A modern multi-story building with large glass windows, outdoor staircases, surrounded by greenery and people walking outside.

EDUCATION · ANNUAL CAMPAIGN · CAPITAL PROJECT

Sierra Canyon School

A landmark first campaign. A permanent home for the arts. A team that now leads.

$14M

RAISED

76x

ROC®

12K

IMPACTED

4

STAGES ADVANCED

The opportunity

A school with the vision, the community, and the moment — ready to make it real.

Sierra Canyon School is a pre-K through 12 independent school in Los Angeles that had been building toward something significant for years. The school had a thriving community, an ambitious leadership team, and a bold vision: to create a world-class arts center and build a fundraising program worthy of the institution they were becoming.

With a focused two-person development team and an appetite to grow, Sierra Canyon was at precisely the moment COGEO was built for — programmatically excellent, philanthropically ready, and looking for a partner who could sit beside them for the full journey.

Their first capital campaign would be a landmark one. COGEO made sure of it.

What COGEO did

A comprehensive strategy — capital campaign, annual fund, and lasting infrastructure. All at once.

COGEO worked with Sierra Canyon across every dimension of their philanthropic development. The goal was never just a completed arts center — it was a school that would emerge from this campaign with the infrastructure, the confidence, and the relationships to sustain ambitious fundraising for decades to come.

Launched the Campaign for the Center for the Arts

A black circle with a green outline and the number 1 inside.

COGEO shaped the case for support, defined the phased strategy, trained school leaders in major gift solicitation, and built the donor relationships that carried the campaign from quiet phase to public launch and well beyond.

Grew the annual fund alongside the capital campaign

While major gifts grew, so did annual participation. COGEO refined messaging, improved donor segmentation, and deepened stewardship — creating a broader, more engaged giving community across the full campaign period.

Built a permanent advancement infrastructure

Number three inside a green circle, indicating a countdown or score.

COGEO introduced systems, processes, and best practices that elevated the advancement team's capabilities — turning a focused two-person operation into a high-functioning development office prepared for decades of ambitious fundraising.

Built philanthropic fluency at every level of leadership

Number 4 inside a circle with a dark background

From the Head of School to advancement staff, COGEO built genuine confidence and expertise in philanthropic strategy — so leadership could carry this work forward with clarity and conviction long after the engagement concluded.

A modern, three-story beige building with a fire escape on the right side, surrounded by blooming pink cherry blossom trees, a parking lot with a car, a grassy area, and a clear blue sky with scattered clouds.

Interior of a modern lobby with large windows, orange seating, and several people; one person sitting on a bench using a laptop, two women chatting on the couch, and a girl walking with a backpack and phone.

Rendering of Sierra Canyon School with a beige building featuring a red trim, large glass entrance, and outdoor seating area. Students and visitors are walking and sitting around the courtyard, with trees and landscape in the background.

Interior view of a modern auditorium with wooden wall panels, a stage with a blue curtain, and rows of blue chairs. There are a few people, including two young individuals walking and talking at the front, and a seated woman near the stage.

A classroom or art studio with students sitting and drawing, a woman in a white dress standing on a platform, and two women walking and chatting near a window.

Cross-section view of a theater auditorium showing technical features like sound system, projection screens, acoustic panels, lighting, seating, and stage infrastructure.

A dance studio with large windows, blue curtains, and a black ceiling with lights. Two ballet dancers are warming up: one sitting on a bench stretching, the other being supported by an instructor while practicing ballet positions.

The outcome

A landmark first campaign raised $14M — and permanently transformed how Sierra Canyon leads with philanthropy.

$14M

RAISED

76x

RETURN ON CONTRIBUTION®

12,000

PEOPLE IMPACTED

4

ORG STAGES ADVANCED

What began as a bold vision became a defining chapter for Sierra Canyon School. The Campaign for the Center for the Arts raised more than $14 million — igniting unprecedented momentum and a stronger, more engaged donor community across both the capital and annual programs.

The Center for the Arts now stands as a permanent creative and cultural hub for the school and the broader Los Angeles community. And Sierra Canyon's advancement program is no longer catching up to the school's ambitions — it's leading them. The team that launched this campaign is now a high-functioning development office, fully prepared for whatever comes next.