Foundation Blog

At what level do you (will you) give?

Wednesday, 28 April 2010 14:12

Charitable giving is an American tradition! Alexis de Tocqueville, a French political thinker of the 17th Century, once made an extensive visit to the United States studying our democratic system and our way of life.

Later in 1835 he wrote about that visit in his book "Democracy in America" where he states "These Americans are the most peculiar people in the world..... in the local community, in their country a citizen sees there is some need which is not being met. What does he do? He goes across the street and discusses it with his neighbor. Then what happens? A committee comes into existence and then the committee begins functioning on behalf of that need.....all of this is done by private citizens on their own initiative."

As my wife and I travel abroad, we have often been made aware of the fact that other countries and cultures are just beginning to introduce and understand this concept of charity. Of course there are many good and charitable people in other countries, but the fact remains that we, as a nation, are by far and away the most charitable people in the world. Surveys consistently find that between 65 and 85 percent of U.S. families make charitable donations each year, and we give away more than twice as much per capita as the citizens of even the most generous European nations. The average American family that gave to charity in 2002 donated $ 1917. It can be safely assumed that this amount has increased over the past 8 years. As impressive as these numbers are, there are still about 30 million American Families that do not give to charities because, as a survey suggest, they are fearful that their contribution will be used inefficiently or that they feel they can't afford to give.

All of the reasons for giving or not giving to charity are also part of the fabric of Eastern Christian School. We are a school community of parents and supporters who are part of a mix of social and economic groups who respond to a financial need in very different ways and at different times. We have been most fortunate to have a good balance of donors, all who give out of a love for the school and at levels which are appropriate for their personal circumstances. Can we do more? No doubt some can, while others feel they have done enough. Henry Doorn, the Executive Director of Barnabas Foundation, in a recent article entitled "Finding "enough" in God", states "one of the most challenging questions Christians face as they plan their financial future is "how much is enough?" While the answer to that question will legitimately differ among believers, it is an important question to resolve. In doing so we can fulfill the vision of 2 Corinthians 8: 13-15, using our plenty to supply the needs of others.

It is a fact that if an individual values the organization that is requesting his or her financial assistance, the motivation for giving is equally increased.

There are a number of giving related questions that have been authored which can help us understand what motivates people to give. Some of the more prominent one's are:

1. Why do you give—what motivates your giving?
2. Was there someone in your life from whom you learned the importance of giving?
3. Of all of the gifts that you have given, what gift has brought you the most satisfaction?
4. Why do you support our mission?
5. Among all of your charitable priorities, where do we rank?
6. How do you determine what initiatives you will support and at what level you will give?

I imagine you can see where this is heading --- getting to know you the donor better so that we can begin a serious dialogue in the near future regarding the potential of a larger and more significant gift to Eastern Christian School. Together let's plan to discuss what a significant gift from you would mean to our school!

Foundation Reflections

Thursday, 01 April 2010 13:31

Today begins the second quarter of 2010. Where has the time gone?

It seems like it was just a few weeks ago that we were discussing the budget and the enrollment projections for this year and now with only about 10 weeks of school left for the current year, the high school is thinking about yearbooks, class trips and graduation and we in the Development Office are thinking about all of the exciting spring events that are being planned in support of the school. It also compels us to reflect on the past school year with all of the school's accomplishments as well as reflecting on the sorrow we all experienced recently with the sudden loss of two high school teachers. No matter how hard we plan, it proves once again that our plans may not always be God's plan and that we must be submissive to His plan, no matter how difficult that may be.

The Development Office has been quite busy since the beginning of the school year with the traditional fundraising programs and events as well as exploring some new and exciting initiatives which we hope will provide for some long term financial support for our school. In spite of the continued challenging economy, the supporters of Eastern Christian School have once again risen to the occasion and supported the school in its hour of need. Time and time again, when the call for support went out, the response to our call was answered by those who understood the need and had a desire to help those who were in difficult financial straights. While in some cases we had fewer donors, those who gave, gave in larger amounts to help us through the rough financial periods.

Our current year's Annual Fund appeal has consistently been ahead of previous years, and we enjoyed a very successful fundraising dinner in February, raising nearly $ 100,000. in support of the school's scholarship fund. We assisted the Athletic Boosters in their first ever beefsteak fundraiser, which turned out to be a very successful event as well. We are looking forward to a great Auction Elegance on April 22nd as well as our annual Christian Education appeal on Sunday, April 25th. Following these events will be a Flower Sale for the benefit of the Athletic Boosters on May 8th and then our annual Golf Outing on May 24th. So you can see that we are keeping ourselves very busy for the cause!

On top of all of this has been our involvement in obtaining a location for a new resale store to benefit EC. We think we have found the perfect location at 965 Belmont Ave, North Haledon and shortly we will begin with renovations to make this a state of the art "upscale-resale" store with over 11,000 square feet of selling space. We have hired a director and we received a donation of a pickup truck so we are really excited about this new project. We hope to be open for business by August, 2010. You will be hearing and reading more about ditto (our new name) in the months ahead. We will be looking for a lot of volunteers to help us in a number of ways at ditto beginning this summer. We hope many of our former volunteers and new volunteers will be able to help us.

This week we also moved a step closer to finalizing our plans to put solar panels on the roofs of all three campuses as a way to save on our sizable electric bill as well as to benefit from the solar program's investment opportunities. Just as soon as all of the final approvals are in place, we will inform our supporters of this long term financial benefit to EC.

These certainly are exciting times for our school as we continue to raise support both in the traditional ways as well as in new and creative ways. We sincerely hope that all of these efforts will help stem the ever rising cost of a Christian education and that more and more families will consider Eastern Christian as the right choice for educating their
children.

Choices

Thursday, 18 February 2010 16:40

From the desk of Garret G. Nieuwenhuis
Executive Director
Foundation for Eastern Christian School Association

"How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver!" Proverbs 16:16

This year, Eastern Christian School will once again join all other member schools of Christian Schools International by celebrating Christian Education Week. The celebration will focus on the week of April 19-23 concluding with Christian Education Day on Sunday, April 25. On this day our supporting churches will be asked to focus their message on the scripture text quoted above as well as to receive an offering from the congregations for the support of Christian Education at Eastern Christian School.

Because our supporters are widespread and some of our students come from evangelical churches where Christian Education Day will not be celebrated, we will also be sending a special mail appeal in the early part of April to encourage participation in this program by everyone associated with Eastern Christian.

Each year Christian Schools International picks an appropriate text from scripture to focus on during the weeklong celebration and selects a theme based on that text. This year that theme is CHOICES! At times, choices are very hard to make and require continued commitment and a firm faith. The Bible makes reference to difficult choices that some had to make. Think only of Abraham who made a choice to sacrifice his dear son Isaac Or Samson who made a decision to honor God at the expense of his own life.

We're alive because of choices. God chose to create human beings, and chose to give us the freedom to make our own choices. When our sin alienated us, He chose to save us. Jesus chose to obey His Father's will, enter our time and space, and give His life for us. We've been the recipients of unfathomable grace, yet we're still free to choose whom we will serve, whom we will honor, whom we will worship!

Those of us who are parents have the momentous task of choosing how to train our children to live, what values to impart, and how to nurture their faith. We as parents are also the first and primary influencers and educators of our children. Christian Schools desire to help in this most critical task of gaining the wisdom and understanding through a curriculum that points to the Creator, taught by teachers who teach that we are to love God above all, and then to love others for who they are, dearly loved Children of God.

Eastern Christian has been following that directive for over 118 years, and with God's blessing, we hope to continue to provide that directive for many years to come. We can only do our part if we continue to be favored with your support and encouragement. Christian Education Day represents that unique opportunity for all of us to participate as God has blessed us in order for Christian Education to continue to thrive at Eastern Christian School.

Christmas Greeting

Monday, 14 December 2009 12:56

From the desk of Garret G. Nieuwenhuis
Executive Director
Foundation for Eastern Christian School Association

"For unto us a child is born Unto us a Son is given" Isaiah 9:6

Dear Friends December 2009

Once again we have entered that special time of the year when all around us we see and hear the sounds of Christmas and we celebrate the Advent season in our churches and homes. What a blessing, that as a Christian School, we can join in these celebrations without restrictions from the authorities. On the other hand, what a shame that so many others, who may very well attend Christian churches and celebrate the birth of our Savior in their homes, attend schools where this celebration is forbidden.

As we approach the end of 2009, we are compelled to reflect on the many blessings that have been ours, and to give thanks to God for His faithfulness in once again providing for the needs of our school. After a difficult beginning this year, requiring significant sacrifices and restructuring of programs, we have been blessed beyond measure with supportive parents, dedicated teachers and administrators, and generous donors who have been led by God to support our school in remarkable ways.

Our fundraising initiatives, in spite of a slow economy and record levels of unemployment, have done remarkably well. Our largest event, The Annual Fund, continues to perform well in spite of the fact that we have fewer donors this year compared to previous years. Those who gave however gave out of their abundance and more than made up for those donors unable to support us this year. Our Business Drive continues to perform according to our goals with new donors added this year that formerly chose not to support us. Our fundraising events so far this year have also done very well. Although our annual Fashion Show produced fewer dollars than anticipated, we were bolstered by the invitation to join with the Christian Health Care Center in sponsoring the annual Harvestfest which more than made up for the loss of funds from the Fashion Show. Our recent Christmas Bazaar was very successful both from a retail sales point of view as well as for the opportunity to meet and greet so many of our parents and supporters who faithfully use this opportunity to do some of their holiday shopping. Today we are participating in our annual Barnes & Noble Bookfair with great expectations for a very successful event and an excellent opportunity to promote our school to the shoppers at this event.

All of these events and fundraising initiatives required a tremendous amount of coordination and commitment on the part of many people, both paid and volunteers who in many cases go above and beyond because it is for the benefit of ECSA. We are very appreciative of their dedication and support because without them, we would not have many of the programs and services that EC offers.

Soon we will be enjoying our Christmas break, when we will gather with family and friends to celebrate the birth of the greatest gift of all, our Savior, Jesus Christ. For some of us the Christmas season began by participating in singing Handel's Messiah with the Cathedral Choir. What a thrill to proclaim in song "For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given". What a gift! What a Savior! It was very significant that the offering taken at the concert was for the benefit of Christian education both at Eastern Christian and at other local Christian Schools.

Soon we hope to embark on a new year, filled with both concern and promise. We ask for God's continued leading in the lives of our supporters as we embark on the second half of the school year. Several significant events are planned to sustain the level of financial support required to provide a Christ centered education to our students. We pray that you will once again join us in meeting this challenge.

We wish you a Blessed Christmas and a New Year filled with peace.

Garry Nieuwenhuis
Exec. Dir. ECSA Foundation