The beauty of the Hesston College campus-its landscaping, carefully placed buildings and network of direct sidewalks-results from decades of painstaking planning. In fact, throughout the school's history, administrators have placed a high priority on campus design. The first campus plan was developed in the 1920s. Additional plans were drafted in 1964, 1976 and 1988.

"The Campus Plan Update for the 90s" challenged the Board of Overseers and administrators of Hesston College to seek funds totaling $20,300,000. That amount would provide for renovations and updates to existing buildings; underwrite additions that would allow the College to use existing space more efficiently; and meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). New construction plans call for a theater/recital hall/classroom and the addition of a facility for the nursing program. Proposed renovations include the Mary Miller Library, the administration building, dormitories and athletic fields.

The College has a policy of providing 50 percent of the cost of the new building funds raised as a building endowment. For example, the cost of Mary Miller Library-which calls for a 5,200-square-foot addition, entry reconstruction, lower level and main floor renovations, and upgrades to the heating and cooling system-was estimated at $2,225,000. Of this amount, $750,000 was the cost of new construction. Therefore, the building endowment was $375,000, or 50 percent of the cost of new construction.

Hesston's leaders say that with the continual development of the campus, they intend to make Hesston College a better place for students to live and learn and a better place for faculty to teach.

Establishing an Integrated Campaign™
Hesston College was an ideal candidate for instituting an Integrated Campaign™. Their "Partners Program" was raising about a million dollars annually. This represented about 13 percent of their operating budget. They could not afford to have these annual funds move from operating to capital needs.

The College received estate gifts without much emphasis on their part. These gifts went into an endowment and could not be used for operational needs. The College was concerned that its needs were not being considered by many as a part of their estate plans.

An Integrated Campaign™ simply means considering the economic impact each donor, at a significant level, has on the financial vitality of the institution. That effectively means the level of annual, program, capital and endowment support each donor should be asked to contribute.

"That goal $20,300,000 for us at Hesston College seemed very formidable," admits Loren Swartzendruber, Hesston's President. "We are a small college and had never attempted anything nearly that large."

Hesston College has had a long history of Mennonite tradition and strong giving, although their donor base is relatively small. After a careful study, Hartsook and Associates achieved a thorough understanding of the school's needs and recommended that organizers break the financial goal into a three-phase campaign.

"There are three ways in which splitting the campaign has helped," explains Swartzendruber. "First, it enables us to return to donors for a second request. Second, it helps with timing because there are some donors who were unable to commit to Phase I due to other commitments. Third, it has enabled us to go to major foundations a second time in the campaign. Some major foundations will only allow you to submit requests every two years."

Enhancing Excellence Campaign: Phase 1
Phase I raised nearly $8 million which was reached in 1997. A gift of $750,000 from the Mabee Foundation and a $500,000 gift from a family in Indiana were two major catalysts for the success of Phase I.

"The campaign goal was based on the estimated cost of The Campus Plan Update for the '90s. Endowment needs were taken from the strategic plan developed by the College," says Swartzendruber. "In addition, Hartsook and Associates estimated a realistic goal for us to achieve. We are still on track to have a new campus by the year 2003. If we're able to achieve that, every building will either be new or will have been renovated in the past 20 years. That is a major challenge for us, but with the generosity of many friends and alumni, we believe that goal is attainable."

Frequently donors were asked to continue their annual gifts at a higher level while considering capital and estate gifts. As a result of this strategy, as much as 20 percent of the annual fund is already committed for the next several years. Though they encountered no real obstacles, Arliss Swartzendruber, Director of the Campaign, says they learned about patience. "As far as our lead gift prospects, the timing was not always quite right. We had to be patient. One lead donor came back a year later with a significant gift, while another is making a substantial gift to Phase II."

Swartzendruber also concedes that funds are limited and the competition is fierce. "Most donors receive many, many requests, which makes the impact of the case statement critical."

Volunteer Leadership
Hesston College relies on a small but dedicated board of overseers. "Our board has only 12 members," says President Swartzendruber. "They are not named specifically because of their ability to give financially. That fact has limited the financial support of the board, but board members have been very encouraging. They have provided a great deal of affirmation for the campaign and its accomplishments. Some have conferred planned outright or deferred gifts. We had one significant gift of $1 million from a board member who wished to remain anonymous."

Campaign Director Swartzendruber is quick to compliment his volunteers and staff. "I have a campaign coordinator who is tremendous about following up on details. She deals with issues and tasks related to the steering committee as well as the development and renovation of facilities. This allows me and other representatives to work with donors and prospective donors."

Hesston College has been guided by a volunteer steering committee of 45 people from across the U.S. and Ontario, Canada. The Phase I campaign co-chairs, Howard Hershberger of Kansas and Wilbur Bontrager of Indiana, were helpful in chairing committee meetings held on campus. They helped coordinate and lead regional meetings in their areas as well. In the Phase II portion of the campaign, Mr. Bontrager is serving as honorary chair, along with several other persons. Mr. Hershberger continues as co-chair and he is joined by Ms. Jan Roth at Hesston as CO-chair

Fund-raising stewardship at Hesston College is conservative: they have a strict policy that no construction project will begin until funds are committed. They strive to recognize donors in a modest, appreciative manner.

"As far as recognition is concerned, we have named buildings for donors or to acknowledge persons who have made significant contributions through their lives to Hesston College," says President Swartzendruber. "Other ways of expressing appreciation include naming identified areas such as conference rooms, the placement of appropriate plaques, and gifts of pottery from a well known and appreciated artist who is a retired faculty member."

The Next Phase
As Hesston College moves into Phase II, Swartzendruber feels more confident in his expectations of the fundraising process.

"We expect the gifts to come from an expanded donor base. We have 40 lead gift prospects for Phase II, of those only 13 contributed to Phase I. We continue to find ways to use volunteers meaningfully." President Swartzendruber feels the role of Hartsook and Associates was significant in the campaign's success.

"They helped us focus on our mission and not get wrapped up in the numbers," the President explains. "They advised us to focus on a manageable number of donors, especially in the lead gift phase. They provided counsel in developing plans for solicitation or for additional cultivation if that was necessary prior to the ask. They also provided advice concerning foundation proposals and gave us guidance on the appropriate wording and the amount of the requested gift."

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