Michael Thomasian
St. Anthony Catholic School, a PreK-3 through 8th grade institution located in the Brookland neighborhood of Washington, D.C., needed to effectively reach out to the alumni of its grade school and parish high school, which closed in 1989, and increase overall school support.
With a database containing more than 3,500 names and addresses of alumni, parents, and friends, the late pastor Rev. Msgr. Richard Burton and his principal, Mr. Bill Eager, hired Development Associates in September 2001, after previous development efforts had failed to earn a profit over expenses.
Development Associates, aided by Harris Publishing’s earlier efforts in publishing an alumni director for St. Anthony, told the stories of St. Anthony alumni and current and former teachers, even visiting the Benedictine Sisters in Elizabeth, N.J., to interview a nun who had formerly served as principal of
the school.
The company also helped St. Anthony retain a foundation grant to operate its summer program.
Following a two year or so interlude when a succeeding pastor decided to cut back on the school’s development efforts, St. Anthony was rehired by current parish pastor, Fr. Fred Close, and Bill Eager in 2007.
Michael Thomasian
”Thank you for helping expand our reach to thousands of alumni, parents and friends through producing the newsletter and our monthly e-newsletter and playing a key role in our alumni relations program, in addition to your work with our Facebook Group and school website,”
said Dr. Thomasian. “These initiatives are helping us increase our enrollment during a time when many urban schools are seeing declines, and we’re also raising tens of thousands of dollars in tuition assistance funds, thanks to the newsletter and e-newsletter.”
Highlights have included:
- After one alumnus in California, R. Michael Histon, continued receiving the quarterly Blue & Gold newsletter that Development Associates has helped St. Anthony produce, he rallied his High School Class of 1954 classmates to give more than $35,000 to sponsor a classroom in 2014, in honor of their 60th anniversary.
- In addition to launching an online giving platform on the school’s website, raising $7,500 in online giving at the year end of 2017 through producing timely e-newsletters encouraging online giving.
- Successfully recruiting a local real estate development company to critical pro bono assistance to the school, including changing lighting fixtures, power washing bathrooms, and helping the school renovate its parking lot entrance.
- Supporting the fundraising capabilities of current principal, Dr. Michael Thomasian, and Fr. Close, Development Associates’ e-newsletter, newsletter and eTapestry database work has helped the school build a school playground and renovate its parish hall stage.
- Helping lead a successful migration of St. Anthony’s development database to Blackbaud eTapestry.
- Supporting the school’s successful effort at building an annual donor appreciation reception each December.