Ascension School Camp & Conference Center
How can we embrace and nurture all of the relationships that make the place we share so special?
Cove, OR
As a shared resource for the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Oregon, Episcopalians and visitors from across the country, and the residents of Cove, Oregon, where it’s located, Ascension School Camp and Conference Center has a wide range of partners, supporters, and friends. Ascension’s leadership wanted to tap into these relationships to gauge the potential support for capital projects it envisioned as a way to serve all of their interests well into the future.
Unlike a congregation, or even a regional organization, Ascension School’s potential donors aren’t all geographically concentrated. Nor do they all come to the camp or conference center on a regular basis.
To reach this diverse audience, the feasibility study we conducted would need to begin by understanding how the uniqueness of the Ascension School experience transcended time and location to touch the lives of all who have come there over the years. Through interviews and conversations, we learned that whether someone came for summer camp years ago in their youth or whether they’re part of the community that shares a swimming pool every summer, the common thread is the sense of deep connection the experience at Ascension School provides.
The feasibility study revealed 100% support for a capital campaign—a first for us!—and an eagerness to get started immediately. It also helped us identify the pool as the project that generated the most excitement, along with an endowment to maintain the pool and grounds for the future.
The capital campaign that followed involved the entire diocese, as well as the community of Cove, OR. So, to begin, we held a kick off at a popular local event, the Cherry Fair, a day where people come from all over the region for a "family-friendly day of old-fashioned fun, music, and food" on the grounds of Ascension School.
We then turned to the diocese by kicking off at the convention in the fall of 2024. A series of "Come and See" events followed, where all members of the diocese were invited to come and experience Ascension School, and the spirit it offers that just can't be communicated through words.
Ascension School was able to raise all the funds needed to build its new swimming pool, and to establish an endowment that will ensure the pool is operational and the facilities are available for generations to come.
Take a minute to check out the case statement and materials we developed for this campaign, using an original painting of Ascension by a local artist.
