From the Nominator

"Pine Crest School is a private school with 2,704 Pre-K-12 students across two campuses in Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton, Florida. Knowing a strategic plan and campus master plan would be underway and require philanthropic resources to be achieved, the board of trustees and president agreed that change was needed in the office of advancement. 

Following a traditional fundraising model for independent schools driven primarily by event revenue and transactional fundraising, advancement launched the transition to a sustainable model of relationship management--one that would inspire and yield the private gifts needed to advance the school's mission and strategic priorities. 

The transformation began with the adoption of charitable gift acceptance policies to ensure our program fully aligns with IRS regulations, CASE recommendations, and best professional practices. Strategies for each program and activity were redesigned to focus on inspiring true philanthropy at the highest levels.

Pine Crest's story provides a case study to serve advancement colleagues at sister independent schools who wish to maximize philanthropic support to advance their people, programs, and places.  

Major gifts to all purposes

                           $10K+    $25K+    $50K+    $100K+    $1M+    Total

2011-2016          256         77          29           19            2            383*

2017-2022          320         138        64           34            6            562

Increases           25%         79%      121%      79%        200%      47%  

Total of new gifts and commitments

2011-2016 $21,666,301*

2017-2022  $32,681,588 as of 1/121/22; 51% increase   

The Pine Crest Fund (gifts received for annual operations)

2011-2016  $12,177,154*

2017-2011  $16,926,437 as of 1/21/22; 39%

*2011-16 numbers include non-gift revenue such as event proceeds."

From the Judges

Pine Crest School has taken the principles of advancement quite diligently and shown how consistency over a period of time can reap great sustainable results. The investment in resources seems to be in line with the return on the investment.