Annual Giving Case for Support - Next is Now

next is NOW

what’s next?
next is NOW
On March 3, 2015, with the announcement of the
intended closure of Sweet Briar College, a force of
will was released that demonstrated how a liberal arts
education is vital to higher education today, how women’s
colleges are more relevant than ever, and how Sweet
Briar College, in particular, produces accomplished,
fearless, impassioned leaders willing to take their
destiny, and the destiny of the College that shaped them,
into their own hands.
We are, indeed, the women Sweet Briar made us,
well equipped to ensure that young women across the
nation and the world have the opportunity to be educated
and empowered as only Sweet Briar can.

Our Future
Has Begun
Despite the multiple challenges resulting from the closure
announcement, Sweet Briar women won: we took
back the keys and we continue to propel our beloved
College toward a future that sets the standard for the
education of women in this country and beyond, a future
in which the beauty of the campus and its buildings are
restored, a future that is worthy of our storied past.
You, your sister alumnae, and Sweet Briar’s friends are
the keepers of the keys to that future. Your financial
support, at levels consistent with what we raised in the
Saving Sweet Briar movement, will unlock that future
for generations of young women who demand and
deserve the Sweet Briar experience.
next is NOW

What’s Next?
To realize our vision:
• address the neglect suffered by the College over a
period of many years;
• provide operational expense relief in the wake of the
closure attempt;
• protect the College’s endowment, ensuring that the
College’s mission continues: to educate and empower
women — in perpetuity.
Together, we can do this.
Our immediate need by June 30, 2016, is $30 million in
additional unrestricted funds. Your gift now is more than a contribution;
it is an investment in an extraordinary educational institution, the return
on which will be reaped for generations to come. Thanks to your
generosity, Sweet Briar’s future has already begun.
Unlocking Our Success
SWEET BRIAR FUND REVENUE SOURCES
Acceleration of Saving Sweet Briar Pledges
Gifts to the Sweet Briar Fund
Challenge Gifts — matching gifts
to the Sweet Briar Fund by visionary donors
$10 million
$10 million
$10 million
$30 million

Our Path to Sustainability
Sweet Briar Fund Endowment Auxiliaries
External Grants Tuition & Fees
FY ’16 (228)
FY ’17 (324)
FY ’18 (433)
FY ’19 (539)
FY ’20 (674)
* Figures in parentheses are projected student enrollment
* Endowment draw-down rate is 5% each year
Five-year growth in revenue from tuition, fees, grants and auxiliary
enterprises will lead to decreasing reliance on the Sweet Briar Fund
for operating expenses. Increasing budgetary health will allow us to
grow our endowment and meet future capital needs.
next is NOW

5 Keys
to a Sustainable, Thriving
Sweet Briar
Continue, even improve, Sweet Briar’s mission
to prepare young women to lead lives of great
significance.
Women’s colleges are more relevant today than ever before, and
women leaders in all areas of our global society have never been more
needed. For example, although only two percent of college graduates
nationwide are from women’s colleges, we constitute more than 28
percent of the women on Capitol Hill and a similar percentage in
corporate boardrooms across America. Whether it is the community in
which they live, the industry in which they work, or the causes to which
they commit themselves, Sweet Briar women will continue to be well
equipped to live lives of great significance that can change the
world.
Implement cutting-edge best practices to increase and
sustain enrollment.
Enrollment growth is the single most important key to Sweet Briar’s future,
the metric by which Sweet Briar will be judged in the years immediately
ahead. All eyes are upon us. And all available tools must be
employed to attract the kind of students who are likely to become
graduates; bright, capable women who will mirror the success of
today’s alumnae. In addition to Admissions staff, more than 400 Alumnae
Admission Recruiters are mounting an unprecedented campaign to recruit
200+ new students each year who will persist through graduation.

Reduce expenses, responsibly.
Finding the delicate balance between reducing expenses and rebuilding
our faculty and administration is no simple matter. The College’s Board of
Directors and administration are committed to targeted expense
reductions and increasing efficiency, adopting a balanced approach
to mitigate the effects of the closure attempt and lawsuit resolutions.
Enhance revenue from auxiliary enterprises while
protecting endowment assets.
Numerous sources of additional revenue have been underutilized
in recent years. Realizing such revenue streams will help to fulfill the
College’s commitment to reduce the draw-down rate on
endowment to no more than five percent annually, starting with the
current budget, as compared to an average of more than eight percent
per year over the last decade.
Chart a clear course that shows where we’re going and
how we will get there.
Only five months into Sweet Briar’s future, our rebuilding has progressed
exponentially, with a new President and administration dedicated
to perpetuating our value and values; a new Board committed to
transparency and strategic planning and budgeting; and a new,
invigorated Alumnae Alliance promising an era of reborn
engagement. Our strong, vibrant community will meet the challenges
of the next five years head-on to ensure a thriving, sustainable Sweet Briar.
next is NOW

Please consider a truly significant gift now. Your gift to
this Special Initiative for the Sweet Briar Fund shows your
strong belief in Sweet Briar’s future — in perpetuity.
Drawing ©
Edith Schermerhorn
1980
Office of Alumnae Relations and Development
P.O. Box 1057
Sweet Briar, VA 24595
sbc.edu/alumdev
alumnae@sbc.edu
800-381-6131
next is NOW