On Dec. 31, 2012, Westminster fell short of the year-end giving goal, receiving $3.4 million of the $5 million goal. This is the first year-end goal that the school has missed. The new goal date is July 31, 2013 for the remaining $1.6 million.
“Falling short of the goal means that although God has provided just enough to keep our budget strong and healthy to this point in the year, missing the goal profoundly affects how quickly we can move forward on some of our strategic priorities,” said Zach Clark, director of advancement.
Because we did not reach $5 million by the end of 2012, WCA must reconsider their long-term strategy and think through the timing and funding model for the future.
“Meeting the goal would have pushed us forward on some exciting things we are hoping to work on, such as holding tuition flat for periods of years, becoming debt free sooner rather than later, continuing to increase financial aid, and adding more innovative programs and improvements,” said Clark.
Contrary to what many students may think, tuition does not pay for our facility debt, facility improvements or new programs.
“Parents paying tuition are paying for the day-to-day experience for the students, teachers and programs. In a very real sense, unless you are a donor, a parent who pays tuition is not paying “rent” or any payments on this incredible facility experience or even our most significant new programs or improvements,” said Clark.
Giving is what provides for new programs, new facilities and managing any debt. This is why giving and meeting these goals is crucial for keeping tuition flat and improving or adding more programs to WCA.
“People who give to Westminster have an ‘ownership’ mentality for Westminster and we continue to ask people to give and take ownership; this is how God works through His people at Westminster,” said Clark.
Jim Marsh sent an email to the WCA community saying that we must raise the needed $1.6 million by July 31, 2013 “in order to maintain the financial stability of the school.” According to Clark, this results from good stewardship, healthy enrollment, and the achievement of our yearly giving goals.
Many people have given to WCA over the years, and their giving has impacted people in different ways. Clark recalls one story that stood out to him.
“Just as we came back to school from Christmas break, I received a letter from a mother who has applied for future enrollment at Westminster. They’ve not had a child yet attend Westminster, and she sent me a letter saying that she had been praying about what to do with her remaining giving for 2012. She went on to write about she had seen firsthand, by walking around our campus, that Christ was at work in the lives of our students, families, and teachers, and she knew that God was directing her heart to give to Westminster, even though they’ve not yet had a student enrolled here. As you can imagine, I don’t get many letters like that with a check enclosed!” said Clark.
Even though WCA missed the year-end goal for this year, it is clear that Westminster has a strong community behind it.
“The past decade at Westminster, we’ve seen nearly $50 million given. This has enabled us to build an incredible campus and an incredible program. Just as importantly, we have had two years of the lowest tuition increases by percentage in our school history while also providing $1.8 million in financial aid. One need only walk around Westminster and see the incredible fruit and impact of the giving of the Christian community,” said Clark.
