The Motivations Behind Light Her Path Giving
The Light Her Path Capital Campaign is seeking to raise $12 million this year for the redevelopment of Wilkinson House and has a longer-term goal of an additional $8 million for the scholarship fund. The campaign has enjoyed tremendous support from the SCEGGS community and has succeeded in raising over $8 million to date.
Over 150 members of the community have contributed generously. Donors are listed on the campaign website and will be recognised in the redeveloped Wilkinson House in a lasting acknowledgement of their contribution. Donors have a wide range of compelling reasons for participating:
Chief among the rationale for donors is the desire to support the core principles of a SCEGGS education:
“I’m a SCEGGS Old Girl, a current parent and a Light Her Path Campaign pledge maker. This might lead you to believe that I’m financially very comfortable and give generously to a repertoire of noble causes. But – that’s not quite the case! I’m a SCEGGS parent through the generosity of the Old Girls Union scholarship, and a pledge maker to the Campaign not because I have a high disposable income, but because I passionately believe in SCEGGS and a what it means to be a SCEGGS girl.”
Zoë Hart
“We have been part of the SCEGGS community since 2013 and during that time our daughters have grown into amazing young women who benefited from the broad education that is at the heart of SCEGGS. The friendships that we have all made are the result of a school that is founded on strong values of community and togetherness.”
Alex Kibble and Elizabeth Carpenter
Other reasons for giving include the need to make Wilkinson House fit for purpose:
“We understand that it is each generation’s responsibility to build upon the generous giving of prior generations, and we wanted to contribute to Wilkinson House because it will provide such a significant uplift in the school’s facilities for current and future SCEGGS girls.”
Sally Auld and Fiona Moore
“Originally, we decided to donate because it was very clear to us that Wilkinson House is not fit for purpose. SCEGGS has a tiny footprint and each square metre needs to be used optimally.”
Therese Cochrane and Fred Woollard
The value of a diverse student body, together with the unique perspective offered by the school’s location in Darlinghurst, also figure highly in donor’s motivations:
“SCEGGS offers such an amazing, whole-girl educational experience that we think it’s incredibly important to open up that opportunity to girls whose families can’t afford it on their own. As a girl I was able to attend an independent school on scholarship thanks to the generosity of others, so I know how much that opportunity can mean. When there is a strong culture of giving, not only do the scholarship recipients benefit – the entire school benefits from a greater diversity of perspectives and backgrounds.”
Kate Howitt
The desire to also ensure that the resources available for the education of girls keeps pace with the resources offered in independent boys’ schools is a key part of many donor’s rationale for giving.
“We decided to increase our donation after the recent focus on the under-representation of women in different parts of society – politics, business, civil society. Dealing with this issue requires a multi-faceted approach. Redressing the imbalance in resourcing of girls’ education (access to world class facilities, as well as scholarships) is one step. Many private boys’ schools have significant financial resources. Independent girls’ schools, much less so. It is time to redress the imbalance.”
Therese Cochrane and Fred Woollard
We thank all of our donors and encourage the whole school community to support the campaign, to give generously for you. As current students have benefitted from the generosity of previous generations, it’s our turn to Light Her Path for future generations of SCEGGS girls.
The Capital Campaign Committee
