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Testimonials
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“Very person focused, highly professional, truly committed to advancing our missions, keeping our Catholicity at the heart.”
“Always accommodating, always available, Larry and Jay and their associates really are accessible and available. Great idea with the 15 minute sessions – any topic.”
“The Advancement Counsel team is ahead of the curve, cutting edge and a fantastic team full of knowledgeable, caring and partners with a genuine concern for each attendee and the mission of Catholic education.”
“This is a team who are truly passionate about Catholic education. The energy each member displays is a true reflection of what they do and love.”
“Helpful, knowledgeable, people with a servant’s heart. Great sense of hospitality and humor.”
“A high energy, knowledgeable, cohesive team with an infectious style to content delivery. Your dedication to mission and faith shows in your work.”
“The Advancement Counsel team brings years of knowledge and experience to their presentations. All of the information is provided with the knowledge that this is a ministry and we must always keep our Catholic mission central to all our programs. The team uses humor and creativity to present the material. Way to go!”
“The Advancement Counsel team are great witnesses to our Catholic faith and wonderfully skilled in teaching advancement in an enjoyable fashion.”
“Visibly committed. Believes in the mission of Catholic schools. Values based, very intelligent, creative e, humorous entertaining and well-schooled, informative.”
“The Advancement Counsel team is very friendly and out-going. Made every effort to recognize me. Thank you.”
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Attendees of the 2007 Conferences
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I have known Larry Furey and Jay Gould for many years and have attended their sessions at the NCEA Conventions and at National Advancement Conferences. During the past year our school Development Team has worked directly with The Advancement Counsel. I am happy to say that we have reached a whole new level of professionalism as well as giving in the area of Advancement.
The approach of The Advancement Counsel is “comprehensive.” On each school visit we evaluate annual fund, major gifts, planned giving, special events, as well as the steps necessary to launch a capital campaign. Their guidance in every area has made a difference. They have taught us that Advancement is truly “an art and a science.” It is a joy to work with The Advancement Counsel.
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Sr. Rita O’Leary, IHM
Director of Advancement
Bishop McDevitt High School
Harrisburg, PA
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“As a “rookie president”, I attended The Advancement Counsel’s workshop at the NCEA Atlantic City Conference and did I hit the “JACKPOT” without visiting the slot machines! As a result, Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls is reaping the benefits of the services of The Advancement Counsel. We have brought our already generous Alumnae to a higher level and, I am happy to report, our Annual Fund has doubled.
There are many advantages of employing the services of The Advancement Counsel besides site visits. When one partners with The Advancement Counsel, the advancement team has access to the wisdom and expertise of these mission-driven gentlemen every day if necessary through e-mails, telephone calls, sharing of materials, etc. It is comforting to know I can “bounce off” ideas to them and receive their expert opinion.
The best advantage of all about hiring The Advancement Counsel is that these advancement professionals become as vested as you in the success of your development program and they work very hard at helping you achieve a lucrative bottom line.
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Sr. Donna Shallo, IHM
President
Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls
Philadelphia, PA
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“For the past two years I have had the pleasure of working with The Advancement Counsel. With their assistance our Advancement Team has been able to significantly enhance donations to our Annual Fund, launch a strategic planning process and begin planning for the school’s first capital campaign in Regina’s 50- year history. Larry Furey and Jay Gould bring a wealth of experience, and more importantly their personal commitment to the mission of Catholic education.
Members of our Advancement Team have attended their summer leadership conferences and have benefited from the staff development and strategies offered. We have truly seen marked improvements as a result. The opportunity to plan as a team, network with others involved in development efforts in Catholic schools, and engage in personal professional advancement are the reasons we believe the summer conference is so worthwhile. Someone once said that you need love and creative imagination to do constructive work. This is a wonderful description of the efforts of The Advancement Counsel. Our results are a great testament to their work.”
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Sister Maureen Burke
Principal
Regina High School
South Euclid, OH
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“In January of 2001, Pallotti High School, a private Catholic coeducational school located midway between Baltimore and Washington, DC, committed to a capital improvement program of $5,000,000. While this was not an extraordinary event for a Catholic high school, it was a tremendous step into the unknown for all those associated with Pallotti's 80 year existence. The current school building dated back to 1957 and had not had one capital improvement since that time. Additionally, Pallotti's advancement program was still in its infancy.
When Pallotti's Board of Directors gave its blessing to initiate a project of this size it was suggested that the school look into the hiring of a consulting group to aid in the process of campaign counsel. For the next four months Steve Edmonds, the Principal, and myself interviewed at least four companies with experience in managing capital campaigns. None of these firms were very impressive and all seemed intent on long term contracts with six figure price tags.
In June of 2001, Steve and I attended the NCEA Conference at Georgetown University, Mission and Money. The final breakout session on the last day was a presentation by The Advancement Counsel on integrating capital campaigns and annual funds. We were both very close to leaving prior to this session in order to beat the historical traffic congestion synonymous with the DC Beltway and Friday afternoons. We luckily decided to stay and follow the crowd to the classroom where this session was being held. Five minutes into the presentation I knew that if we were going to be successful in our efforts, we somehow had to utilize the energy and knowledge of Larry Furey and Jay Gould. A phone call to Boston on the following Monday was the first step in a wonderful relationship that has benefited our school tremendously.
Less than three years after hiring The Advancement Counsel to evaluate and revamp our advancement efforts, I am writing this letter from my office in our 47,000 square foot addition which includes a state of the art athletic complex. Our annual fund has grown by six figures, our donor base has increased 500%, and we have raised well over $4,000,000 towards our $6,000,000 campaign goal. We have one year remaining to reach our goal and are confident of the outcome. Without hesitation, we feel this success is directly a result of Larry and Jay's guidance and friendship. Not withstanding that the main focus is our business relationship, they have truly become a member of the Pallotti family. Although their consultation visits are now quarterly rather than monthly, their innovative ideas and image driven approach toward advancement have become the trademarks of our growing development efforts. I encourage you to enjoy the magnificent city of Boston this summer and see first hand how The Advancement Counsel’s personal approach can be a valuable asset to your development efforts.”
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Rick Diggs
Director for Institutional Advancement
St. Vincent Pallotti High School
Laurel, MD
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“As I reflect upon my advancement team’s experience last summer in Boston at the Conference of a Lifetime, the following thoughts come to mind that might guide you in your planning efforts:
- I felt part of a community of folks deeply committed to advancing the mission of Catholic education. The week-long conference was highly energetic offering a comprehensive view of advancement placing strong emphasis on programs, communications and mission to ensure success.
- I felt that Jay Gould and Larry Furey functioned as an excellent team. Like dance partners each knew when the other could better take the lead. I never felt like I was being “talked at.” They covered a lot of material but in interactive ways that always made you feel part of the conversation. And there wasn’t a question that they couldn’t answer. Together they offer not only the theory and philosophy of advancement in Catholic education, but they speak from past and ongoing experience. They presented each aspect of development with clarity and precision, but also offered multiple examples of practical strategies related to each.
- At the conference we received an impressive 600 page manual with sample strategies and proven methodologies. These have proved to be invaluable in guiding us through development operations, special events, annual fund, constituent relations, major gifts, and volunteer management back home.
- I have been most pleased with engaging The Advancement Counsel as consultants this past year. They have a way of being totally present to our needs, plans, projects. They raise questions and then help us to solve them in ways that represent a more comprehensive view to advancement. They have not only been totally available to us during visits, but always only a phone call or e-mail away.
- In planning for the conference, I wanted something that would give me a comprehensive approach to what we were doing, that would teach us how to do it better and with greater productivity, and give us “some things” to take back home that could help us do it. Truly the summer conference met every one of my expectations. As a President/Principal, I couldn’t be happier with my decision to attend.”
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Sister Mary Dion Horrigan,
Principal
Clearwater Central Catholic High School
Clearwater, FL
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In my new role as President of an outstanding Catholic secondary school in Minneapolis, I knew I had much to learn about raising funds. Although we had enjoyed some success in the area of development, we knew that our strategic plan called for a new vision. Not long after that realization, I attended a workshop by The Advancement Counsel at the NCEA Convention. Immediately upon returning to school, I booked our entire development team for the first “Conference of a Lifetime” in Boston conducted by The Advancement Counsel.
It was possibly the best decision I have made as President. We were very impressed with every aspect of the Conference. It offered practical and useful information, proven strategies and an opportunity to network with colleagues from Catholic schools across the country. To top it all off, an event was planned each evening to see the sights of Boston!
Since attending the conference, we have implemented many ideas that we received at the conference or in subsequent discussions with Jay and Larry. We were so impressed with their enthusiasm and creativity, and had such phenomenal results, that we now have The Advancement Counsel consulting with us on a regular basis at Benilde-St. Margaret’s School. This year, we have already surpassed the $1 million mark in our Annual Fund toward our budgeted goal of $700,000! We are beginning a new major gifts effort, launching a new planned giving program, and next fall we will launch an endowment campaign.
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Bob Tift ‘71
President
Benilde-St. Margaret’s School
St. Louis Park, MN
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“It has been my great fortune to have attended both The Advancement Counsel’s ‘Conference of a Lifetime’ in June 2002, and the ‘Advancement Counsel College’ in July 2003. Both experiences provided rich opportunities to learn more about the specific field of Catholic school advancement, to interact with colleagues from all over the country and beyond, and to experience the history, culture, and wonderful sites that the city of Boston has to offer. At both conferences, we worked hard, had lots of fun, and left with a wealth of materials to help our schools strategically advance our mission with proven strategies that achieve great results.
As the Advancement Director for my alma mater, a small, private, Catholic, college preparatory high school for girls, located in the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx, I feel that my limited resources for professional development are well spent at The Advancement Counsel’s conferences. Larry Furey and Jay Gould’s raison d’être is Catholic School advancement. They have been in our shoes, have learned much, and graciously share what they have learned. As a team, they are extremely entertaining as they play off each other’s very different personalities. Most importantly, they are both dedicated to making each participant’s experience, a successful one.
Whether you are new to development or have years of experience, do yourself a favor and attend one of The Advancement Counsel’s conferences this summer in Boston. You will return refreshed, and with renewed fervor. I guarantee that your school will be the direct beneficiary.”
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Peggy Sobier
Director of School Advancement
Preston High School
Bronx, NY
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My first experience with The Advancement Counsel was just five months into my new job as Director of Advancement. In other words, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing! I attended their summer conference: “Mission-Passion-Vision”, and came away so enthusiastically impressed that we implemented all of their ideas. We then engaged The Advancement Counsel to help us advance our mission, and the results have been nothing short of spectacular. Our Annual Fund has doubled, constituent relations have never been better, and our messaging and positioning is now crystal clear. We’re on our way to establishing a well-oiled advancement machine here at Cathedral Prep. The Advancement Counsel puts the “Mission” back in mission, the “Passion” back in passion and the “Vision” back in vision. Whether you’re new to the game like I was, or a seasoned veteran, The Advancement Counsel has the answers and ideas to make a tremendous difference in your organization.
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Chris Hagerty
Director of Advancement
Cathedral Prep High School
Erie, PA
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The Advancement Counsel worked closely with my high school as we initiated an $6,000,000 Capital Campaign to build a gymnasium and chapel to our campus. Our advancement program has grown from an antiquated office into a vibrant department where through the continued efforts of The Advancement Counsel we are now enjoying the fruits of our labors with a well established annual fund and a series of special events geared toward our alumni, alumni parents and current parents.
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Sue Wiedel
Director of Alumni
St. Vincent Pallotti High School
Laurel, MD
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"Thank you!" are the only words I have for having the Advancement Counsel as our partners in "Advancing the Mission" of Bishop Shanahan High School. Sister Regina Plunkett, President and Sister Maureen Lawrence, Principal of Shanahan attended their summer workshop in 2003 and engaged The Advancement Counsel to assist us in revitalizing our efforts in our Annual Fund and advancement program. Larry Furey arrived at Shananan in August 2003 to a new Advancement Director (me)! My background as a CPA and volunteer fundraiser did not give me the experience and information I feel are vital to a comprehensive advancement program. The Advancement Counsel have the tools, strategies and "heart" needed to promote Catholic education. They are true advocates of Catholic education and share their vision, materials and dedication. Our annual fund almost doubled the first year we worked with them. I am sure that without their guidance, I would have been following the same procedures done at Shanahan in the past, with no chance of the dramatic changes we have experienced. Throughout this whole process, I feel we have formed a new friendship for Bishop Shanahan High School. My favorite learned lesson is that there are never enough ways to say thank you... to our parents, alumni and friends.....THANK YOU again to The Advancement Counsel. You are true friends of Shanahan!
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Maureen Morin
Director of Advancement
Bishop Shanahan High School
Downingtown, PA
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