Inspiring Life-long Learning for 25 Years
RECAP & TESTIMONIALS: 2nd Annual DVWS Giving Circle Event
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Thirty members of our community came together on Saturday, February 4th. We came together with the goal of allocating funds raised through this year's Giving Circle initiative—a collaborative, cooperative form of giving in its second year here at DVWS. As of event time, the Giving Circle donations totaled $22,695. The first $6,000 of Giving Circle funds went directly to meet the school's budgetary needs, leaving $16,695 for us to use for Giving Circle projects! All contributors to the Giving Circle were invited in advance to submit proposals, detailing their visions for how they would like these funds to be used. On event night, twelve excellent proposals were on the table for consideration.
We enjoyed snacks, drinks, and social time, then our moderators, Matt and Margaret Myren explained the Giving Circle process and expertly directed the flow of the evening. To begin, each person who had submitted a proposal took about two minutes to introduce and advocate for their idea. We were then each given a small pile of color-coded sticky notes. We soon learned that these sticky notes represented real dollars—teal was worth $100, and magenta was worth $75. The funds were evenly divided among the donors present for the event, as well as those who had appointed a proxy in attendance. Each of the twelve proposals was represented by a large white poster on the wall—a blank canvas inviting our "sticky note votes."
Questions about proposals were asked and answered by their proponents. During this discussion, Caroline Setoodeh volunteered to acquire garment bags for us at no cost, fulfilling one of the proposals. Caroline also volunteered to help us obtain a stackable washer and dryer for less money than the original estimate, so the requested amount was adjusted downward.
Soon the "voting" began! White posters were quickly peppered with colorful sticky notes as the projects sprang to life in front of our eyes. Dollar "votes" for each proposal were then tallied. For the first round of voting, the rules of the evening stated that any proposal receiving enough dollars to be 50% funded would remain on the wall and continue to round two. The rest of the proposals would be removed, and any "sticky note votes" they had received would be re-allocated in round two to proposals still standing.
It soon became clear that some of the projects did not require full funding in order to be helpful toward their purposes. After a brief group discussion, the consensus was that these projects would keep their pledged dollars and be considered "partially funded:" Teacher Mentoring, Part-Time Swing Teacher, and Instrument Rental and Lesson Subsidies. It was a thing of beauty to see the fluidity and cooperation of the shared gifting process!
Between rounds, something very special and exciting took place! David Johnson stood and made an announcement regarding the proposal for the Exploratory Fund: "My concern is . . . that there might be some perception that it's taking money away from teacher initiatives, so I will pledge the $4000 to fund the Exploratory fund, if you will reallocate the money you donated to it." The looks on some of the faces were priceless! We are profoundly grateful to David for his ongoing generosity and involvement in the direction of our school!
For the second round of voting, a proposal needed 80% funding to remain in play (with the exceptions of the three partially-funded projects). At this point, Giving Circle members were invited to contribute extra dollars directly to their favorite project(s) to bring them up to "fully funded" status. Additional dollars were pledged to a few projects on the spot. At the end of the night, eleven of our twelve proposals were fully or partially funded! The Giving Circle initiative ended with a final donation tally of $29,585!
The Giving Circle event reflected the heart and soul of our community in a direct and tangible way. We came together and invested our values. We were able to see first-hand the power of coming together with shared values, shared goals, like minds, and a spirit of collaboration. The best part is knowing that the children of DVWS will benefit directly and immediately from these expanded programs, opportunities and experiences!
Thank you to every single person involved in the process—to Kristine Fiskum, who originally brought the shared gifting model to DVWS, to Barbara DuRocher who headed up the initiative this year, to the faculty, board and administration who put their faith in the community by embracing this experimental model for fundraising, to everyone who contributed to the fund, to those who invited your families, friends and employers to contribute (or match gifts), to those who submitted proposals for consideration, to those who attended and participated in the event, as well as those who helped bring it all together, handled the logistics, and enabled it to run smoothly. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!
Proposal Summaries:
FULLY FUNDED! Book Fund (proposed by Sarah DuRocher) New classroom library books, sets of class readers, and textbook/workbook acquisition and replacement. $800
FULLY FUNDED! Stackable Washer and Dryer (proposed by Ieva Scoggin) A stackable washer and dryer for the school's utility room, in order to give EC parents a break from washing napkins and towels, to keep snow gear and clothing dry and warm, and for general use. $900
FULLY FUNDED! Eurythmy Block (proposed by Edith de Castro and Barbara DuRocher) A 3-week block of Eurythmy for all students during the 2017-2018 school year $4600
FULLY FUNDED! School Expansion Exploratory Fund (proposed by Joe Anderson) Initial stages of discovery for expansion of the school. $4000
Event Tent (proposed by Lynda Julian) 30'X 50' tent (no walls) to be used for various ceremonies and festivals throughout the school year. This is the size that fits over the basketball court.
NEED FULFILLED! Garment Bags for Costumes (proposed by Lynda Julian) Garment bags to protect 20-30 costumes in storage used for school performances. $0
PARTIALLY FUNDED! Seed fund for part-time Swing Grade School Teacher (proposed by Elizabeth English) A part-time assistant teacher for specific periods, teacher prep work, and for substitute teaching. $3000
FULLY FUNDED! St. Nicholas and Ruprecht Costumes (proposed by Lynda Julian) A set of costumes for our annual St. Nicholas Day celebration. Elizabeth English has offered to create them. $450
PARTIALLY FUNDED! Subsidized Instrument Rental and Lessons (proposed by Elizabeth English) 4-6 string instruments to rent to families in need at a subsidized rate, and also to subsidize instrument lessons for families in need. $1500
FULLY FUNDED! Teacher Development Funds (proposed by Nancy Cross) Funds to lessen the amount of out-of-pocket cost associated with yearly teacher training and travel. $4075
PARTIALLY FUNDED! Teacher Mentoring for 2016-2017 School year (proposed by Nancy Cross) Professional, experienced mentors for on-site visits to guide and assist our teachers. $575
FULLY FUNDED! Tools and materials for Practical Arts Programming (proposed by Chris Ecklund) Tools and materials to support handwork and other practical arts classes, such as leather work, weaving, woodworking, yarn dyeing, and stone carving. $1100
Testimonials:
Dear Parents, Colleagues and Friends:
Most of you know me as Miss Dudeck, some of you know me as Debbie, and many of you do not know me at all. I taught in the grades for five years before I had to take a leave of absence from teaching. In my time at Da Vinci Waldorf School, I have seen the fundraising models grow and change. My first few years at the school involved several pay cuts. The school’s budget was always in the red, and I felt strongly about not sacrificing a position to cover the gap. On top of the reduction in salary, I was also encouraged to contribute to the fundraising. In those years, fundraising was done simply to meet the budgetary deficit. It was a burden on the teachers and the community. Needless to say, my feelings were not of grateful generosity.
Many adjustments have been made within the school thanks to David Johnson (with the three-year plan), the faculty and the board. During this time of ups and downs, Kristine Fiskum also presented a fundraising idea to the faculty that eventually grew into the Giving Circle. She had attended the Mid-States Conference and explained to us their Shared Gifting program. We were all very excited and happy to welcome another (as we saw it) positive change! As I am sure you can imagine, all of the new directives altered the mood of the faculty in a positive way. It was rejuvenating!
I was not a part of the Giving Circle last year due to my health, but I was so excited to attend this year. How wonderful to feel that I have really made a difference for the teachers and the community! This time I was “spending” money that was not solely my own and putting it towards things that I felt were important! Eleven out of the twelve proposals were partially or fully funded that night! One of my favorites was for classroom readers!
It was wonderful to see so many members of the community that night. We may have had different ideas of where the money should go, but we all had a common goal – the betterment of our school. Everyone who attended came not as a requirement, but as a gesture of cooperation and empowerment. This is the power of working together, and I am honored to be a part of the community! I hope to see even more participants next year!
Warmly,
Debbie Dudeck
The Giving Circle was really a nice experience. The greatest thing was that parents could attend this event, express their voice, and help in making decisions on where the money can be distributed. It makes our community closer and stronger. I would highly recommend for all the parents, especially early childhood ones, to attend this event and feel the power and energy of it.
—Vytautas Janusonis (father to Lukas in Apple Blossom Garden)
Photos from our 2/4 Giving Circle Event:
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