The Boston Conservatory

Challenge

When The Boston Conservatory approached Campbell & Company in 2005, it needed a change. Despite its long history of excellence, the Conservatory’s aging facilities discouraged audiences, students, and families who may otherwise have come there as students or audience members.

The school had never conducted a capital campaign and had only its small Board of Trustees to draw on as a donor constituency. As the Conservatory developed ambitious revitalization plans—including an expanded and renovated theater building, a new tower of dance studios, and endowment funds for student scholarships and faculty support—leaders sought out what they called a “Goldilocks firm” that could provide the right balance of national expertise and local understanding.

Process

Following a philanthropic market study, Campbell & Company helped the Conservatory package a $15 million philanthropic goal which, along with institutional reserves, tax-exempt bond financing, and new market tax credits, supported a $32 million project.

Serving as counsel during the organizational and leadership gifts phases of the campaign, we focused on strengthening internal capacity by working to reposition and expand staffing, engage the Board, and implement best practices.

We helped create gift and pledge policies, developed training materials, and conducted training sessions with staff and board members. We also provided other materials essential for a more comprehensive development program.

At the same time, we helped the Conservatory develop an expanded constituency of major gift prospects using an electronic screening of alumni and parent databases, as well as peer-based prospect identification by faculty and board members. We also helped the school implement a new relationship management program and create specific cultivation and solicitation strategies for many of the newly identified prospects.