chuck, the school events can and should continue. Or better yet, they should all be run under the auspices of the central organization. The funds that these events raise can be used to create the grants that the families in such situations can apply for.
Indeed, your point about how the schools can run events that the parents cannot is a VERY good one. Let’s take it one step further. I say that a strong central organization can run events that individual schools cannot – thereby raising a greater amount of funds with more efficiency. Plus, it will cut down on the sheer VOLUME of solicitations that each of us receives. Imagine if you were only on ONE MAILING LIST!!!
Now imagine the kind of events that this organization can run. A chinese auction? Yes, on an Oorah scale! How about more – a concert in MSG, say? How much revenue do you think that can bring in? I’d say more than 40 chinese auctions. And the people would be paying for something they like to do anyway. A dinner? Maybe, but think about how diverse the pool of honorees can be! We don’t have to honor the same 2 local gevirim each year, we can really mix it up – and reach out through them to many rich and powerful people and organizations that would never consider contributing to yeshivos on their own.
Keep in mind – all this is coming from my humble little brain. Imagine what a professional fundraiser could come up with. And imagine what a professional administrator could do with this idea.