Admins,
Has your class given a gift to your high school or are you planning to do so? Or do you know of a gift given by another class?

Here are some points to share:

• What ideas did you consider?
• What did you give and why did you decide on that gift?
• Did you have a set amount to spend?
• Did you fundraise?
• Was the gift given during a reunion or another time?
• Do you have suggestions for other classes considering or planning to give their school a gift?

Hi Gwen,

Though we did not initially solicit funds from our classmates, with very good budgeting and careful spending, we have done both a gift to the school and give scholarships in the names of our deceased classmates.

After our 50th in 2009, we had some money left over in our budget which the committee decided to use for scholarships to two members of our high school's class of 2010. We created our own application form, interviewed the applicants and awarded the scholarships at the school's Awards dinner. We were so impressed with the students we met that we decided to see if our classmates wanted to continue with scholarships. They did, and we have done it every year since. We send out a letter in February asking for contributions, and give the scholarships out at the school's awards dinner in June. To date, we have given over $60,000 in scholarships! We plan to continue as long as we can, and as long as our classmates continue to support us.

Last year, with our numbers declining, we held a joint reunion with the class of 58 and 60. Again, we had a little money left over which we used to refurbish a welcome sign outside our school's front entrance. The sign had been given as a gift by the class of 96 but was looking a little worn so we gave it a facelift!

Camille

Our 50th reunion is coming up in 2020. Although we have not yet given a gift to our high school, several classes before us have given scholarships, but it was just a one-time gift, during their 50th reunion year.

We'll have to see if our classmates have the willingness and ability to give a gift. Great idea!

For our 45th Reunion we had a 50-50 raffle with the proceeds to pay for our website for next 5 years. Winner gave his half back to us so we gave the school $250 into their scholarship fund. For our 50th I had the idea of a different sort of raffle. We asked talented classmates to donate a raffle item they’d made. One of our classmates is a talented nature photographer and another an artist. I asked the one if he would contact those who said yes and we ended up with well over 20 items in addition to art and photography including a beautiful handmade inlaid wood end table, stained glass, knitted scarves, hand painted margarita glasses and pitcher, jewelry etc. Some items we grouped together to have a total of 20 raffle items. We sold arms length of 20 tickets for $20, 20 items. We had school color bags one in front of each item where you would then distribute your tickets into the bags of things you wanted. A master list and description of items on the tables. We set up display tables and throughout the evening people were thronging the tables. We said we would start selling the tickets as soon as dinner was over and we didn’t need to go sell people were practically knocking us over to buy! After each number drawn we dumped the remaining tickets from each bag into a larger bag and at the end drew a 50-50. Again the winner donated back his half! We ended up again funding website for 5 years, and giving $1750- $1000 to high school, $500 to a mission trip to Haiti a nun from our class was involved in and $250 to a well known local children’s charity some of our classmates involved with and connections to our school.

The other thing I want to say about this idea is that no one just sat at their table all evening. Everyone mixed and mingled. Also the raffle idea better than silent auction because this way no one gift appears any more popular than any other.

Good luck all!
Janie

Camille and Janie, Thanks for your input.

Like Scott Moore, my 50th class reunion is in 2020.

Regarding... a class gift to the school
For us, this topic has been on the table for a bit, yet we are about to offer a pre-planning 50th survey to our classmates and want to include the topic of a class gift. Though we have some ideas, we welcome more!

As to your gift ideas, I am not going to give my personal comment here until our gift committee has made a decision.

Regarding fundraising
For our 45th and Medicare Reunions, we asked for donations sharing why the donations were needed. Last year, at the Medicare reunion, we did a 50/50 raffle the winner donating his 50% back to the class as Janie's classmate did. That and another small amount won also donated back, will help fund our 50th.

I like raffling items like Janie's class. Offer the items for raffle and then draw for a 50/50 from all leftover tickets! (EDIT: My apologies, Janie, I misread your post and edited this paragraph accordingly.)

Let's keep this rolling as there will be other admins reading this today and into the future.

Janie Blank wrote:

Janie, I have to ask... "arms length"? Whose arm?

At our 50th & 25th Reunions, we donated $1,000 contributions in Memory of one of our deceased classmate's high school scholarship fund. The contributions were withdrawn from excess funds in our Class bank account.
Our high school charges student tuition. The contributions donated helps to defray tuition for a current high school student in need as determined by our high school's academic administrators.