Reports of ASSISTance
A Strong Year of Fundraising for ASSIST
ASSIST Annual Fund: Another Record-Setting Year!
With the campaign now completed, we are pleased to announce that 220 gifts to the 2008/09 ASSIST Annual Fund totaled $146,363, setting a new record in unrestricted giving. The Annual Fund has now almost tripled since 2000, and the 2008/09 campaign exceeded both last year's Fund ($113,362) and our budgeted goal ($115,000). A key priority is to make the program accessible; with your support, we can make the exchange experience affordable so that any talented and deserving student can aspire to become an ASSIST scholar.
The 2009/10 Annual Fund is already launched! To make a secure gift with your credit card over the Internet, or to explore other gift options, please follow this link to Support ASSIST.
A list of U.S.-based donors for 2008/09 can be found at: Report of Donors.
Anonymous Gift Provides Stimulus
ASSIST received an anonymous $50,000 gift from a generous donor to help stimulate our fundraising work. Half of the gift was used as a challenge fund in Germany last year to help launch the inaugural Annual Fund campaign. The second half of the gift will be used to underwrite the creation of the new position of Vice President for Advancement. As we come to rely increasingly on our fundraising – now 40% of our budget – this wonderful gift enables us to take a measurable leap in our work.
Germany Alumni and Parents Step Forward to Match Grant
For the first time, ASSIST and the ASSIST Förderverein worked in partnership to undertake an Annual Fund campaign among German alumni and parents. With Director of Alumni Relations Eleanore Boyse and volunteer leaders proving strong support, 97 donors contributed €44,510 to the inaugural fund. This met the terms of the matching grant (please read above), meaning another US $25,000 was added to the Fund. The funds will be utilized to support needy German scholars and to underwrite the alumni and recruitment work of ASSIST in Germany. We also raised €5,150 to help fund the 40th Anniversary gala and €2,100 to directly fund student scholarships.
Through our partnership with the Förderverein, ASSIST alumni and their parents in Germany will be able to make one gift annually that supports the work of both organizations. Gifts made to the Förderverein will be used to directly support needy scholars in Germany, and will be shared with ASSIST to help meet our operating expenses in Germany. With the change in its by-laws, the Förderverein is able to acknowledge the integrated gift with a tax-exemption certificate.
We encourage all German alumni and their parents to begin to make annual gifts that will support the work of ASSIST in Germany. Alumni in other countries are now following this new model to seek opportunities to make tax-advantaged gifts in their own nations.
The ASSIST Förderverein Supports German Scholars
Our colleagues of the ASSIST Förderverein have once again stepped forward in generosity and will support 15 talented and deserving German students, awarding grants totaling $62,975. The members of the Förderverein raise funds so that students from families with limited economic means can accept their ASSIST scholarships. Focused primarily on students receiving partial scholarships, this generous support enables ASSIST to extend scholarship offers to the most talented students, focusing on their promise rather than on their family's income. The ASSIST Förderverein was founded in 1982 and began to grant scholarships in 1986 under the leadership of its Chairman, Dr. Detlev Rohwedder. Over the succeeding 22 years, the Förderverein has supported 279 German scholars with grants totaling $874,452.
Sponsoring Students from Eastern and Central Europe: Funding Complete for 2009/10!
For the 2009/10 academic year, ASSIST will welcome 32 students from eastern and central Europe. For the third consecutive year, sponsorship funding is in place to support every student. This is a significant moment in ASSIST history, as generous donors have enabled us to support these deserving students and to bring a level of excellence to our fundraising that has been a hallmark of the other segments of our program. The receiving American schools continue to offer full scholarships to these students, but we must still raise additional funds for each student to fund international and domestic airfare, a spending stipend, health insurance, orientation, our operating expenses in each country, and ongoing support throughout the ASSIST year.
For a sponsorship of $8,000, donors are enabling students to undertake life-changing experiences by accepting a scholarship valued up to $46,600 (in 2009/10). Please contact ASSIST President Bob Stanley if you – or an organization you represent – has an interest in this wonderful initiative. We are now seeking funding for the 2010/11 academic year and beyond.
Next Goal: Fundraising for the Middle East and South Africa
During the 2009/10 academic year, ASSIST welcomed a scholar from Israel who is studying at Miss Hall’s School (MA). This young woman is our first scholar from the Middle East and the recipient of both a school scholarship and a sponsorship.
In September 2009, ASSIST President Bob Stanley and VP for Advancement Meg Moulton traveled to Johannesburg, South Africa, to secure a foundation for the recruitment of South African scholars. Working in partnership with ISASA (Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa), ASSIST will have the opportunity to bring outstanding scholars from this country to our member schools.
We need your ASSISTance! Each student from the Middle East and South Arica must be supported by an $8,000 sponsorship. We currently seek donors who would like to offer this life-changing experience to a student from one of these two regions.
