Jeanne Donovan Fisher Adds to WRA’s Endowment with Planned Gift

In 1972, when Western Reserve Academy admitted girls for the first time since 1925, Jeanne Donovan Fisher ’76 decided to “go for it” and began as a freshman day student—a decision that she is happy about to this day.

“Reserve made a huge difference in my life,” shared Jeanne. “It taught me so much, obviously academically and from a college prep perspective, but also socially. I made great friends, many of whom I am close with to this day. And the impact my teachers and my advisor had on me was profound. It was such a tight-knit community that it allowed for connections both inside and outside the classroom.”

Upon graduating from WRA, Jeanne attended Brown University where she studied literature, film, and theater. After graduating, she studied photography and graphic design at the Rhode Island School of Design. She is now an accomplished producer with her company, True Love Productions, in New York City.

Jeanne attributes much of her success to the path that WRA put her on.

“I began giving to support the school in whatever way I could in 1984, when I finally got a paying job,” said Jeanne, “I gave my first campaign gift in the late ’90s. When I was approached about the current campaign, I began to think about Reserve from a planned giving perspective.”

Jeanne is a strong believer in endowment giving. “I think if an institution has earned your trust and your support and you believe in its mission and leadership, then you should be willing to provide permanent capital,” explained Jeanne.

“My personal priorities in supporting WRA’s future are primarily in faculty development and scholarship aid,” Jeanne shared. “I hope that I can, in some small way, help ensure that the school continues to build the strongest, most diverse and academically accomplished faculty they can attract. I know that those teachers will have the kind of impact on future students that mine had on me in the ’70s.”

Jeanne has had extensive experience fundraising for a number of nonprofit institutions, and she has seen firsthand that every little bit helps.

“I encourage everyone who loves WRA to give to the best of their ability,” said Jeanne. “Think about the positive ways WRA has influenced your life, and think about the students of the future. And then give a little something back. That’s pretty simply what has motivated me. That, and we’re not getting any younger, so planned giving is probably a pretty good idea at this point!”