End of successful campaign signals new chapter for Webb In his third year as chairman of the Board of Trustees, John Sawyer couldn’t be more excited about the success of the Moving Our Tradition Forward campaign and Webb’s future.
experience for the students that have matriculated through Webb. We greatly benefitted from these experiences and the generosity of our community at large.”
Sawyer noted that there are at least two meaningful benefits to the recent campaign. “Most obviously, the funding of new facilities on campus has helped bring The Webb School up-to-date and, hopefully, inspired a renewed sense of confidence with our students. Second, the campaign was the first sustained giving campaign in many years for Webb. The successful completion has helped bring the Webb community together and encouraged a meaningful increase in alumni engagement.”
From a campaign structure perspective, Sawyer said that the tireless work of Webb’s Development Office and broad participation of the Trustees was instrumental in making the campaign a success.
The chair also thinks the campaign’s success provides “a solid framework of how to move forward with sustained giving and future campaigns. In addition to the knowledge and experience gained through this process, we have also gained confidence in both our development abilities as well as the support of our donor base.” He noted that with any campaign, the biggest challenge is the unknown. “Coming off a fairly long period since the last campaign, we simply did not have a good baseline to judge what was attainable. Through the efforts of our Development Office and the dedication and skills of several Trustees we did our best to estimate what would be achievable. Due to the confidence and ability of these groups we actually set our goals higher than those estimates; achieving our goal serves as a meaningful tribute to the Webb family!” Participation of the Webb community was the single greatest achievement, according to Sawyer. “There were numerous stories of people re-engaging with the school and sharing stories of what The Webb School meant to them.” He added, “The campaign’s success was due to the tireless work and commitment of generations of faculty and staff that created such a rewarding and impactful
“Further, the Alumni Board’s participation and enthusiasm ensured broad awareness and support from all of our classes. As with any such endeavor, success came through the combined effort of all who participated. We simply could not have succeeded if we had relied on a single constituency. From large named gifts to the multitude of smaller gifts, it was the combined effort that ensured we met our goal.” Sawyer, as other alums, is grateful that Webb has a long and proud history of remaining mindful of core values while keeping an eye on evolving educational advances to ensure students are prepared not just for today’s environment but also tomorrow’s. “Going forward, the donor funding of the campaign helps position Webb for our forthcoming 150th anniversary and places us on sound financial footing,” he said. “While the need and demand for high-level secondary education has never been greater, meeting that demand is an ongoing challenge. From ever increasing digital needs to the increasingly competitive college admissions process, Webb must always be focused on improvement. There is simply no respite. And to continue such will require both excellence on campus as well as continued support from our donor base as we celebrate 150 years and look forward to the next 150. “Perhaps the most important takeaway is that the campaign was not an end unto itself but the beginning of a new chapter for The Webb School at large.”
Campaign totals: July 1, 2010 - December 31, 2016 Total Received
By Category
Ending 6/30/11
Ending 6/30/12
Ending 6/30/13
Ending 6/30/14
Ending 6/30/15
$1,133,291
$3,950,645
$4,934,044
$7,076,520
$7,976,275
Capital
Webb Fund
Endowment
Other
Gifts*
$5,128,125
$3,554,571
$2,245,087
$173,489
$4,551,003
* One-time gifts, excluding pledge payments
Ending 6/30/16
Ending 12/31/16
$9,709,375 $11,101,272 Pledges
Total
$6,550,269 $11,101,272