Ten percent. What is up with this number and why do you hear about it whenever EEF comes up at your school?

Well, we’re here to do some myth-busting. 

When EEF facilitates your school’s jogathon, direct drive, online fundraiser, or carnival, your school receives 90% of the total amount donated, and EEF retains, you guessed it, 10%. Of that amount, half goes right back to 4J schools through EEF’s grants, and the other half helps cover basic administrative expenses.

Why do we do this? EEF provides exceptional professional fundraising services to all schools in 4J. We act as your fiscal agent, and assume all risk and responsibility that goes with that. We train your volunteers and help coordinate and streamline your events. We set up your donation web pages and provide remittance envelopes (and we cover all of the fees and expenses for these items). You can be certain that when your school works with EEF, you’re getting a great deal on professional fundraising services; services that we all hope you’ll make extensive use of.

That 5% that we retain for grants is important, too. Not every school in 4J can raise a lot of money among parents and friends. EEF’s grantmaking has always sought to prioritize equity and need across the district, and everything we raise for grants from community members, plus that 5%, can make a really big difference for all schools.

When your school works with EEF, you’re benefitting from our wealth of knowledge about best practices across the district, our banking and online donation portals, and our capacity to help you run the best fundraiser you can. You’re also benefitting from our mission, to promote educational excellence and opportunities for ALL students in 4J. When we work together, our impact is greater. 

PS: Here’s another common question: “Doesn’t the district charge ANOTHER 10 PERCENT on top of that for staffing donations?” No! When you work with EEF, the district does NOT assess another 10% fee on any donations earmarked for staffing, which they do if you send donations straight to the district finance office.

PPS: More questions? No worries! We’re here to help. Give us a call at 541-790-7744, or email us at eef@4j.lane.edu. We look forward to hearing from you.