Ossining Children’s Center
A Capital Campaign Rooted in Community
The Backstory
A Lifeline in an Affluent County
Westchester County is an affluent area, but many parents in the town of Ossining (pronounced AH-suh-ning) struggle to find or afford quality childcare and early childhood education programs. Ossining Children’s Center is a lifeline to these families and, as a result, is a jewel in the community.
Innovative and Inclusive from the Start
OCC pioneered one of the nation’s first daycare centers and remains one of the top early childhood programs in New York, with a flexible curriculum that recognizes each child’s unique developmental path. In addition, OCC provides tuition assistance to ensure disadvantaged children and low-income families have access to high-quality care.
A Facility that No Longer Fit
However, the center’s 120-year-old facilities showed significant wear and stood in stark contrast to the nurturing environment found inside. The building’s appearance left many families hesitant to enroll. The center was also unable to accommodate the growing needs of the community, particularly following government funding cuts that required OCC to expand its tuition assistance program.
Heller Fundraising Group Enters the Picture
To address these issues, OCC engaged the Heller Fundraising Group to explore the possibilities of a new facility and establish a stronger financial plan.
The Strategy
Snapshot of Strategy
Getting Leadership on Board
The first step in working with OCC was to solidify board support for a capital campaign. Peter Heller, founder of the Heller Group, and his colleagues, partnered with OCC’s board president on a series of workshops. With advice from financial consultants, architects, and other experts, we talked about how to ensure OCC’s long-term financial stability and gave board members the space to address their concerns before making critical decisions.
“A campaign is a great moment for your board and other supporters to decide if they’re with you—and for those who are, to be in it whole-heartedly.”
—Peter Heller, Founder, Heller Fundraising Group
Deliberate Pacing Pays Off
We brought the same deliberate pace to the feasibility study. The Heller Group team—led by then-senior consultant Betsy Steward—encouraged OCC to first focus on finding their new permanent home. Without it, we believed donor interviews would be too ambiguous. We used this time to meet with staff and board members to define the center’s strengths and needs, review the local real estate landscape, and conduct a deep analysis of OCC donors.
GA Transformative Site and Gift
Once OCC leadership located a 2.5-acre site in downtown Ossining, we strategized with Director of Development Shawn Cribari on approaching three lead donor families. This resulted in a $1.8 million gift of property and $6 million pledge from the first, and a combined $2.5 million pledge from the other two. When paired with funds from selling their original property and New York state grants, OCC entered the feasibility study with $10.8 million already raised.
Telling the Story Powerfully
Our case writer, Don Heymann, wrote an inspiring story about the center’s inclusive educational philosophy and its clear vision for the future—one we were able to test in 21 donor interviews. Most shared that OCC was among their top giving priorities and that they supported the campaign’s objectives. We secured an additional seven-figure pledge from two other supporters during the feasibility study.
Execution and Expertise
With a strong tailwind propelling them forward, OCC set out to raise the remaining funds. Betsy elevated the campaign’s execution by building internal staff expertise, setting up systems and tracking procedures, training staff and volunteers, and delivering ongoing prospect research. Peter and Betsy also provided strategic advice for major donor meetings.
Workshops with the board to address long-term financial concerns
Delayed feasibility study until a new site was secured
Raised $10.8M before launching the full campaign
Story-driven donor engagement
Strategic and operational support throughout the campaign
Challenges
Unfamiliar Territory
OCC is a beloved organization with a deep well of supporters. Despite its storied past, however, OCC had never undertaken a capital campaign of this magnitude. The center’s largest campaign, conducted more than 20 years earlier, had a goal of $1 million. In the mid-2010s, OCC’s operating budget was $2 million. The decision to leave the center’s original home and build a new facility—including a $17.8 million capital campaign to finance the move—naturally led to some discomfort among board members.
A Long List of Hurdles
Securing the full-fledged support of OCC’s leadership was just the first step. The unprecedented size and scale of the campaign presented several other challenges to achieving their goals:
The campaign launch required OCC to search for and purchase a new facility while simultaneously determining whether it was possible to raise the funds to finance it.
The town of Ossining is a diverse one, with families from high-wealth backgrounds, first-generation Americans, and working-class immigrants. The campaign needed to celebrate OCC’s reputation as a gathering place for all and speak authentically to a range of supporters.
During the campaign, the deaths of several prominent supporters and the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic presented unexpected obstacles that could have derailed OCC’s progress.
The Unexpected
During the campaign, OCC faced several significant complications, including the deaths of three lead donors and the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. We supported OCC in maintaining the same close relationships with the donors’ families while keeping the project moving forward. And, when the pandemic placed extreme pressure on the center’s operations, we recommended that OCC celebrate the end of the campaign with the opening of their new building. We then rolled the final $1 million, which included an unusually high increase in costs from pandemic supply chain issues, into the next year’s annual fundraising and guided OCC to successfully reach their goal.
“We used to see ourselves as a mom-and-pop type operation, and I don't think we see ourselves that way anymore. We’ve upped our game and try to help people feel more fully connected and invested. We get more respect in the community. We believe in ourselves to a much higher degree.”
—Shawn Cribari, Director of Development,
Ossining Children’s Center
“The Heller Group talked to us about doing away with limiting beliefs. We needed to believe that more was possible for us.”
—Shawn Cribari, Director of Development,
Ossining Children’s Center
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By the Numbers
$17.8 million campaign goal
$18.57 million raised during the campaign
$1 million raised in annual giving cycle the following year
275 donors
Capacity grew from 148 to 222 children
The Results
OCC’s 27,000-square-foot building offers everything a young child could need, from large and airy classrooms to an indoor gym and multipurpose room to three playgrounds and a sports field overlooking the Hudson River. OCC’s beautiful new home has also led to an increase in full-tuition students from higher-income families. This ensures OCC continues its mission to be a center for everyone in Ossining while keeping childcare affordable for low- and moderate-income families.
Cribari says the campaign also led to an overall professionalization—both in the center’s operations and in its reputation in the community. They now have a pipeline of board members and long-term donors, many drawn directly from the families enrolled in the center.
Case Study Summary
Location: Ossining, NY
Sector: Schools and education
Campaign Goal: $17.8 million
Total Raised: $18.57 million during the campaign
Follow-up Giving: Additional $1 million raised the following year
Donors: 275
Impact: Grew capacity from 148 to 222 children
After serving immigrant and working families for more than 120 years, Ossining Children’s Center has deep roots in New York’s Westchester community. When the time came for a new facility, we helped OCC tap into those relationships to raise $10.5 million in lead gifts—including a single $7.8 million gift—before we even completed the feasibility study. With our guidance during the campaign, they raised $18.57 million to construct a modern childcare center that also expanded access to more children and families.