Our schools have been blessed over the years to have many dedicated individuals and families that have provided us with a strong financial foundation. However, we have a number of priorities that will need to be addressed in the near future if we want to continue to improve and grow our school system. Many of our strategic goals cannot be supported through our current operating budget and therefore require additional development efforts. It is our plan to improve our communication with stakeholders in this area so that giving can be more easily planned and optimized to the benefit of our donors and LCSS. To help you understand our efforts in this area, we have outlined our four major efforts:
“One-in-the-Spirit” & Central Catholic Annual Fund (NEW)
- Type: Annual giving
- Purpose: To enhance our services and programs by directly supporting: teacher salaries, tuition assistance, technology, academic programs and general operations.
- Donors: All donors
- Source: Funds for this typically are given out of a family’s annual income, and is a sustainable amount that can be supported every year with modest increases.
The fundraising program known as “One-in-the-Spirit” Fund has been in place since 1990 and solicitations are made every other year. This fall we will be kicking off another season of solicitations with the goal of increasing our donor population. Our goal is to allow donors to direct their support to one of the following areas: teacher salaries, tuition assistance, technology, academic programs or general operations. You should be hearing from us soon on this effort. Alumni from outside of the Lafayette area will be solicited to contribute to the Central Catholic Annual Fund, an effort to get more of our out-of-town alumni involved in our mission.
Building Faith & Future Phase II - Athletic Campaign (Central Catholic)
- Type: Capital Campaign
- Purpose: Capital improvements - (current) to improve and rehabilitate our outdoor athletic facilities
- Donors: All donors
- Source: Funds for this type of campaign are typically given out of a family’s savings and other holdings. Capital campaigns are typically only every five or ten years.
Our Central Catholic athletic facilities are in urgent need of an update. Many of the facilities have gone more than 50 years without any major improvement or updates. Some of our facilities (ex. Track and Field) are no longer usable for their intended purpose. While this campaign was initially part of the Building Faith and Futures I campaign it was temporarily suspended due to the “Great Recession.” The effort has regained momentum and is currently in a “Silent Phase.” Our goal is to get leadership donations from families and individuals interested in providing a major gift (a gift of more than $10,000) to this effort. The goal of a silent phase is to raise at least 70% of our overall goal before going “public.” We are making great progress and look forward to entering the public phase soon. Please contact me if you are interested in learning more.
Teacher Endowment Fund
- Type: Endowment Fund
- Purpose: To ensure long-term initiatives (teacher pay) have continued resources in perpetuity.
- Donors: Legacy donors, corporations, and foundations.
- Source: Funds for this type of campaign are typically given as a “once in a lifetime” gift or are bequeathed as part of an estate plan.
The Lafayette Area Catholic Schools Foundation (LACS) has several endowment funds that have been established for the Lafayette Catholic School System. The unrestricted endowment has a principal amount of $2,349,727 and is expected to generate more than $100,000 this year to help support our operations. Several years ago another endowment was established to help improve teacher compensation, and currently sits at $348,221 which is expected to generate just under $15,000 this year for LCSS teacher compensation. As one of the important LCSS strategic initiatives, we have developed a plan to enable our teacher salaries to reach a level closer to our local educational market. In order accomplish our goal, we need to have an additional $600,000 annually in income. It is unrealistic to expect that we will be able to significantly raise tuition to cover this amount.
Therefore, we are partnering with the LACS Foundation to develop a “Planned-Giving” program with the goal to develop a Teacher Endowment Fund of $6 to $10 million. This is a long-term goal and one to help ensure LCSS remains competitive for decades to come. We will be developing materials to better inform our community on how to make a deferred gift to the Teacher Endowment Fund.
There are also many opportunities to establish a directed endowment through the Diocese of Lafayette. If you are interested in establishing an endowment to benefit LCSS please contact the Development Office (765) 474-7500 to review these opportunities.
Blue Knight Auction, PTO & Athletic Fundraisers & Special Projects
- Type: Events and Special Projects
- Purpose: To raise capital for special projects or initiatives
- Donors: LCSS families, grandparents, friends and community members
- Source: Funds for this type of campaign are typically given out of a family or business’s discretionary funds or working capital. The amounts may not be the same from year to year.
Last year the LCSS raised over $320,000 from the Blue Knight Auction, events and other special project fundraisers. Athletic fundraisers also generated income to help sustain our Athletic Department. These fundraisers are vital to the operations of LCSS, and fund the majority of our tuition assistance, athletic teams, and special technology initiatives. Fundraisers in this category often include a dinner, event (i.e. golf outing) or sale of an item (i.e. umbrellas, popcorn, etc.). These opportunities often get our students involved in the effort, and also promote goodwill among our stakeholders. It is our goal in the future to develop a calendar of these efforts so that we can avoid donor fatigue and maximize effectiveness.
