Private: Healey Recognizes Diocese of Camden Schools for Excellence in Advancement

November 7, 2016

Two Diocese of Camden elementary schools have received $5,000 awards from the Healey Education Foundation for excellence in Catholic school advancement. The School Advancement Grants for Excellence (SAGE) acknowledge results in Catholic school sustainability through effective work by the Foundation’s partner schools in enrollment management, fundraising and governance.

Guardian Angels Regional School (Gibbstown and Paulsboro, NJ) was recognized for Highest Percentage Growth in Enrollment among Healey alumni schools. The school achieved a 12.4% increase in enrollment for the 2016-17 academic year.

Cape Trinity Catholic School (North Wildwood, NJ) was recognized for Highest Percentage Growth in the Annual Fund among Healey alumni schools and special learning centers. The school achieved a 93% increase in contributions to its Annual Fund closing June 2016. While Cape Trinity Catholic received this development award, the school also was a strong contender for the enrollment award.

The schools are learning to ensure that Latino families are not only welcomed but feel a strong sense of belonging within their new communities.

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Julie Roche, Advancement Director, Cape Trinity Catholic School (North Wildwood, NJ) at the SAGE 2016 Celebration of Achievement

Both Marcie Voight, Advancement Director for Guardian Angels, and Julie Roche, Advancement Director for Cape Trinity Catholic, attribute their schools’ recent exemplary enrollment growth to the recruitment and serving of Latino families. According to data shared during The National Summit on Catholic Schools and Hispanic Families, of the total Hispanic school age population nationwide, only 2.3% are enrolled in Catholic schools.

“These schools are communicating in a whole new way for reruitment and retention,” said Brooke Jackson, Healey Director of Schools. “The Diocese of Camden and the Healey Education Foundation have committed to helping them learn and apply best practices for boosting Latino enrollment.”

Voight and other representatives from Guardian Angels participated in the recent Mid-Atlantic Latino Enrollment Institute. The program was offered by the University of Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education in partnership with the Diocese of Allentown and the Healey Education Foundation. Cape Trinity Catholic’s Roche had attended the Latino Enrollment Institute at Notre Dame in the summer of 2015.

Cape Trinity Catholic’s Annual Fund successes result from an expanded base of donors each year and the hosting of a Lead Gift Event in the fall to capture the larger gifts from the smaller number of major donors at the top of the pyramid. The school had received two significant gifts—one of $10K and one of $25K—toward its most recent Annual Fund total. Lead Gift Events are a best practice of the Healey Advancement Methodology.

The awards were presented at the Foundation’s fourth annual Celebration of Achievement attended by more than 240 guests at the Union League of Philadelphia.

Both Healey alumni school winners had received commendation at prior SAGE events for their completion of the Advancement Methodology: Guardian Angels in 2013 and Cape Trinity in 2014.

“These two schools have demonstrated that they understand the urgency and rigor that must be applied in the areas of enrollment, development and governance to thrive in the long term,” said Megan Famular, Healey Director of Schools. “As a Foundation, we recognize the importance of continuing to reward the work of our partner schools after their formal engagement with us. Our goal is to institutionalize our program in these schools so that the schools are operating sustainably far into the future. Awarding alumni-specific grants is our way of putting our money where our mouth is.”

The Healey Education Foundation invests in PK-12 Catholic schools. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the Foundation provides a high-impact program delivered through a coaching relationship with dioceses and schools that are ready to embrace change. Healey’s work For the Future of Catholic Schools empowers grant recipients to deliver sustainable results through effective governance, enrollment management and fundraising. Since its establishment in 2004, the Foundation has grown to serve more than 60 elementary and high schools across five dioceses in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Minnesota.

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Guardian Angels Regional School, recipient of Highest Percentage Growth in Enrollment (Alumni School): Jason Morrison, Healey VP of Operations; Marcie Voight, Advancement Director; Foundation President Christine Healey; Father David Grover, Pastor, St. Clare of Assisi Parish (one of two parishes supporting Guardian Angels).

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Cape Trinity Catholic School, recipient of Highest Percentage Growth in Annual Fund (Alumni School): Foundation President Christine Healey; Julie Roche, Advancement Director; Sister Sheila Murphy, Principal; Kim Flaville, Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Connelly Foundation, award co-sponsor; Father Joseph Wallace, Pastor, Notre Dame De La Mer Parish (one of three parishes supporting Cape Trinity); Jason Morrison, Healey VP of Operations.

 


For further information: Contact Valerie Asuncion, Director of Communications, Healey Education Foundation