Case Study

Client: Rosary High School, Aurora, IL

Rosary High School is a 470-student, Catholic college preparatory high school for young women sponsored by the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Illinois.

"At the end of our most recent capital campaign, we hired Bill Acton and Advancement Partners to manage an advancement "bridge initiative" to broaden our support base for our Annual Appeal Fund.  With Bill's great expertise, we developed a Long Range Strategic Plan for Rosary.  This three to five year plan encouraged us to choose three Strategic Objectives:  1) continue to advance the academics; 2) "brand" pro-active marketing plans; and 3) establish a funding plan to advance the mission.

"An important component was the Annual Appeal. We put into place goals and strategies that have enabled us to increase participation at all levels of giving, especially at our Veritas Society level.  Donors who give gifts of $1,000 or more annually become members of the Veritas Society and are recognized on our Veritas Society Rose tree yearly.

"In terms of meeting our annual goals for the Annual Appeal, we are well ahead of our timeline and in three years have nearly doubled the amount raised annually.  In 2003-2004, our Annual Appeal raised $165,000, and in 2006-2007, $300,000 was realized!  In addition to our Annual Appeal, we have encouraged our donors to recognize our Endowment and Planned Giving Initiatives."

"We are very grateful to Bill Acton and Advancement Partners for their professional leadership and advice.  We are proud to be a client of Advancement Partners!"

Sr. Francene Harbauer, O.P., Director of Advancement

Rosary High School (Aurora, Illinois)