Development is the on-going effort to match friends who believe in Mount Michael Benedictine Abbey and School’s mission with opportunities to invest in Mount Michael Benedictine’s future. The investment is in people, monks, students, faculty and staff. The buildings and facilities are simply resources to help live the monastic life and educate our students in the best college preparatory school in Nebraska.
Mount Michael Benedictine Abbey and School have been blessed with prayerful monks, an outstanding faculty and staff, an established development office and dedicated students. The monks realized their new home with the “Journey’s End” campaign in 2008. The “Now is the Time Campaign” is off to a great start with over 4 million dollars in gifts and pledges. The public phase will begin in the fall. This is to enhance the academic learning environment. The growth and success of Mount Michael is because of the friends who continue to invest in Mount Michael Benedictine’s mission.
Mrs. Kimberly A. Volpone
Director of Development
The founders of the Mount Michael Abbey and St. John Seminary (the name of the school from 1956 to 1970) knew from the very beginning that it was very important to have an institution with a development office to handle public relations and fundraising.
The office started in the building that was the temporary residence of the monks, which is the present Michaeleen building. The monks actually lived in the school during the years a temporary monastery residence was built to house the monks because the growing school enrollment made this necessary.
The original Development Office consisted of three rooms and the old chapel in the temporary monastery. Two ladies were hired to assist Father Joseph in getting the office started. Their duties consisted of putting out a monthly issue of the Michaeleen that had to be hand set and printed in the Development Office basement. Further duties consisted of mailing the Michaeleen. In those days the ladies were required not only to mail the Michaeleen but to sort it and tie it into proper zip codes. This took several days. Furthermore, they had to keep the mailing list up to date and of course this was done without the assistance of computers.
The Development Office was also responsible for preparing and executing the annual Fall Festival which started in 1955. The Fall Festival was the life blood of the school for years. It helped pay off the debt on the school building, so the personnel had to work extra diligently to make it successful. They did have the help of the lay organization which in those days was called the Mount Michael Association.
The Development Office has now expanded to five rooms and seven employees – two full- time and five part-time, with lots of volunteer help along with the help of the computer. The Office now has the additional task of preparing for the Night of Knights, annual appeal and the capital campaign.
The primary goal of the development department has, is and always will be to gain and sustain the financial stability necessary to keep Mount Michael Benedictine Abbey and School alive and well.
The Now is the Time campaign will significantly increase our endowed funds, address urgent infrastructure improvements, and upgrade our campus facilties. Go Now
Kim Volpone
Director of Development
402-253-0964
kvolpone@mountmichael.org
Michele Whitaker
Administrative Assistant
402-253-0953
mwhitaker@mountmichael.org
Jenny Powell
Event Coordinator
402-253-0950
Kari Herbst
Communication Specialist
402-238-1447
kherbst@mountmichael.org
Abbot Raphael Walsh
Development Assistant
402-253-0971
rwalsh@mountmichael.org
Brother Benedict Mary
Development Assistant
402-253-0969
tober@mountmichael.org
Brother James Pope
Development Assistant
402-253-0969
