Currently, a capital campaign is running at NEC that’s the first of its kind.
Alumni, parents, corporations, and foundations have contributed to this campaign since it began back in 2011, with a goal of fundraising $25 million, which, as of present, has been surpassed.
For those who don’t know what a capital campaign is, it’s an endeavor to raise money to meet the needs of an organization. For example: a campaign to fund a new building, or for endowed scholarships. The college has a budget-relieving annual fund, the Opportunity Fund, with donors providing a gift each year that’s called “unrestricted giving,” which supports scholarships, clubs on campus, athletics, etc., while the capital campaign is comprehensive and focuses more on “restricted gifts,” like buildings, art, or endowed scholarships.
So far NEC has collected $31.5 million—the greatest amount of money the college has ever fundraised in such a short period of time. In fact, this campaign funded the John Lyons Building, a goal the Board of Trustees, the Finance Office, the Development Office, and the President’s Office collaborated their efforts on in order to realize.
“It’s been nice to see every stage of its progress,” said Director of Foundations and Corporate Relations Gregory Palmer, who works in the Development Office.
Many students aren’t aware of the team of eight in the Development Office who engage with alumni and solicit gifts that support NEC. Palmer, who’s been with NEC for a decade and Meghan Hallock, Associate V.P. of Development, who came to the college in 2012, focus on “major giving,” while other team members focus on the Opportunity Fund and parent and athletic giving. Often these smaller gifts can turn into larger ones, as the relationship between college and donor generally forms this way.
Alumni Relations also assists in the process by attracting future donors through supporting engagement and planning events, while the Operations Team works behind the scenes for the campaign. Also, President Perkins is a huge component, as she “makes the asks” for the larger gifts.
“These gifts happen usually after 12-18 months of relationship building with a donor,” explained Hallock.
This campaign has a broad range of donors. From corporations, like Bank of New Hampshire, to individuals, like a married couple that met while attending school here in the 80’s. Some of these donors remain anonymous and some names can be read on plaques outside many of the rooms in the Lyons Center.
“There are people behind each of these buildings,” said Hallock. “This [Lyons] really isn’t a building of just walls; it’s a building of people.” While many of the students probably know each room by a number, she knows each one as a person. “They’re really nice to talk to. They tell you stories from back in the day when they were at NEC,” she said.
“The campus has grown quite a bit from what they [many alums] remember but many of the alumni are still very fond of the college and their professors,” Palmer said. “Many of the buildings these alumni once attended classes in, or lived in, are still part of the campus. And even through all the growth and change, a lot of alumni still have an affinity for the space—their unique NEC experience.”
Their donations support the programs and ideals of the college. Last year alone, restricted and unrestricted giving to the institution equaled $7 million and the year before, almost $6 million.
Steering this fundraising effort is President Michele Perkins and NEC’s Board of Trustees, who formed a committee that strategized and guided the campaign. They discussed the scope of the campus’ needs, then determined how much the college could raise.
During the last decade, President Perkins has transcended all fundraising records made by any past president.
One of her main goals when she took over leadership of NEC was to increase the endowment, which provides financial security to the college. “She’s been very successful at this,” Hallock said.
Now exceeding $12 million, the endowment has more than doubled in the past 5 years. This ensures that NEC will be here into the future, reinforcing the confidence of donors, and assuring them their money has been well placed.
This security has also been reinforced by the active expansion at the college as a result of the capital campaign.
A recent front-page article in the Concord Monitor, “Amid tough times for small colleges New England College remains in ‘growth mode’” by David Brooks, praised NEC for its recent growth, as other small liberal arts colleges are struggling to survive right now due to the nature of the fiscal challenges that smaller institutions face in combination with declining enrollment rates. The capital campaign is mentioned therein, as it’s feeding the college’s growth.
NEC is fortunate to have a President as personable and dedicated as Perkins, Hallock said. “Frankly, without her leadership on this, the campaign would never have been as successful as it is.”
Still active today, Hallock said, the capital campaign might end around $35 million, but the fundraising momentum’s been really strong, so she’s hesitant to put a cap on these numbers. The campaign’s been so positive. “The great news about a capital campaigns is,” she said, ”once you start one, then end one, most people think you take a breather but you just start up another one.”
Fundraising for the Lyons Center began in 2011, and the building is now up. So for the past two years the campaign has been focusing on raising money for a new performing arts center. Presently, they’ve procured $5.2 million towards the Rosamond Page Putnam Center for the Performing Arts, a multi-purpose theatre that will cost an estimated $10 million, seat 350, and sit next to Lyons off Route 114. The very much tentative date for the ground breaking on this space is set for late next fall, dependent upon the permit process and the capital campaign’s continued fundraising efforts.
There is a great need in the state for an arts center like this and will bring a lot of possibilities to the campus and surrounding community. With this new performing arts center, NEC will have the seating, stage, and state of the art technology to host a multitude of events.
After the Rosamond Page Putnam Center is up, then the sculpture garden will be a goal for the campaign, along with renovations to resident housing and athletics facilities.
“New England College has enjoyed unprecedented success in its fundraising efforts for the campaign,” said President Perkins. “Our alumni, parents, and friends are showing their commitment to and confidence in NEC’s future. We should all be proud of this great institution.”
