Helping a century-old school secure its future
In 1919, as World War I drew to a close, the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary established Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Parish School in the foothills of Altadena. The area was still covered with vineyards and orchards. The school’s first class had 39 students, from first to fifth grade.
Just over a century later, the accredited transitional school, a nonprofit organization, serves 257 students from kindergarten to eighth grade. Today, St. Elizabeth faces challenges. Because it aims to keep tuition affordable, its income doesn’t cover the full cost of the school’s quality programs. To bridge the gap, St. Elizabeth sponsors a variety of fundraisers that look to parents, grandparents, parishioners, alumni families and other friends in the community for extra support.
When the school came to Jericho Road Pasadena for help in enhancing these efforts, JRP tapped Pasadena-based nonprofit development consultant Suzy Moser to volunteer her expertise on streamlining the school’s fundraising efforts and making them more successful. Suzy collaborated with school Principal Dr. Phyllis Cremer on avenues for raising its profile and developing stronger connections with its closest potential supporters: members of the parish of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church.
Suzy and Dr. Cremer collaborated closely to identify the school’s strengths and viable opportunities for fiscally stabilizing and sustaining it. This included conducting interviews, identifying volunteer leadership for marketing and growth efforts, and pinpointing new fundraising and development opportunities. Suzy summarized their work in a comprehensive report of recommendations and samples.
“It was wonderful to get to know Phyllis, the school, its history and potential, and the group of exceptional, passionate and generous parents and donors I interviewed,” says Suzy. “My goal was to give Phyllis the rationale and guidance she needed to make critical changes.”
The pair’s short-term strategy focused on building and empowering selected volunteer leadership committees to grow the student body and streamline fundraising. Long-term goals include creating robust and sustainable business and development programs.
St. Elizabeth School is known for its challenging academic curriculum, technology, fine arts and physical education programs, all designed to provide a liberal arts education for the whole child. Now, specific short- and long-term fundraising plans are in place to ensure these efforts will be well-supported far into the future.
Thanks to volunteer Linda Taubenreuther for writing JRP social media posts!