February is here - the month of love - and on Signal Mountain, we sure love our schools! We also love to see our money doubled, and that is the case for all donations to the Mountain Education Foundation MEF during the Love Our Schools $50K Match Challenge, which runs February 1 through 15, 2023.
Initiated in 2019, the Love Our Schools Match Challenge has become a highly successful component of MEF’s fundraising efforts to support Nolan Elementary, Thrasher Elementary, and Signal Mountain Middle/High School. In 2020, the campaign grew with the addition of effective volunteer-led efforts, including the popular “Love Your Pet? Love Our Schools!” pet photo contest and, separately, crowdfunding teams that engaged in friendly competition to raise funds for MEF, as well as outreach to grandparents. The 2022 campaign exceeded the goals of the match, raising a total of $60,000 for the MEF Annual Fund and $52,000 for the MEF Endowment, including the matching funds.
“By giving to both the annual fund and the endowment fund, we feel like we get the best of both worlds,” shared local parents Emily and Philip Lehman. “Our kids who attend Signal schools receive an immediate benefit, but we also like paying it forward for future generations. We give monthly to show our sustained support of MEF, and all that it does for Signal Mountain.”
Right now is an ideal time to give to MEF because ALL donations are doubled through the Love Our Schools $50K Match Challenge. From February 1-15, the community is invited to give to the annual fund to meet school and student needs now … or give to the endowment to bless our children later … or give to BOTH! All gifts will be matched: up to $25,000 for the annual fund AND up to $25,000 for the endowment. These matching funds are made possible by generous anonymous donors to each fund, with the goal to raise a total of $100,000 ($50,000 each for the annual fund and the endowment) in February through the Love Our Schools campaign.
“Clearly our donor base loves to have someone else match their contribution and double their money. We are very grateful that the match challenge is a successful motivator, resulting in so much generosity that benefits our children!” shared MEF Executive Director Hilarie Robison. “Donating to both the immediate, yearly needs through an annual fund and to the long-term sustainability of the organization through an endowment fund are equally valued and important to every nonprofit.”
Donations to the MEF Endowment are separate from gifts to the MEF Annual Fund. Annual fund donations are used to meet current needs and annual grants for Signal Mountain’s three public schools, including funding 15 teacher salaries and more not covered by public dollars. Funds raised during the 2022-23 school year determine the funding available for Nolan, Thrasher and SMMHS for the 2023-24 school year.
The MEF Endowment is an investment fund designed for long-term sustainability of MEF’s mission in support of Signal schools. Gifts to the endowment are not used for current school needs, but are invested for long-term impact and support. An endowment typically includes funds given to a nonprofit by donors who have stipulated as a condition of the gift that its principal may not be spent, and who expect that its value will increase over time. Hence, the MEF Endowment is invested for long-term benefits, with the earned interest income eventually used for the Foundation’s mission of strategic investment in educational excellence at Signal Mountain public schools. The MEF Endowment Fund has grown by more than 200 percent in the last four years, thanks to generous contributions. A growing endowment is one of the signatures of a strong and sustainable nonprofit.
“I believe in Signal Mountain schools and the Mountain Education Foundation. MEF provides tremendous, valuable resources that are key to helping students succeed. Investing in the MEF Endowment means those resources will be available for generations to come,” shared the anonymous endowment donor.
Initiated in 2019, the Love Our Schools Match Challenge has become a highly successful component of MEF’s fundraising efforts to support Nolan Elementary, Thrasher Elementary, and Signal Mountain Middle/High School. In 2020, the campaign grew with the addition of effective volunteer-led efforts, including the popular “Love Your Pet? Love Our Schools!” pet photo contest and, separately, crowdfunding teams that engaged in friendly competition to raise funds for MEF, as well as outreach to grandparents. The 2022 campaign exceeded the goals of the match, raising a total of $60,000 for the MEF Annual Fund and $52,000 for the MEF Endowment, including the matching funds.
“By giving to both the annual fund and the endowment fund, we feel like we get the best of both worlds,” shared local parents Emily and Philip Lehman. “Our kids who attend Signal schools receive an immediate benefit, but we also like paying it forward for future generations. We give monthly to show our sustained support of MEF, and all that it does for Signal Mountain.”
Right now is an ideal time to give to MEF because ALL donations are doubled through the Love Our Schools $50K Match Challenge. From February 1-15, the community is invited to give to the annual fund to meet school and student needs now … or give to the endowment to bless our children later … or give to BOTH! All gifts will be matched: up to $25,000 for the annual fund AND up to $25,000 for the endowment. These matching funds are made possible by generous anonymous donors to each fund, with the goal to raise a total of $100,000 ($50,000 each for the annual fund and the endowment) in February through the Love Our Schools campaign.
“Clearly our donor base loves to have someone else match their contribution and double their money. We are very grateful that the match challenge is a successful motivator, resulting in so much generosity that benefits our children!” shared MEF Executive Director Hilarie Robison. “Donating to both the immediate, yearly needs through an annual fund and to the long-term sustainability of the organization through an endowment fund are equally valued and important to every nonprofit.”
Donations to the MEF Endowment are separate from gifts to the MEF Annual Fund. Annual fund donations are used to meet current needs and annual grants for Signal Mountain’s three public schools, including funding 15 teacher salaries and more not covered by public dollars. Funds raised during the 2022-23 school year determine the funding available for Nolan, Thrasher and SMMHS for the 2023-24 school year.
The MEF Endowment is an investment fund designed for long-term sustainability of MEF’s mission in support of Signal schools. Gifts to the endowment are not used for current school needs, but are invested for long-term impact and support. An endowment typically includes funds given to a nonprofit by donors who have stipulated as a condition of the gift that its principal may not be spent, and who expect that its value will increase over time. Hence, the MEF Endowment is invested for long-term benefits, with the earned interest income eventually used for the Foundation’s mission of strategic investment in educational excellence at Signal Mountain public schools. The MEF Endowment Fund has grown by more than 200 percent in the last four years, thanks to generous contributions. A growing endowment is one of the signatures of a strong and sustainable nonprofit.
“I believe in Signal Mountain schools and the Mountain Education Foundation. MEF provides tremendous, valuable resources that are key to helping students succeed. Investing in the MEF Endowment means those resources will be available for generations to come,” shared the anonymous endowment donor.
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