Capital/Endowment Programs

October 2011: Update

From time to time, schools such as Columbus Academy need to conduct what are commonly called "capital campaigns" in order to obtain funding to achieve major strategic objectives. These objectives are determined through a strategic planning process that -- at Columbus Academy -- usually involves the Board of Trustees, the Leadership Team of the school, and input from faculty/staff, students, parents and alumni.

Once strategic objectives are identified, a community-wide feasibility study is held. For Academy, the most recent study was conducted in the spring of 2011. The major reason for a feasibility study is to test the community's willingness to support the objectives outlined in a preliminary case statement. In this study and the case statement, the school tested needs of $27 million to help fund increases in the endowment for faculty/staff professional development and compensation; increasing available financial aid; and funding for new facilities, specifically a new Middle School building.

Overall, the Academy community was very positive about the objectives outlined and showed a willingness to support a campaign to fund the initiatives. The Board of Trustees voted unanimously to move forward in planning for a campaign. Currently, the Board and Leadership Team are continuing to prioritize the most critical needs, and early solicitations of Trustees and other possible leadership donors is taking place. A final fundraising goal will be determined after this "quiet phase" of the campaign is complete and the priorities are solidified and more clearly defined. Hopefully, our dreams will become reality and the Columbus Academy community will, again, be generous and help advance the school well into a second century of excellence!

June 2005: School Campaign More Than Meets $17 Million Goal

Columbus Academy’s Advancing the Quest (ATQ) capital campaign is one for the record books: It met and exceeded its $17 million goal in less than expected time, in the process setting an area record for private or parochial elementary/secondary school fundraising campaigns.

Advancing the Quest, which kicked off in January of 2002 during the stock market’s post-9/11 slump, benefited from the steady, seasoned leadership of Cheryl Krueger (campaign chair) and Abigail Wexner and John Wolfe ’61 (honorary co-chairs). But it was the dedication of the Board of Trustees, coupled with the generosity of countless volunteers and donors that put the effort over the top – $17.5 million in less than three and a half years.

ATQ’s overriding goal was “to provide central Ohio with a co-ed independent day school that rivals the very best anywhere in the U.S.” To accomplish this, the campaign raised funds dedicated to four areas: faculty and staff excellence, student body diversity, school size and structure, and facilities. In particular, the campaign’s $17 million goal would dedicate $9.5 million to the school’s endowment ($6.5 million for faculty/staff compensation, $3 million for financial aid) and $7.5 million toward new and renovated facilities.

According to campaign chair Cheryl Krueger, “The true beneficiaries of this successful campaign are the students of today, those of tomorrow, and the faculty/staff who guide them in their quest to be the best."

A donor recognition board, listing all those who donated to Advancing the Quest, can be found in the school's theater lobby. For additional information, please contact the Columbus Academy Alumni/Development Office at 614-509-2228 or by e-mail at hunker@columbusacademy.org.