Multidisciplinary Scientific Journal for Innovative Research
Vol. 1, No. 2, March 2023
Published by Wajoku Digital Library a Part of BRP Publishing
1
ISSN 2986-0253
INDONESIAN PERSPECTIVE ANALYSIS:
WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS: PRIVATE FUNDRAISING AND PUBLIC
SCHOOLS IN PHILADELPHIA (GOOD & NELSON, 2021)
Atur Ari Kusdianto 1(a)
1
SD Negeri Mlati 1, Sleman, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
a)
aturkusdianto@gmail.com
ARTICLE INFORMATIONS ABSTRACT
Keywords:
education funding, quality of
education, community
participation
Corresponding Author:
E-mail:
aturkusdianto@gmail.com
DOI:
10.59178/papernia.202301021
One of the problems that always hit education in various parts of the world is the
budget. The limited education budget will affect the quality of education services
provided to the community. Therefore, increasing public awareness to participate
in education funding is important. Not only for better quality but also to make
education a shared responsibility. Good & Nelson in their article entitled With a
Little Help from Our Friends: Private Fundraising and Public Schools in
Philadelphia, highlights the practice of educational funding that is mostly carried
out by non-profit organizations based on the school environment with various pros
and cons and explains what strategies can be taken to support availability of an
education budget that involves community participation (Good & Nelson, 2021).
This paper will also discuss its practical application in the context of education in
Indonesia with various intrigues and conflicts related to public education funding.
A. INTRODUCTION
Adequate education funding is still a serious problem
in many countries, even in developed countries. The state
limited ability to support the fulfillment of an adequate
budget coupled with global economic conditions which are
currently experiencing a decline due to the pandemic and
other global issues has caused services in the education
sector to experience obstacles.
As happened in a state of the United States,
Philadelphia, cuts in the education budget have had a
broad impact on the implementation of education services
in that area. Awareness of proper education services has
encouraged the community around the school to participate
in providing financial support and facilities. As a result,
environmental-based non-profit organizations have sprung
up to help realize the implementation of school programs
which will have an impact on improving the quality of
education which will ultimately be enjoyed by the people in
that environment.
Good & Nelson in this article highlights the practice of
educational funding that is widely practiced by non-profit
organizations based on the school environment with
various pros and cons and describes strategies that can be
implemented to support the availability of an education
budget that involves community participation (Good &
Nelson, 2021: p.1).
In the next section, intrigue and conflict will be
analyzed involving community participation in the form of
non-profit organizations based on the school environment
and their effects on sustainability, improving the quality of
educational services and increasing economic, social and
cultural values in general towards the involvement of these
non-profit organizations in educational institutions.
B. MATERIAL AND METHOD
This study can be categorized in the field of sociology
which is an educational problem that seeks to help
teachers, citizens, and policy makers in making decisions
(Ballantine, Hammack, & Stuber, 2017: p.22). The method
used is journal analysis as a form of literature study with the
aim of summarizing various ideas or thoughts of other
people from various points of view. The summary is then
synthesized to find the right integration in solving a problem
that is still related but has differences, such as region,
geographical condition, and socio-culture. In this case the
results of the synthesis will be used to see the possibility of
its application in the perspective of the education sector in
Indonesia, especially with regard to the main issues to be
discussed, namely regarding the education budget.

Kusdianto, A.A. PAPERNIA Vol. 1, No. 2, March 2023
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C. RESULTS
Disparities in financial capacity between regions are
still a big issue that cannot be completely discussed. This
inequality causes a striking disparity in the quality of
education services between “rich” and “poor” regions. This
is due to the ability to allocate the education budget which
is also small. Rich areas plus support from surrounding
communities that are also rich are increasingly leaving poor
areas that are increasingly suffering. Wealthier
communities can draw on greater resources to support
local schools and to overcome the shortfalls that are
created when areas experience a shortage of funds. As for
the poor areas, it is even more difficult because of the
limited financial support from the government coupled with
the socio-economic conditions of the surrounding
communities who are unable to provide adequate support
to the schools in their vicinity.
Budget problems for schools in regions with limited
government funding allocations often lead these schools to
take the initiative to enter into partnerships with outside
organizations, such as companies, private foundations,
religious organizations, and other community
organizations. These organizations can be classified as
non-profit organizations because they do not make
financial gain the main goal, but instead focus on improving
the quality of society according to the ideals of each
organization. Non-profit organizations obtain resources
from donations from members and other donors who do not
expect anything in return from the organization (IAI, 2016).
Recent difficult economic conditions have led to a
decline in support for the social sector, including education.
Sponsors have recognized the need to explore new
revenue-generating models to achieve financial
sustainability despite investing in social welfare (Costa,
Leoci, & Tafuro, 2014: p.59) . Therefore, it is necessary to
look for other forms of support for schools that do not rely
on profit-oriented organizations, even though these
organizations are basically non-profit organizations.
Local government policies provide broad opportunities
for state schools to partner with outside organizations in
order to support budget fulfillment in program
implementation. The awareness that achieving national
education goals is not only the sole obligation of the state
but also the obligation of all elements of society in a country
has given rise to a movement of concern in its various
forms. Although in the end it does not rule out the possibility
of making education no longer totally service oriented
without a tendency to seek financial gain, it still adapts to
the proposals submitted by supporting organizations. This
is a difficult choice between maintaining public schools to
continue to function ideally as institutions that protect
national values, but with all the limited funds. Meanwhile,
on the other hand, allowing schools to get supporting funds
but sacrificing some of the ideal values as an institution that
protects the nation's values.
It cannot be denied that the currents of modernization
and globalization demand adjustments to the nation's ideal
values so that they still have personality but are not left
behind in global competition (Veugelers, 2020: p.7).
Allowing public schools to obtain funds from organizations
outside the school has further aggravated the burden on
schools to maintain integrity and not dissolve, which
eventually go off track because they are within a framework
of conflicting goals. Unangst and de Wit have warned that
the involvement of organizations outside public agencies in
the education system is between the power structure and
the market-oriented economy to achieve missions that tend
to be different (Unangst & de Wit, 2020: p.4) . On the one
hand, supporting the achievement of national education
goals, on the other hand, benefiting from what has been
invested. Although within a certain frequency both of them
can still go hand in hand. Therefore, obtaining supporting
funds from a group outside the school but not interfering
with the independence of the school in its services is very
important to do.
Good & Nelson in this article is more likely to pay
attention to the type of support partners in the form of
environment-based organizations that are created explicitly
as a fundraising channel for schools (Good & Nelson, 2021:
p.2). In the context of United States Federal Government
tax regulations, they are called 501(c)(3) organizations,
which include a variety of charitable, non-profit, religious,
and educational organizations. This type of 501(c)(3)
organizational partner is interesting to discuss because it is
directly related to the existence of schools in the vicinity
along with its relationship to the socio-economic conditions
of the community around the school as well as to reveal the
motives behind the formation of the 501(c)(3) organization.
The formation of a 501(c)(3) organization in discussing
support for schools can start from the initiative of parents
and schools. The main objectives of forming this
organization are fundraising, advocating in the surrounding
environment, and as a channel for collecting personal funds
from students' parents or other parties for the benefit of
school services (Good & Nelson, 2021: p.7). 501(c)(3)
organizations conduct fundraising through annual parental
contributions, online fundraising campaigns for certain
programs, and holding social events to attract
sponsorship/participant registration. The funds collected
are used to fund academic strengthening programs, main
extra-curricular enrichment, maintenance of school
buildings and supporting facilities, as well as procurement
of equipment and materials.
Organization that was formed as a result of parental
initiatives was initiated by the parents of students who have
excess influence in the fields of politics, power, and finance
who are "motivated" to improve the quality of schools. The
parents of these students generally have middle to upper
social status who happen to move to a new area and are
forced to send their children to a school near where they
live or are indeed indigenous people whose children when
they enter school age are "forced" to send their children to
that school as a consequence of geographical conditions.
The demand for good school quality and reputation
prompted him to raise support for the parents of other
students to jointly support school services. In its
development, the 501(c)(3) organization that was formed
was able to change the quality and reputation of the school
in a better direction. On the one hand, this increase benefits
the school in improving its quality and reputation, but on the
other hand it is a successful opponent forcing an activity
that is sometimes not included in the school's priority
program. The 501(c)(3) organization that was formed at the
initiative of parents of students has good sustainability,
even in its development it is able to become a larger
organization with a more complete organizational structure
and has a clear program rather than just a collection of
representatives of parents without direction.
501(c)(3) organizations formed at the initiative of
school principals related to the implementation of
temporary work provided by funders (can come from the
government or private sector) to involve representatives of
students' parents in carrying out work as a condition for
granting these funds. This work is usually in the form of

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physical work such as building rehabilitation, garden
repairs, and the addition of other school service facilities.
501(c)(3) organizations that are formed on the initiative of
schools usually do not have continuity. After the work is
completed, the management of the 501(c)(3) organization
ends.
The 501(c)(3) organization that was formed on the
initiative of the parents and guardians of students is an
ideal school support organization, because it is not only
temporary in nature but has cared for the long-term
sustainability of the quality of educational services in a
school. However, in its development it turned out to have a
major impact on changes in the demographic conditions of
the community around the school. This relates to the shift
in obtaining proper and quality education for all students
regardless of their socioeconomic status.
Initially, wealthy parents whose children attended a
public school provided financial support to improve the
quality of education services at schools. The motivation is
primarily so that their children get a higher quality education
to better guarantee their future. Along with improving the
quality and reputation of the school, it will attract rich
parents to attend school here. Schools that have benefited
from these rich parents then prioritize students whose
parents are rich in enrolling their students, thus shifting
opportunities for poor students to attend school here and
ultimately poor students can only "choose" schools whose
quality is not good. This condition will continue to recur thus
increasing the gap in opportunity to obtain quality education
for students with limited resources.
The 501(c)(3) organizational scope which is limited to
the school environment also has an impact on increasing
the gap in the quality of education services at schools in
high-income communities and schools in low-income
communities. The allocation of large resources
accumulated in 501(c)(3) organizations in “rich” schools
cannot be distributed to “poor” schools which actually need
support to improve their quality. This is due to the nature of
the organization which is limited in scope only to assist the
school where the 501(c)(3) organization is formed.
The emergence of these various gaps actually started
from something positive, but the absence of control and
concern from various parties, especially the government in
bridging the potential for community support, has had the
opposite impact on the aspiration to provide a more decent
education for all citizens. This is perhaps in accordance
with Tesar's view, that the future of education is very
dependent on how humans build strong relationships with
each other to cut the gap between reality and ideals, as well
as the gap between different communities and groups of
citizens as a source of deepening social inequality (Tesar,
2019: 303). The concern of various parties is certainly
expected to be able to unravel the root of the problem
originating from their respective egos not to compete with
each other to assert themselves, but must merge together
to fix the educational problems that occur. It is proven that
the great potential of 501(c)(3) organizations is able to have
a positive impact but leave traces of injustice in the
development of its implementation.
D. DISCUSSION
The function of the 501(c)(3) organization in improving
the quality of education services if placed in the education
system in Indonesia has the potential to collide with the
school committee as an organization that is recognized in
laws and regulations in accordance with the Regulation of
the Minister of Education and Culture Number 75 of 2016
concerning School Committees. It is stated in the regulation
that school committees are located in every school that
carry out the function of improving the quality of education
services in a mutual, democratic, independent,
professional and accountable manner (Kemdikbud, 2016).
However, the 501(c)(3) organization as discussed by Good
and Nelson does not intend to replace the official
organization that already exists in schools. A 501(c)(3) type
organization managed by a group of parents of middle and
upper socioeconomic groups to support a special program
that cannot be discussed by official organizations such as
school committees because of the limited socioeconomic
conditions of the majority of parents in the school (Good &
Nelson, 2021: p.2).
The high demand for improving the quality of
educational services today does not rule out the possibility
of adopting the 501(c)(3) organizational pattern, especially
regarding its success in providing sizable financial support
for schools to implement their programs. The involvement
of parents of students who have excess influence in the
political, economic and social fields in efforts to improve
educational services is a potential that must be maximized.
This involvement, of course, must be framed within the
official organizational structure of the school committee and
not by creating shadow organizations, even though the goal
is to improve the quality of schools.
The composition of the school committee's
management which pays attention to the distribution of
potential "that can be utilized" from parents of students who
have advantages in various fields supporting the existence
of the school must be carried out. To fulfill this goal, it must
have started since the formation of the school committee
which was carried out seriously and conscious of the
functions that would be carried out later.
Committees that do not have good capabilities will not
have an impact on improvements for schools. School
effectiveness is not influenced by school committees
(Masrukhin, 2018: p.122). This means that school
committees are unable to carry out their functions as
advisory agencies in determining and implementing
education policies in schools, supporting agencies for the
availability of funds and other educational resources
through innovative creative efforts, controlling agency for
education services, as well as mediators to follow up on
complaints, suggestions, criticisms, and aspirations from
students, parents/guardians, and the community as well as
the results of their observations on school performance
according to the mandate of the Minister of Education and
Culture Number 75 of 2016 concerning School
Committees. Therefore the formation of school committee
management must be intended solely to maximize the
existing potential to improve the quality of education
services in schools.
The fundraising strategy undertaken by 501(c)(3) type
organizations to support school programs can also be
adopted by school committees in Indonesia. Fundraising
through regular annual contributions from parents of
students, online fundraising campaigns for certain
programs, and holding social events to attract
sponsors/registration of activity participants can also be
carried out. Of course, it must consider the diversity of
abilities of parents of students and the involvement of
collaboration with profit/non-profit organizations without
binding requirements and not contradicting the upholding
of values in schools.
The emergence of a 501(c)(3) type organization in
supporting the quality of education services will soon have

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a positive impact on schools and their environment but is
accompanied by a lurking negative impact when
maintaining a narrow scope. The potential for deprivation
of the right to proper education for all citizens must be
watched out for as a side effect of the development of a
501(c)(3) type organization which makes parents of
students with middle to upper socioeconomic status (Good
& Nelson, 2021: p.5).
This signal has been expressed by Rosser and Fahmi
who stated that parents in Indonesia are not well organized:
there are very few parent representative groups and these
groups are usually formed to influence decision making in
certain schools in wealthy areas and this does not occur in
schools. -other schools in general (Rosser & Fahmi, 2018:
p.79). This potential gap that can occur can be overcome
by forming an organizational platform that contains
representatives of school committees in an area with the
spirit of moving forward together to provide proper
education for all citizens without exception and to promote
the quality of education in general. This effort must be built
on a strong foundation of nationalism to suppress conflicts
of interest and groups that will undermine the efforts being
made.
E. CONCLUSSION
Education is a shared responsibility, not only the
responsibility of the government, local government, or
schools. The fulfillment of proper education must be shared
between the community, schools, and the government so
that there is synergy and a sense of responsibility in
presenting quality education for the nation's children. The
education budget is only one of many issues that must be
shared. There is no quality without sacrifice. This can
especially be started by eliminating the boundaries of the
ego of each party and then sitting together to work together
and synergize to build a better education.
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