hooks and protruding bolts.
5. Entrapment—Look for spaces that could entrap children, such as openings in guardrails or between ladder rungs and climbing ropes. Openings must measure less than 3.5 inches or more than 9 inches.
6. Trip hazards—Remove trip hazards, such as tree stumps and rocks. Cover exposed concrete footings.
7. Guardrails—Ensure that any elevated surface, such as platforms and ramps, has guardrails to prevent falls.
8. Check for wear—Check that the equipment is not becoming loose, damaged or worn.
9. Proper anchoring—All equipment needs to be properly anchored to the ground.
10. Suffocation hazards—Do not allow loose hanging ropes on equipment. A jump rope attached to play equipment can entangle a child and cause the child to suffocate.
11. Supervise—Children must be supervised at all times on the playground to ensure they are safe. The younger the children are, the higher the adult- to-child supervision ratio should be. Never leave children alone on play equipment.
Promote Playground Safety
Bumps and bruises are part of every child’s life. The last thing that anyone wants is for one of those bumps and bruises to be from a life-threatening playground injury. Inspecting the playground and equipment and immediately correcting any adverse condition can mean a giant step toward a safe playtime.
Charitable Giving Reaches $373.25 Billion in 2015 Janet Stump, MA CFRE
Charitable giving in the United States has reached $375 billion a year, of which total contributions by individuals constituted 80% of all donations (including bequests), or about $298 billion, according to a report by Giving U.S.A. 2016. In 2015, giving by foundations and corporations—nearly $75 billion—matched or exceeded their previous inflation-adjusted highs. The charitable sectors of religion and education account for 47% of all giving—approximately $176 billion: encouraging news for Christian schools dependent on contributed support to augment tuition income. According to Giving U.S.A., “With the exception of the S&P 500, most key economic factors associated with charitable giving grew in 2015. However, these indicators were generally not quite as strong as in 2014.”
Individual giving remains the backbone of American philanthropy, and 2015’s increase is related to the following key factors: 1) per capita giving by U.S. adults increased to $1,101 in 2015 and 2) average U.S. household giving reached $2,124. The Giving U.S.A. Report estimates that giving by nonitemizing individuals grew 2.5% and giving by itemizing individuals grew 4.1%.
Year over year, U.S. philanthropic giving statistics confirm that the majority of charitable contributions are given by individuals. It can be argued that an additional 15% of contributions from foundations are facilitated and designated by individuals and/or board trustees. Christian school boards and heads of school should understand that, generally, contributions to their schools will follow this pattern. An effective fund development effort deploys varied strategies to cultivate both individual and corporate donors, such as foundations, churches, and businesses. However,
© 2016 by the Association of Christian Schools International
the majority of fund-raising time and effort should be invested in identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding individuals in support of the school’s mission and the service it provides to the local community.
Building a sustainable base of engaged donors takes time and perseverance; thus, nurturing and maintaining healthy relationships with the school’s constituency— school families, extended families, alumni, local businesses, and church and community members— becomes a high priority. Donor retention and loyalty can be a challenge because of increasing competition among nonprofit organizations for contributions, as well as growing pressure for fiscal accountability both by donors and by the federal and state governments. Yet, retaining donors year after year is worth the hard work, as they also bring significant nonmonetary resources to the school. An engaged constituency prays for the school, volunteers consistently, and speaks positively about the program to the larger community. The mission of the school is advanced and sustained in ways far beyond what is achieved through fund-raising projects and events.
The fund-raising profession has gained credibility and professionalism in the last 30 years through the strong effort of organizations such as the Association of Fund- raising Professionals, Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, and CFRE International. Christian schools should rise to the highest level of accountability, putting policies and procedures into place that abide by biblical, legal, and professional standards. These include, but are not limited to, donor rights standards, fiduciary and gift stewarding policies, and biblical stewardship standards.
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