Key Elements
- $12.3 million was raised on a $10 million goal for the Transforming Lives. Transforming Education. campaign.
- Received three $1 million gifts thanks to 100% participation from the Board of Trustees.
- Most significant campaign in The Lab School’s history that allowed for the opening of new academic facilities and an enhanced endowment.
The Challenge
To continue this tradition of implementing the newest and most effective teaching innovations and inspiring children to succeed, The Lab School created a master plan to transform the campus into a world-class institution. The plan included enhancing the middle school and expanding the 8,000-square-foot high school area to a full stand-alone 30,000-square-foot facility. The arts program, which has always been integral to Lab’s mission and the way it helps students learn, was also a part of the plan and included a new arts center. Finally, the plan focused on increasing the school’s endowment to guarantee that The Lab School continues to deliver the highest quality education for years to come. These plans, the school’s most ambitious to date, required a large commitment and investment from Lab School parents, grandparents, alumni, alumni parents and grandparents, the board, faculty, and other supporters.
The Solution
The Lab School partnered with CCS Fundraising to conduct a feasibility and planning study, engaging supporters to discuss Lab’s vision for the future and determine a campaign road map for success. Following the study, Lab and CCS Fundraising together launched the $10 million campaign Transforming Lives. Transforming Education. With the campaign’s early success and momentum, The Lab School met its goal in September 2015 and set its sights on raising an additional $2 million.
The Impact
Transforming Lives. Transforming Education. received tremendous support from the Lab community and has raised $12.3 million. Thanks to the board’s 100 percent participation, three $1 million gifts, and the generosity of many others, the campaign is the most significant in The Lab School’s history. In April 2016, Lab opened the high school building, a facility that represents a new identity and new ways of learning. The Sally L. Smith Center for the Arts, named after Lab’s founder, is currently in the design phase and will help Lab expand its theater and arts programs. This campaign has helped The Lab School not only build a better campus but also a better future. The enhanced endowment ensures that The Lab School’s excellence can continue through the hiring and training of excellent faculty, increasing financial aid, and enriching signature programs.
Photo Credit: Stantec Architecture/ Tom Holdsworth Photography
EXPLORE MORE CASE STUDIES
American School of Madrid
Europe
The American School of Madrid engaged CCS to conduct a planning study to assess the School’s capacity to embark on a fundraising campaign aligned to its delivery of a comprehensive strategic plan.
Sidwell Friends School
Mid-Atlantic and Southeast U.S.
Sidwell Friends School, a PK–12, co-educational Quaker day school founded in 1883, engaged CCS to spur campaign activity. With CCS’s help, the School was able to publicly launch their largest campaign and reach $120M on their $152M goal with two years remaining in the Campaign.
