Bethany Completes Four-Year, $13.7M Fundraising Effort

Bethany Theological Seminary has completed Flourish: A Campaign for Bethany Theological Seminary, raising $13.7 million in cash gifts and estate commitments to advance the institution’s educational mission. Launched in 2023, the campaign received the support of more than 1,200 donors, and represents one of the most successful fundraising initiatives in the history of the Seminary. The campaign far surpassed the $12M goal that the Board of Trustees approved at the beginning of the effort.

“We are incredibly grateful to all of those who have stepped up to support this campaign,” says President Jeff Carter. “Alumni, friends of the Seminary, members of the Church of the Brethren, and our neighbors in Wayne County, Indiana, have come together to support us. Together, these generous individuals and organizations have ensured that a Bethany education will be available to future generations of students who receive a call from God to ministry and service.”

The Flourish Campaign sought new funding to enhance the student experience, encourage faculty creativity and innovation, and to bolster the Bethany Fund, the organization’s annual fundraising to support its operating experience. The initiative succeeded in garnering philanthropy in all these areas. The success of the effort was guaranteed by leadership-level commitments from generous individuals and organizations.

The success of the campaign will chart the course for the institution’s future. Following are some examples of the impact the campaign will have on Bethany’s educational program.

Increased financial aid for students. Led by a $1M commitment from Priscilla Wampler (Bridgewater, Virginia) and her late husband Dr. J. Paul Wampler, to support student financial aid, the Seminary plans to establish the Wampler Fellows program to support residential students.

A full-tuition scholarship. With funding from the Flourish Campaign, the Seminary has created a new full-tuition scholarship for students who are members of the Church of the Brethren.

A chair in Brethren Studies. An anonymous commitment of $1.5M ensures that Brethren Studies will always be at the core of Bethany’s curriculum. The gift will endow a faculty chair in Brethren Studies, and place the history and enduring witness of the Church of the Brethren at the center of the theological education that Bethany provides, even as the faculty and student body represent a wide range of Christian traditions.

Support for Faculty. Kathy and Mark Melhorn (Wichita, Kansas) committed $1.4M to the campaign, including a $200,000 cash gift to establish the Ramsey-Melhorn Faculty Innovation fund. The Melhorns have also made an unrestricted estate commitment as part of the campaign.

Strong annual fundraising. The Bethany Fund, which typically funds the Seminary’s day-to-day operations, raised about $3.3M during the run of the Flourish Campaign. The donor retention rate (that is, the percentage of donors making gifts in consecutive years) was more than 70 percent.

New estate commitments. During the campaign, Bethany’s institutional advancement team recorded more than $4.9 M in new unrestricted planned gifts. These commitments, which will allow donors to leave a legacy to Bethany as part of their future estates allow the Seminary to plan with knowledge of the level of support they are likely to receive in the future.

“This campaign has been beneficial to Bethany in ways that go way beyond the dollars raised,” notes Doug Macias, director of fundraising and constituent relations. “Our team has worked hard to implement measures that will benefit us for years to come, including shifting to a new database system, deepening our relationships with alumni and friends, and finding new ways to share the stories of the Seminary with various constituencies. We believe this campaign will contribute to our success in many ways.”

In total, the Flourish Campaign brought in approximately $7.7M in cash gifts, and the rest in mutli-year pledges and estate commitments. A significant portion of the funds raised have been added to the Seminary’s endowment, which is now valued at more than $60M. 

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