Salem has a history of enduring and thriving even in challenging times. As the oldest continuously operating women’s educational institution in the country, Salem Academy and College embarked on an ambitious $60M campaign, seeking support for investments in infrastructure, academic programs, faculty development, scholarships and long-term financial stability.

Finding inspiration in the most unexpected places, archival research uncovered a letter written in 1911 by Katharine Boring Rondthaler—the wife of a former Salem president. In the letter, Mrs. Rondthaler writes, “… every woman in this century must not be in the world without a purpose, and that purpose, whatsoever it be, is worthy of the highest and best that is in her…” Her words became the foundation for the Women of Purpose campaign.

Our assignment was to inspire current and prospective donors to give generously to the campaign by capitalizing on the momentum of increased enrollment at both the Academy and College, the inauguration of a new president, and the legacy of Salem as a one-of-a-kind institution committed to the education of girls and women.

When it comes to humanity’s most difficult challenges, only exceptional education is how we will discover new paths to solutions. And the world needs more exceptional women blazing these pathways. For nearly 250 years, Salem has understood that educating and empowering girls and women is much more than agreeable to some ideal of fairness, it is essential to the future of the world. Just one year into the Women of Purpose campaign, Salem is already more than halfway to reaching their $60M goal.