Roots & Wings
A Capital Campaign to Nurture & Expand
As of 4/18/24
Total of contributions and pledges toward our goal of $3+ million
$2,240,696.19!
Look at the Milestone you achieved!
Thank you for making a difference!
Join this Capital Campaign
The Mountain thrives by embracing Unitarian Universalist values through its inspirational programs, environmental care, and justice commitments. To insure the future of this legacy it is time to make a generational investment in The Mountain. The capital campaign team estimates the need to raise $3+ million to meet our project goals.
The results of this capital campaign will support the needs of people, programs, and infrastructure by maintaining what already exists and building upon it.
Please join us in this exciting opportunity to maintain The Mountain’s roots and spread its wings by making a meaningful financial pledge to the Roots & Wings capital campaign!
The Capital Campaign Goals
The Roots & Wings capital campaign supports projects that will serve current and future needs of people, programs, and infrastructure.
Serving People
The Mountain welcomes people of all ages and abilities. To increase the quality and accessibility of our guest housing, structural repairs, electrical upgrades, ventilation improvements, and other improvements are needed.
And with a concern for economic justice due to the high cost of living in the Highlands area, we must provide affordable staff housing to attract and retain qualified professionals.
Enhancing Programs
We’ll honor our historic roots by maintaining aging buildings that have supported time-honored programs for children and youth, religious professionals, congregational retreats, and many non-profits aligned with our Unitarian Universalist values, such as WomenSpirit and Gay Spirit Vision.
We’ll spread our wings by creating new and improved spaces to meet a variety of new and existing program needs—complete with reliable internet and audio-visual presentation technologies.
Supporting Infrastructure
To continue meeting the needs of people and programs, we must invest in significant infrastructural upgrades. In recent years, the state of North Carolina has raised its environmental impact codes.
The lake dam and septic systems need urgent structural repairs or upgrades to meet state codes. And several building roofs, flooring, and other structural repairs are needed, such as for the Kitchen, Dining Hall, Tower, and Office.
A Mountain of Giving
What level of gift can you commit to that is personally meaningful and will help The Mountain reach its goal? This chart shows a sample number of gifts needed in each financial range to fulfill our goal of $3+ million.
Frequently Asked Questions
To provide optimal programming aligned with our mission and values we need to recruit and retain staff prepared to offer these programs, and this requires upgraded staff housing
Many of our buildings need attention for basic maintenance as well as upgrades to guest and staff housing, and meeting spaces
In the past few years many caring people have supported renovation projects, reflecting an interest in this critical work
The annual campaign supports 25% of day-to-day operations; registration fees cover 75% of program expenses
Special projects, like MountainCamp scholarships, Craft Barn renovation, or the greenhouse are supported by donations and grants outside of the annual campaign gifts
The Endowment Fund is to ensure long-term fiscal viability of The Mountain, with an annual gift to operations representing a small percentage of the fund
A capital campaign is a rare event to raise major funds for a generational investment
The capital campaign goal is $3.2 million. This amount covers the estimated cost of renovating and upgrading existing facilities, construction and site work on new buildings, furnishings, and costs associated with the campaign.
The years have caught up to The Mountain. To remain a viable institution, maintaining what we have and building upon our success is vital. Prior to embarking on this capital campaign, we consulted with many regular Mountain participants and supporters who agreed with the desirability of undertaking these projects.
Because we depend on annual campaign donations to support day-to-day operations, the capital campaign contributions are in addition to the annual campaign.
To discuss specific arrangements, please contact Beverly Cree, Director of Mountain Advancement.
More Information about pledging coming soon.
Your pledge to The Mountain’s capital campaign can be fulfilled at any time, but must be completed by December 2025. The more of your commitment you are able to pay early, the quicker progress we’ll make on projects.
Your payment to The Mountain, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, can be in cash, stock transfer, or required minimum distributions (RMD) from a retirement account.
To discuss payments beyond 2025 or additional methods of payment, please contact Beverly Cree, Director of Mountain Advancement (see below).
Capital Campaign Committee
Beverly Cree, Mountain Development Director and Capital Campaign Director; member of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of St. Augustine, FL
Anna Martin, Mountain Board member and Capital Campaign Chair, member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville
Steph Anderson, Mountain Executive Director, affiliated with the Unitarian Universalists of Transylvania County (Brevard) and Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Franklin
K.C. Boyce, Mountain Board of Trustees Chair, affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta
Lee Reading, Mountain Board member and former Interim Director, member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Swannanoa Valley
Rev. Alison Eskildsen, Minister Emerita of the UU Fellowship of Athens, GA, and current member of the Community Church of Chapel Hill, Unitarian Universalist
Charles Lee, former Mountain Board member and former President of the Charlotte and Sarasota UU Churches; current member of the Community Church of Chapel Hill, Unitarian Universalist
Dave Zenner, Architect, member and former President of Northwest Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Sandy Springs, GA.
Honorary Steering Committee
Laurel Amabile, Bruce Kirkman, Erin Thompson, Larry Wheeler
Contact Us
Paula Kee, Capital Campaign Manager – capital.campaign@themountainrlc.org
KC Boyce, Capital Campaign Committee Chair – kc@boycecompany.com
Email: Development@themountainrlc.org
Mail: The Mountain Capital Campaign, Box 1299, Highlands, NC 28741-1299
