A Model of Affordability
Summary
Although the economy was in a deep rut, we moved forward with our partners.Our first step was to deposit $4.25 million into an endowment fundseparate from the Jim Joseph Foundation fundingto provide a 25 percent match to the subsequent dollars raised by the schools. And more importantly, could we get them to believe wholeheartedly in the need for endowment?Our early-stage planning meetings were accompanied by numerous seminars and workshops, coaching sessions, and conferences with boards and lay leadership. And along with coaching and providing strategic vision, BJE certainly had to push and prod schools to follow the course we all charted to reach important financial benchmarks. When schools felt overwhelmed, we offered whatever training, coaching, support or help they asked for or needed to move the bar forward.About six months past the projects midpoint, in January 2013, we hit a turning point in the cultural change that was such an important element of the LAHSAI goal. Trained development staff combined with a shift in cultural ultimately would help the schools meet their project goals.Figure 2: Breakdown of the $12.7 million grant for the six-year initiativeThe necessary cultural changes that led to the endowments growth resulted from BJE and the Jim Joseph Foundation first recognizing the nature and magnitude of the challenge and providing the resources to succeed.