Katie Kwong, Development Officer at Kellett School, The British International School in Hong Kong, chatted with the ToucanTech team about the purpose and impact of the Kellett Foundation, and gave us some insight into how they use the ToucanTech system to manage donor data and deliver a range of diverse funding initiatives.

Tell us about the Kellett Foundation.

The Kellett Foundation drives charitable donations to three primary funds:

• The Ann Mc Donald Fund for bursaries covering school tuition;
• Outreach, which provides lessons for children living below the poverty line in Hong Kong;
• The K² (K Squared) fund for curriculum enhancements.

Tell us about your role and what you enjoy most about it. 

My role covers a lot of different functions including alumni engagement, fundraising, communications, event management and archives!

On the alumni side, I most enjoy connecting with lost alumni, seeing what they are up to and hearing the stories of past students and their love of the school.

On the fundraising side, I am touched by our supportive community's generosity, so these great initiatives could be rolled out.

How many bursary places are offered at Kellett School?

We currently have seven students studying at Kellett on a bursary funded by the Ann McDonald Fund, and we aim to offer two places per year. We open up untold opportunities and pathways for children through the gift of a Kellett School education.

You have a very busy fundraising calendar throughout the year — tell us about your most popular activites.

Our Giving Day was very popular! We made sure students had a really fun day so they would go home buzzing to their parents and encourage them to donate.

The Parents’ Committee also manages the Kellett Ball which drives funds to the Foundation. 

What value does ToucanTech bring to you and your team?

I like that you have everything in one single platform! The software is easy to use, and I think it is intuitive and straightforward to work out things for yourself. I have seen the software change a lot in the five or so years I’ve used the system — it has just gotten better over time.

I love they include me in the process of developing the software. I can provide feedback and the ToucanTech team listens. 

Tell us how have you been using your ToucanTech system to manage your supporter data and communications.

Since the launch of the Kellett Foundation website at the end of 2022, we have uploaded our historical donations, keeping track of donor donations and profiles. We have seen an increase in managed donations by 25% year-on-year.

We also ran a Christmas Campaign for Kellett Parents by creating a campaign page, collecting donations, and reporting donation updates all on the same page. The majority of the donations were collected straight from the website, so all the data were logged automatically and we were able to create and send system receipts to donors.

This campaign coupled with general promotion via our Kellett Foundation website has led to a five-fold increase in online donations this year.

You're an experienced database manager — any tips for other fundraisers on how to keep their data tidy?

• Follow the best practices tips shared by the ToucanTech customer service team and other fundraisers; 
• Keep a good housekeeping routine, especially before and after hosting a campaign or event;
• Internally, get your team members familiar with the platform and centralise all your data entry and communications in one place!

What are you hoping for in 2024 for the Kellett Foundation?

Make better use of ToucanTech to track donor engagement and raise more money for our three funds, channeling donations via the Foundation website for efficiency. 

I'm also seeking to pass my knowledge on to the broader team to enable more team members to use ToucanTech!