Supporting St Thomas's

 
Giving to St. Thomas's Day School

St. Thomas’s Day School is a place that educates children broadly by cultivating intelligence while engaging heart and spirit.  Your support enables us to offer the rich, broad-based educational experience that characterizes St. Thomas’s Day School.  We depend upon the generosity of our community to sustain and advance the mission and programs of the school.   A quality educational program relies on other sources of revenue in addition to tuition.  There are several components of fundraising at St. Thomas’s Day School:  the Annual Fund, Endowment, Spring Auction, and other events directed by the Board of Managers.

Annual Fund:  The Annual Fund campaign is a yearly fundraising effort, primarily for unrestricted gifts.  Everyone in the St. Thomas's community is included in the Annual Fund campaign.  These donations are spent in the same fiscal year in which the gift is made. Since most gifts to the St. Thomas’s Annual Fund are unrestricted, the School has the flexibility to use the funds in those areas that are critical to maintaining and enhancing the quality of our program.  The School's fiscal year runs from July 1 - June 30 and the Annual Fund campaign is initiated in the fall of each year.

The Annual Fund helps close the gap between tuition and the full cost of educating a student.  The 2010-2011 Annual Fund campaign raised $67,000 in unrestricted and temporarily restricted donations.  The parent participation rate for the last two years has exceeded 90%, with several classes at 100% participation.  Special thanks to Parent Fund chairs Susan Sawyer and Barbara Schaffer for their leadership and commitment to the St. Thomas's Day School Annual Fund.

Areas where the Annual Fund helps most: 
  • New program initiatives
  • Technology and Library resources
  • Financial aid
  • Competitive compensation for faculty and staff
  • Student activities
  • Professional development

The goal for the 2011-2012 Annual Fund is $60,000.  As of January 30, 2012, the School has raised $46,453; 77% of our goal.

Endowment:  The Endowment contributes to the financial strength of the school.  Money given to the Endowment is held in perpetuity.  Income earned from investing the Endowment is used as a source of revenue for the annual operating budget.  The amount of Endowment earnings that can be spent is determined by the Board of Managers of St. Thomas’s Day School.

Spring Auction:  Gifts in support of the spring auction are designated for a specific purpose.  Generally, donations to the auction are for Endowment and Scholarship Endowment.  In the past, gifts to the auction also have been designated for technology, renovations to Robbins Hall, and the playgrounds.  Over the last several years, more than $600,000 gross revenue has been raised to support St. Thomas’s Day School.

Every dollar donated makes a difference and no gift is too small.  A St. Thomas’s education is one of the greatest gifts we can give to our children!

For more information about giving to St. Thomas’s Day School, please contact Miriam Battista, Development and Communication Director, at 203.776.2123 or mbattista@stthomasday.org.