Planning for the Future

Planning for the Future

Tuesday, 28 June 2011 10:33

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Planning for the future, whether it be for ourselves or for our business or an organization we belong to, is a very difficult assignment. While we all would like to think that we are in control of everything, the fact of the matter is we are not! No matter what we would like to accomplish at any given time, there is no certainty that it will happen as we planned. As we all know, there is a Higher Authority that controls all of our life, and He knows best what we need and when we need it.

Understanding this to be the case, how then should we plan for our tomorrows or the next school year? At Eastern Christian, much like at any other business, there are things that need to be done in advance in order to accomplish our goals and objectives. This is not only a good business decision, but also a practical one. In most cases we step out in faith, anticipating that things will work out as we planned.

Planning is a large part of our summer activities at Eastern Christian. Some of us are already planning for the new school year; some are planning for the arrival of a new high school principal; some are working on a sound financial plan for the year, and others are planning for the operational needs of the school in the immediate future. On any given day, there may be three or four separate meetings to plan—planning for today, tomorrow and beyond.

In the Foundation office we are busy planning for the fundraising needs to support the school in the coming year—not an easy task these days, but one that requires proper planning and direction. We need to be prepared to support the school budget with nearly $1,400,000 in funds raised from sources other than tuition. We have been busy analyzing some of our recent fundraising events and have decided that some of the previous year's events simply did not produce the desired results and should be dropped from our list of events. These are difficult decisions, because we need to find alternative events that will produce the desired results in support of the budget. Fortunately, we have a number of Foundation Board members who have a creative mind and are willing to work with new ideas and suggestions in order to sustain the support levels the school requires. What this means for our supporters is that you may be asked to support fewer events during the new school year; however, your support of the "EC Signature Events" will be critical to the financial health of the school.

For your information, we are listing the 2011-2012 Signature Events so that you will be aware of their existence and approximately when we will solicit your support for them. As the year progresses, you will be hearing and seeing more information about these Signature Events.

2011-201 Signature Events

• August 20, 2011 Annual Fund Drive
• October 21, 2011 Annual Sports Boosters Golf Outing
• November 4, 2011 Annual Scholarship Dinner
• January 25, 2012 Annual Sports Boosters Beefsteak
• April 19, 2012 Annual Auction Gala
• May 21, 2012 Annual EC Golf Outing

The details of these events and other fundraising initiatives will be communicated via the EC Web site, home bulletins, EC Times and any other media that reaches our supporters. We sincerely hope that we can count on your participation and support once again.

We not only covet your support, but the future financial health of our school depends on it. This is your school and mine, so please join me and many others with your strong support and above all your fervent prayers for Eastern Christian School.