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Fast Facts About the Next Generation Campaign
DEVELOPMENT UPDATE:
Fast Facts About the Next Generation Campaign Rendering of the new Crossroads Building which is scheduled to open in September 2021.
What is the Next Generation Campaign? This $20 million campaign is a three-year, focused fundraising effort to grow Langley’s endowment and construct a new building to house our Primary School, fifth grade, and library/ media center, along with our Club E.D. program and a multi-purpose movement and music space on the lower level.
Why is it important to grow the endowment? An endowment creates a financial bedrock for an organization. It is an invested pool of money that is protected so that the principal remains untouched in perpetuity. At $4.6 million, Langley’s endowment is one of the smallest relative to our peer institutions and does not reflect the strength of our program. Increasing the endowment to $10 million will enable Langley to continually and fully fund innovative programming, keep tuition affordable while offering tuition assistance to deserving families, and attract and retain the best teachers by compensating them at a level that truly recognizes their extraordinary work.
Why does Langley need a new building? With flexible, collaborative spaces, breakout areas, plenty of natural light, connections to the outdoors, a performance stage, and a place for movement classes, the new Crossroads Building will allow Langley to provide modern learning spaces to better meet the needs of our youngest learners in the Primary School, while also giving our fifth-graders an appropriate place to explore and grow as they prepare for the transition to Middle School. Our new library/media center will incorporate advancements in design, programming, and technology in order to expand its role as a “hub” of campus that will bring our entire community of students, parents, and faculty/staff together. On the lower level, a vibrant new space will enhance the afterschool experience for the growing number of students in our extended day program, Club E.D.
Do gifts to The Langley Fund support the Next Generation Campaign? The Langley Fund, the school’s annual fund, is completely separate from the Next Generation Campaign. It is an annual appeal that allows for growth and flexibility in the operating budget, helping provide student experiences such as musical instruments, the STEAM Fair, and the eighth-grade capstone trip. The Langley Fund also provides resources to attract and retain the best and brightest faculty and staff.
What about the annual auction? What role does it play? Like The Langley Fund, the annual auction raises funds that are an essential part of Langley’s operating budget each school year. These funds play a significant role in enabling Langley to enhance and develop our programs, facilities, and faculty/ staff in support of the school’s mission. In addition, every dollar committed during the “Raise the Paddle” portion of the auction supports faculty excellence.
Does Langley still need to raise money for the Crossroads Building even though groundbreaking is planned for June 2020? Yes, fundraising to complete the building is even more important now. Every dollar not raised is taken on as debt. The Langley Board of Trustees has been fiscally responsible in developing a financial strategy that 1) embraces the unique opportunity it has to keep the cost of the building from escalating out of reach and 2) uses bridge financing to fund the balance of the project while fundraising continues. It is important to note that, for every million dollars raised toward the building goal, Langley’s annual debt service will decrease by more than $52,000.
Some members of the Langley community may be wondering when they will be asked to participate in the Next Generation Campaign. In determining whether or not to pursue a campaign, one of the values that was important to the Board of Trustees and Executive Campaign Cabinet was to make sure that families were engaged in a very personal manner. This meant one-on-one discussions rather than placing a “donate now” button on the website or a fundraising thermometer visible from the carpool line. The vision was to return to Langley’s cooperative roots and ensure that everyone has the opportunity to play a role in the campaign.
It is important to note that the average length of a campaign is three years. Langley is currently at the half-way mark with approximately 18 months to go. It would be impossible to reach everyone in the community in this high-touch manner all at once. Each year of the campaign, Langley has the capacity to reach approximately one third of our families:
• During the first year of the campaign in 2018-2019, we centered around Engaged Leaders – individuals who have volunteered as members of the Board of Trustees or parent committees, for example, as well as those who have a history of supporting Langley.
• In the second year, 2019-2020, Langley has started approaching Veteran Families who have been involved at Langley for several years and/or have served in the past as members of the Board of Trustees or as PALS leaders.
• In 2020-2021, the campaign’s third year, Langley will approach Emerging Participants. We look forward to becoming more familiar with the philanthropic priorities of these families in order to align the campaign with their interests.
Volunteerism & Philanthropic History
Engaged Leaders
Veteran Families
Emerging Participants
2018-2019 2019-2020 2020-2021
• During the first 18 months of the campaign, Dr. Scully and members of the Executive Campaign Cabinet (Cathy Bernasek, Karen Frana, and Zac Merriman) met individually with each of the identified Engaged Leaders and began to meet with Veteran Leaders – 55 individuals/ families total – securing $9.2 million in cash and pledges.
• While the Executive Campaign Cabinet’s progress is impressive, Langley recognizes that to meet everyone in the community, the number of people doing outreach needs to increase. As more people become engaged and committed, many of these individuals are joining our Campaign Cabinet in reaching out to other members of the community.
• This extended Campaign Cabinet and members of Langley’s Development Committee are now helping to connect with Veteran Families, and down the road, Emerging Participants.
• By the end of the campaign, the goal is that every interested member of the Langley community will be given a meaningful opportunity to join this exciting endeavor.
If you haven’t been asked to participate in the campaign yet and would like to do so, please contact the Development Office at (703) 356-1920, ext. 885 or thenextgeneration@ langleyschool.org. Only with the participation, support, and help of the entire Langley community will we be able to successfully grow our endowment, build a state-of-the-art building that our children need and deserve, and reach our $20 million campaign goal.
