift Annuities, and #GivingTuesday 2015.I thank John Schoedel and Stephanie Paradine for Concordia Lutheran High School, Greg Rehberg for Emmaus Lutheran, John Weber for Central Lutheran, Julie Turney for Lutheran South Unity, and Mark Lange for Holy Cross Lutheran for serving on this important committee. We hope every school can eventually add advancement staff and lend a little help to their principals. Until that time, if your school has a school board member responsible for fundraising, or even a third-source funding committee, make sure they contact me to get involved with the Cohort. No funny uniforms required--just a willingness to help and share with friends.
