How Punahou School Grew Its Endowment 5x — From $100M to Nearly $500M

In this exclusive conversation, Noelehua Lyons, Vice President for Institutional Advancement of President Obama’s alma mater shares the strategy behind transformative endowment growth from fundraising discipline to investment alignment.

A Sneak Peek

Why This Matters

Every institution wants sustainable endowment growth.

Few achieve it at scale.

What makes the difference?

  • A clearly defined long-term strategy
  • Alignment between development, leadership, and investment oversight
  • Governance discipline that sustains momentum

In this candid interview, you’ll hear how Punahou built a system that allowed growth to compound — and what other institutions can apply immediately.

What You’ll Learn

Inside the conversation:

  • How Punahou harnessed their mission to scale to nearly $500M in assets
  • The fundraising frameworks that unlocked transformational gifts
  • Key lessons and missteps to avoid ‍

This is practical insight from leaders who executed at scale.

Who Should Watch

This interview is designed for:

  • Board Members
  • Nonprofit Executives
  • Development and Advancement Teams
  • Finance and Investment Committee Members

If you’re responsible for institutional growth, this conversation will resonate.

Featured in This Conversation

Aaron Sheklin

Director, Institutional - Farther

With a background in law and finance, Aaron brings a unique perspective to nonprofit leadership and governance. He is a licensed attorney in both Florida and New York and an active member of the Florida Bar Association and New York Bar Association. He serves as Chairman of SEHEI, a 501(c)(3) shared housing initiative, and is a board member of the Planned Giving Council of Northeast Florida, furthering his commitment to philanthropic strategy and legacy giving.

Beyond his advisory work, Aaron has a strong entrepreneurial background. He co-founded ClickPay, which grew to become the largest payment processor in the real estate industry before its successful acquisition by RealPage in 2019. His ability to build, scale, and navigate complex financial landscapes offers invaluable insights to the nonprofit sector.

Noelehua Lyons

Vice President for Institutional Advancement - PUNAHOA SCHOOL

Noelehua Lyons ’91 Archambault has been named Punahou’s interim vice president for institutional advancement, overseeing alumni relations, archives, communications and fundraising. A member of the School’s fundraising team since 2006, she previously served as Senior Director of Development.

Before coming to Punahou, Archambault worked in higher education advancement as Associate Director of International Initiatives at Harvard University, where she raised funds for global priorities across the University, set development and operational strategy, and managed university fundraising trips throughout Asia. Upon returning to Hawai‘i, she joined the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa as director of development, responsible for major gift fundraising and development strategy for the College of Arts and Sciences.

She received a bachelor’s degree cum laude from Cornell University in Comparative Literature and a master’s in International Education from Harvard University. She has served on the boards of the YWCA of O‘ahu and the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Aloha Chapter. She and her husband, Chris, have two sons attending Punahou – Kaiea ’24 and Makana ’29.

Endowment growth doesn’t happen by accident.
See how one institution built the discipline to make it possible.

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