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Founded in 1966, Wake Christian Academy has spent nearly six decades cultivating a Christ-centered educational environment where academic excellence and spiritual formation go hand in hand. Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, the school serves students from kindergarten through 12th grade, offering a rigorous curriculum grounded in biblical truth.
For nearly 60 years, Wake Christian Academy has delivered a Christ-centered, academically rigorous education that has shaped generations of students. Yet, while the school’s impact grew, its physical campus did not keep pace. In 2017, WCA launched a bold master site plan—a visionary blueprint to transform its facilities and better serve its students and community. However, the school’s fundraising infrastructure at the time was not equipped to support such an ambitious initiative. That’s when Armstrong McGuire stepped in to help.
In 2017 Armstrong McGuire partnered with Wake Christian to conduct a Campaign Readiness and Feasibility Study. Through this study, we identified an opportunity to enhance the school's annual fundraising efforts and to begin fostering a deeper level of investment within the community. Together, we built the fundraising and communication muscles of the staff and the board, helping the school strengthen its overall position in the competitive landscape of private education.
When a feasibility study shows that you are not ready to raise the full amount you hoped, it can be disappointing. In the case of Wake Christian Academy, it was inspiring.
The Board of Directors, the Head of School, and the staff embraced the study as an opportunity to learn, grow, and trust in God’s plan for the school. With faithful discernment, they took to heart the recommendations to strengthen the annual fund as a launch pad to future capital fundraising.
They set about the work of revising the annual campaign structure, timeline and approach in partnership with Armstrong McGuire. They set higher targets for the school and for individuals. They asked boldly and individuals and the community at large responded. Momentum was building.
With a more robust annual fund platform established, the school turned to fund some of the first components of its master site plan. Instead of launching a full capital campaign, they started with smaller projects, inviting larger investments from some families who were uniquely positioned to invest, earning their trust and demonstrating what was possible for the larger WCA community.
Emerging from COVID shutdowns in 2020 stronger than ever, WCA was ready to revisit its capital campaign vision in 2023. Building on the work from 2017, Armstrong McGuire conducted a smaller scale Campaign Readiness and Feasibility Study. This time, we found the school better positioned to launch such an effort.
Although the school remains in the quiet phase of the campaign, they have raised more money to date than ever in its history, attracting 6 and 7-figure investments.
"As a Christian educator, I was trained to help students grow academically, spiritually, and emotionally. But in order to accomplish our mission, we must raise funds to advance the mission and vision of our school. Armstrong McGuire provided training, guidance, support, encouragement, and practical coaching to help our team accomplish our goals. Shannon and Jeff are wonderful partners and great friends to our school."
Does your current fundraising program match your vision? If not, we can help. Let’s Unlock the Fundraising Potential of your community, together.
Whether you’re ready to expand your organizational capacity and move forward with purpose, or just want to talk shop, we’d love to connect.
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