Ovilla Christian School has outgrown its humble beginnings in 1992 (9 students in K5) and is now blessed with over 430 students in K-12. God has blessed the school with steady growth and every available space is being utilized. As God leads and provides, programs and facilities are enhanced and expanded.

We believe that development and communication are vital to achieving the Lord's plan for the OCS ministry. All programs are carefully planned to ensure maximum support for established goals. These programs include promotion of OCS to the community, fundraising for tuition assistance and capital campaign programs. We also keep the OCS family informed of implementation plans and ask for their input on a regular basis.

The role of the Development Office is to build a sustainable support base for OCS’ Christ-centered mission through strong relationships with individuals, foundations, churches, and others to provide prayer support, funding, volunteerism, and good will.

To do so, the Development Office is responsible for:

• Implementation/administration of programs that enable school advancement in the areas of marketing, publications, public relations, student recruitment, and parent/alumni relations
• Fund development strategies and direction for all fundraising endeavors
• Consistent and professional communication to current and prospective families/supporters and the community
• Coordination of all public and private means of soliciting financial support
• Maintenance of mailing lists and donor records
• Acknowledgement of all gifts
• Major donor development
• Development of programs for deferred or planned giving/endowment building
• OCS Brand management
• Advertising

Giving Opportunities
Financial contributions beyond tuition make a meaningful difference for our students, faculty, and staff. OCS offers a variety of giving opportunities throughout the year to promote the development of our staff and faculty, school programs and the enhancement of facilities. OCS is a non-profit 501 (C) (3) organization and donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Details of giving opportunities are communicated to friends and families of OCS throughout the year.

OCS Families
OCS families play an important role in the ongoing development of our ministry. One area where parents can help us is communication. Throughout the year, the Development Office issues a variety of news releases/publications, informational flyers, and on-line news to school families and the community. These forms of communication are used to keep OCS families “in the know” and to showcase our school to prospective families, supporters, churches, businesses and others in the community. Parents are encouraged to submit student achievements, class/grade level activities and more, along with photos, to the Development Office. Information and photos will be published following approval and according to space availability. OCS communication reflects our on-going efforts to carry out our mission statement.

Volunteer Program/Fundraisers
Another area that is vital to the success of the development effort are our wonderful volunteers. Each year, volunteers are asked to take part in events/fundraisers by overseeing or helping with class/grade activities/projects and/or volunteering their time and services for the total project/event. A volunteer can make a big difference in the success of a fundraiser/event/project. Therefore, OCS welcomes the ideas and efforts of volunteers to further the ministry of OCS.

To contact the Development Office for more information on how you can get involved and make a difference in the lives of students at OCS, contact Keri Livingston, Development Director at 972.617.1177 x 328 or e-mail klivingston@ovillachristianschool.org.