Spurred by the offer of multiple incentive gifts to the 47 school-based endowment funds, over 700 MMSD staff gave more than $72,000 in the 2007 campaign for the Foundation for Madison's Public Schools.

As in past years, the vast majority of staff giving this year — over 70% — was targeted to the endowment funds of individual schools. With a major boost from the Madison Community Foundation in the form of a $90,000 challenge gift, the 2007 employee campaign helped boost the total raised for these endowments to nearly $1.1 million.

Each school will get to use the "interest" from these endowments for special projects at their school each and every year, forever. And the rapid growth in these funds will boost school endowment grant making this coming Fall by nearly 60% over the amount granted this past November (from roughly $22,100 to nearly $35,600).

Special recognition this year goes to this year's winners of the Foundation's $500 and $250 school endowment incentive gifts in the following categories.

• Greatest % of staff giving (small schools): Nuestro Mundo (Margaret Stumpf, Captain) and Affiliated Alternatives (Larry Palm, Captain)
• Greatest % of staff giving (large schools): East High (Katie Johnson, Captain) and Memorial High (Jon Spencer, Captain)
• Greatest % increase in # of staff giving (small schools): Schenk (Shelly Sikorski and Laurie Tomasini, Co-captains) and Stephens (Elena Meyer, Captain)
• Greatest % increase in # of staff giving (large schools): West (Heidi Hastings, Captain) and East (Katie Johnson, Captain)
• Greatest % of donors retained (small schools): Mendota (Sandy Gunderson and Cathy Hunt, Co-captains) and Cherokee (Donna Fogell, Captain)
• Greatest % of donors retained (large schools): East High (Katie Johnson, Captain) and Memorial High (Jon Spencer, Captain)

The Foundation Board, staff, and volunteers extend their deepest thanks for this wonderful show of generosity by MMSD employees, and especially to the dozens of staff across the district who served as captains within their buildings and were such exceptional ambassadors for the campaign.