I want to let you know how much I appreciated the nine months that the consultant served as our capital campaign consultant at Bethany School. I knew that the work that he and I and the rest of the campaign steering committee had in front of us was going to be challenging work, not only raising money for the first significant capital campaign in the over 100 year history of the school, but also beginning the transformation of the school into a “giving culture.” Before
The consultant’s arrival the school did not have a development office nor a director, no electronic donor management system, no ongoing list of donors or alumni that was curated by a staff member of the school, and no understanding of the importance of developing that vital third source of revenue (in addition to tuition and endowment) that is important for a school such as Bethany.
I am happy to say that these past nine months have produced the start of a development office, the hiring of a development director, a donor management software system, the curation of that list by our development director, and most importantly, the steady realization among the members of our school community that a “giving culture” is vital to the future of the school. All of these changes are in large part the influence of the consultant and his steady advice that these are things that “need to happen.”
Throughout this process the consultant was professional, considerate of the school culture, personable, incredibly productive, and insightful in his guidance. He provided reports and updates on a regular basis, made a very creative presentation brochure for our campaign, and developed strong relationships among the administration, faculty, parents, and extended members of the Bethany School family. When appropriate he provided very honest advice and insight about the capital campaign and what we as a school needed to do in order to achieve success. Our capital campaign now stands at $1.5 million in donations with about 50 pledges completed. Our steering committee continues to be committed to seeing this project through to our first building project. We have the skills in place, thanks to the consultant, to have a truly positive and lasting impact on the Bethany School community.
I don’t think any of us at this school could have envisioned what it would be like to be asking for money, but the consultant showed us that it’s not about money, but rather it’s about the vision and higher calling to be of service to something greater than ourselves that is ultimately the most rewarding part of work such as this.
I am so grateful for the consultant’s easygoing attitude, professional focus, personable nature, and his commitment to success throughout this process. Thank you for providing Bethany School with such a wonderful consultant. I highly recommend him for service with other institutions that have a long road to follow in the area of development and capital campaigns.
Assistant Head of School
Bethany School
Glendale, Ohio