Image Credit: AAA Growth and Development Department

AAA Introduces Scholarship Micro-Donations

At the beginning of the 2023–2024 academic year, Auburn Adventist Academy was blessed with an enrollment of more than 250 students. In January 2024, enrollment jumped to 260.

For many students, AAA is more than just a school. “AAA has not only been a school for me and many; it has been a place that has become a home filled with an amazing family that God has gifted to us,” said Kelsy Zacarias, AAA senior.

Of course, AAA has its challenges. High enrollment means a higher need for student aid. Having been in existence for almost 105 years, the campus is showing its age and requires not only more day-to-day upkeep and maintenance but also some expensive, large-scale repairs and much more.

In response to those challenges, some faculty and staff at AAA sought answers through prayer. For a long time, the school has needed a strong, simple and flexible program for building funds, as opposed to the typical one-time or once-per-year campaign. 

After a lot of prayer and many discussions, the development department felt impressed to establish $10 for Them, a foundational fundraising program designed for donors to give a recurring monthly donation of $10 or more. While it is designed to be monthly, it can be set up for an amount and timeline that works best for the donor.

“Our prayer is that the simplicity and flexibility of the program will drive its success,” said Kellie Nunley, AAA director of development. “Of course, the success of this program depends on a large number of donors willing to invest in the mission of Adventist education.”

The funds raised through $10 for Them will go toward the unrestricted annual fund, which supports the overall needs of the school, including student aid and day-to-day operations. AAA will still have various campaigns and events throughout the year, but this is an ongoing program on which the school will continue to build.

“Year after year, God puts these precious souls in our care,” Nunley stated. “He has given us a mission, which will not be complete until Jesus comes. We take the Great Commission of Matt. 28:19–20 very seriously. To those of us here at AAA and all of us in the ministry of our churches and schools, we are not raising funds — we are raising hearts for eternity.” 

Featured in: May/June 2024

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