Giving FAQ

Giving to Raleigh Charter High School - Frequently Asked Questions

 

Raleigh Charter High School counts on financial support of the Phoenix Fund to supplement our annual state and county funding and to help us reach long-term goals. Information in this Giving section of our website is offered to increase understanding of charter school economics and our fundraising needs.

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What is the Phoenix Fund?

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​The Phoenix Fund is our annual appeal for operational support. 

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Gifts to the Phoenix Fund supplement the limited annual per-pupil funds received for each student. Charter schools do not receive capital funds for their land and building.

Support of the Phoenix Fund gives us the ability to:

• keep classes small

• attract and retain excellent teachers and staff

• expand our digital learning initiatives

• purchase new textbooks and classroom resources

• continue to expand our innovative Flex and Community Work Day programs

• pay for our mortgage and building maintenance

 

Every donated dollar will be carefully used, will be greatly appreciated, and will directly benefit our students and teachers.
Our 2026-2026 goal is $400,000. This goal is attainable with strong support from the RCHS community. We ask everyone to give as much as they are able.

 

We do NOT ask our students to do fundraising through the sale of popcorn, candy, wrapping paper, etc. Those programs designate only a small percentage of your cost to our school.

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What is the Raleigh Charter High School Foundation?

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The Raleigh Charter High School Foundation was established in 2009 with the sole purpose of supporting the vision and financial security of Raleigh Charter Charter High School. The first big project of the Foundation was to facilitate the purchase of our building at 1307 Glenwood Avenue allowing us to move away from the rising rental costs at our original facility and move into our very own school building in 2011. This incredible achievement was made possible through hundreds of families and donors who contributed financially to the capital campaign. 

 

Most recently, our community stepped up again raising over $1.6 million through the multi-year “Foundation Campaign” enabling the Foundation to pay off the remaining balance of the bond on our building in late 2025. Discharging this debt freed up the operational funds needed to sustainably raise salaries of all faculty and staff to the highest level of the local pay scale. 

 

With the Foundation Campaign finished, we have streamlined our annual fundraising efforts entirely through the RCHS Foundation creating simplicity in giving and greater flexibility in our use of funds. The RCHS Foundation is now the primary channel for supporting our school. This means that our annual Phoenix Fund is now “housed” within the RCHS Foundation. 

 

The RCHS Foundation is its own 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and is governed by a board of directors, the majority of which also serve on the Raleigh Charter High School board of directors. Donations to the RCHS Foundation are received and managed by the Development Office. Contributions to the RCHS Foundation support the operations and long-term stability of the school.

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How can I help the fundraising efforts?

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• Help us reach our Phoenix Fund goal by donating today!

• Encourage extended family and alumni to support RCHS.

• Multiply your gift with a corporate match.

• Contact our Development Team if you have any questions or ideas.

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How much should I give?

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We ask that every family participate in the life of the school and in financial support of the school. Every family situation is different and every family's contribution will be different. We ask all families to make a "stretch level" gift and encourage alumni, grandparents, and friends to give, too. Whether you can contribute $20 or $20,000, your gift will be greatly appreciated and wisely used.

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Why does a charter school need to raise money?

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Raleigh Charter's revenue comes from fixed per-pupil allotments from North Carolina and varying per-pupil funds from the counties where our students reside. In recent years, the average per-pupil amount received from government funding was about $10,500. These limited dollars are provided for instructional expenses; however, charter schools do not receive funds for their land or school building. Charter schools do not receive Education Lottery proceeds. We must stretch instructional funds to cover building costs which amount to about $1,600 per student per year.

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To manage this annual funding challenge, we ask for support of our Phoenix Fund from every family, every year. Our administrators and Board of Directors work diligently to use per-pupil funds and Phoenix Fund contributions as efficiently as possible. In addition, great savings are realized by not having a gym, cafeteria, or library and utilizing volunteers for many different projects. 

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How does this funding compare locally and nationally?

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A quick scan of public school budgets and private school tuitions will show the true cost of a high school education. A review of national public school funding tells us even more. North Carolina, the primary source of our per-pupil allotments, is ranked 41st in the nation in K-12 per-student education funding (NEA Rankings of the States 2023 and Estimates of School Statistics 2024, published April 2024). Compared to other states, our per-pupil funding is low.

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