For the past fourteen years, I have been a part of Proctor's Development Office. We raise money for the school. The money we raise goes into two different buckets. The first (critical) cause is annual giving, also known as the Annual Fund, or--at Proctor--The Family of Funds. Every year, we operate a budget that assumes we'll raise more than a million dollars to supplement the revenue that comes from tuitions, fees, and interest from investments. The Annual Fund goes directly to "operations:" it enables us to go on field trips; it supplies the kitchen with food; it pays for new carpets, and lighting and woodchips. 



The idea behind annual giving is that if you give $5 or $50 or $500 or $50,000 this year, you might make a similar--perhaps larger--gift next year. This "donor retention" is critical to our success!

 

The other branch of school philanthropy is called "capital giving." While capital gifts may be spread out over time, they are single initiatives. They may be very large gifts, dedicated to significant improvements to the school, funding new buildings, programs, endowing facilities or scholarships.



Capital gifts come in with some randomness when a school is not in a "campaign," but every now and then--perhaps after a decade's respite--schools tend to launch coordinated capital campaigns with specific goals that are both general and specific. These initiatives rally emotion and momentum around causes that transform schools to new levels. 



Proctor is in a capital campaign today, and has been for a couple of years. In the past, our campaigns went through "silent" and "public" phases, with a total dollar goal announced late in the game. This campaign is different, prioritizing one project after another with focus, although a grand list does exist. 



To date, we have built a new locker room facility; we've upgraded ski area lighting, snowmaking and grooming; we've installed the region's most advanced turf field complex, and we are breaking ground on a spectacular new dormitory. 



Each of these projects commenced after all funding for that project was identified through gifts and pledges. Thus, construction of the new, sixteen-student dormitory between Mary Lowell Stone House and Leonard Field began two weeks ago, after $3,000,000 was committed to the project. When the campaign, entitled "Building Proctor's Future, Today" is completed, a variety of "gateway enhancements" will better delineate campus boundaries, drawing visitors to dedicated parking spaces and welcoming them with clarity. At the center of campus, the Forestry Department area behind MLS and Gulick (and the new dorm) will be reconfigured to draw vehicles and services off of North Street. Our endowed funds will have grown. But the biggest capital project will be construction of a new dining/nutrition facility. Details of this structure are still being finalized, but the site--now called "the south commons"--is between Farrell Fieldhouse and Eco-dorm.





Since Mike Henriques became Head of School, we have raised more than $25,000,000. We replaced Morton House with Peabody House, renovated Cangiano House, renovated Slocumb Hall, installed a bio-mass steam plant, upgraded the fitness room, completed two phases of improvements to Proctor Ski Area, constructed a locker room facility, installed the region's finest athletic field complex, and have now broken ground for a new dormitory. 



,br />