Since ANC in Salt Lake City we have had a lot of exciting Annual Fund news to share with you. The School Nutrition Foundation has kicked off a yearlong fundraising competition between the states to help raise money to fund scholarships for School Nutrition Association members. We are well on our way, having had a very successful week of fundraising at this year’s Annual National Conference; close to $4000 was raised between member donations and industry partners who increased the size of their donations for 2015.
Individual Donations
In addition to setting an ambitious $35,000 fundraising goal for ourselves this year, we have also set out to increase the number of SNA members who support the Annual Fund. Can we break the record for most individual member donations in a single year? We certainly hope so—and we need your help!
How to Make Your Donation
It’s easier than ever to make your donation to the Annual Fund. We recently added a Donate Now! Button to the School Nutrition Foundation Facebook page, and you can navigate directly to our donation page here. You can also download a contribution form online, or contact the Foundation directly to inquire about making a gift; call us at 301-686-3100 or email us at snf@schoolnutrition.org.
2015 State Competition
We’re not ashamed to say that we are counting on your competitive nature! Our 2015 State Competition is another way we are motivating members to donate to the Annual Fund. The state competition is simple—in 2015, State Associations will compete with the other State Associations in their division, and at the end of the year the association with the highest percentage participation by individual contributors (of $10 or more from an SNA member) is the winner for that division. For our State Competition it’s not the amount of the donation that matters so much as the total number of contributors. In each SNA division (1-500; 501-1000; 1001+) those who contributed to the Annual Fund from the respective State Association with the highest percentage participation will be entered into a drawing to win two reserved seats for the entertainment event at the 2016 Annual National Conference in San Antonio!
As of August 15, 2015, leading the State Associations with 1001+ members is Florida with 1.4 percent participation, followed by three State Associations with 0.7 percent participation—Georgia, Mississippi, and Virginia. In the 501-1000 member division, Illinois leads with 1.1 percent participation, with New York close behind with 0.9 percent participation. Three states in that division have 0.6 percent participation—Arizona, Colorado, and Missouri. In the 1-500 member division, the District of Columbia leads with 7.4 percent participation, and Wyoming (1.7 percent participation) and South Dakota (1.0 percent participation) are in second and third places. Watch for monthly updates!
Spread the Word
We also hope you will consider spreading the word about the Annual Fund by using some of the resources we are providing for members. You can create your own fundraising page to share with other members to raise awareness, and dollars; you can also use the SNF Annual Fund resources we’ve provided online, such as Talking Points, a Pledge Form, and fliers, among others.
