Although there was a large friends and alumni group, the challenge was to organize these individuals into effective teams—establish a capital campaign structure and disciplined process—to properly harness their overwhelming enthusiasm for the school. Even before the feasibility study, measures were undertaken to get buy-in from many groups on long range planning and a vision for the school. In fact, a special community convocation was held. Through that process, key donors and leaders began to emerge. Teams were carefully selected and trained, each with a specific purpose and goal. A strong and well-managed infrastructure was key to this campaign’s success.
The goal was set at $3.9M and $4.1M was raised thanks to a phone bank staffed by students, several fundraising events, and effective follow-through on pledges by the development staff. St. Catherine’s High School had a development staff in place, so we served in a lead consultant role to guide the President and Director of Development through the capital campaign process, which they had never experienced before.
