Saratoga News
News
Callers hoping to dial in donations when SEF holds annual phonathon
By Michele Tjin
In less than two weeks, phones in Saratoga will be ringing, and Saratoga Education Foundation volunteers hope there will be someone on the other end.
SEF is gearing up for its annual phonathon fundraiser on Jan. 28, when parents will call fellow Saratoga Union School District families to contribute to SEF's campaign. The foundation is raising money to fund programs for the 2007-08 school year, and its goal this year is to generate $330,000 from the phonathon.
"We don't think of it as a cold call," Terrie Creamer, president of SEF, said. "We're calling parents whose kids are benefiting from the programs. Everybody should be expecting a call."
While the foundation will take donations all year long, the phonathon is SEF's biggest fundraiser for the year. SEF has a suggested donation of $700 for one child in the district and $1,400 for two.
"Our goal is not to increase the amount," Creamer said. "We want to increase the participation."
One change this year is that the calling period during the day will be three hours shorter, running from 3:30 to 8:30 p.m. SEF organizers have found they can maximize their volunteers' time by shortening the hours. They would be reaching families when they are most likely to be home.
"For the people that we reach, the response is good," said Beth Kingsley, phonathon co-chairwoman. "The general public is well-informed of what SEF does."
The SEF money will allow the district to fund computer instruction, music, art, theater and the popular Lawrence Hall of Science enrichment program in the elementary schools, as well as pay for librarians and a counselor to serve students in kindergarten through fifth grade. In middle school, the funds go toward two counselors, two science teachers, a librarian, an art aide and a media teacher.
"There are always more programs than we can fund," said Kristi Petters, another phonathon co-chairwoman.
The impetus for the creation of SEF 25 years ago was the passage of Proposition 13, which cut a significant amount of state funding to public schools. Creamer calls the programs that are often the first to hit the chopping block--the ones that SEF is trying to restore--necessary for the development of children.
"When I went to school, we had P.E. teachers, music teachers, art teachers and librarians," she said. "I don't consider them extra. They are the basis of a well-rounded education."
Organizers say that through mailers and school newsletters, they are already communicating to parents what SEF does. But for those who are still unsure, fliers and emails will be distributed the week before the phonathon, and a banner will be hung at Blaney Plaza asking parents for support.
SEF leaders add they are on the same fundraising pace as they were last year, when families contributed more than $1 million, with about 75 percent of them participating. To date, the foundation has raised $590,000.
