The Country Day Fund, our annual giving program, is our top giving priority because it directly impacts our greatest assets—our students and our teachers. The Country Day Fund provides unrestricted support for the school’s operating budget, which is allocated annually by the Board of Trustees.
Annual Giving = Flexibility
Annual giving dollars given to Country Day allow us to be nimble and responsive to the changing needs and demands of our institution. Past Country Day Fund gifts provided technology for students and teachers on a 1:1 ratio allowing for remote learning to be a real-time solution to the world’s current crisis. Past Country Day Fund gifts have also provided professional development for our faculty and staff; they were not only equipped but trained in 21st century teaching techniques.
Your Gifts at Work
Some examples of the transitions made possible by Country Day Fund support this year include:
- A commitment to paying our entire working community as long as possible through this health challenge.
- More than 100 video calls per day between
—Teachers and classes
—Tutors and students
—Advisors and advisees
—Administrators and faculty and staff - Continued individualized instruction and responsiveness to each students needs and challenges
Where Do the Funds Go?
The Board of Trustees and Head of School are committed to minimizing tuition increases while continuing to offer every student an excellent education. The Country Day Fund offers a tax-deductible opportunity to augment tuition revenue that supports the school’s operating budget each year. The majority of any school budget is applied to people and facility maintenance, leaving little flexibility due to those fixed costs. The cost of providing an excellent education continues to increase significantly, putting pressure on the budget while maintaining a minimal increase in tuition every year. Dollars raised ensure that the school can:
- Attract and support excellent faculty and staff
- Offer dynamic programming
- Allow students access to technology
- Maintain small classroom sizes
- Provide professional development opportunities for our faculty and staff
- Offer financial aid opportunities that foster community
Areas of Impact
The Country Day Fund invites our annual donors to share what Areas of Impact are most meaningful for them. These areas include:
- Greatest Need
- Academic Programming & Innovative Learning Tools
- Exceptional Faculty & Staff
- Financial Aid Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Programming
- International Studies
- Athletics
- Fine Arts
Areas of impact are not designations for funding, but allow Country Day to better understand what inspires our generous donors to give annually. The school will then share what difference their annual gift helps make in those areas.
Gift Recognition Levels
Country Day established levels to recognize and honor donors who make generous gifts to the Country Day Fund. The extraordinary support of this generous group of leaders is critical to Country Day's success.
Recognition Levels
Head's Circle
>$20,000+
$15,000–$19,999
$10,000–$14,999
Leadership Circle
$7,500–$9,999
$5,000–$7,499
Selwyn Society
$2,500–$4,999
$1,500–$2,499
Friends of Country Day
$1,000–$1,499
$500–$999
Up to $499
Young Alumni Selwyn Society (YASS)
Classes of 2005–2009: $500+
Classes of 2010–2015: $250+
Classes of 2016–2019: Participation
What is the Selwyn Society?
The Selwyn Society honors Country Day's generous supporters who have made gifts of $1,500 or more to the Country Day Fund during a fiscal year. The loyal support of this group of leaders is critical to giving Country Day students distinctive academic experiences.
The Young Alumni Selwyn Society recognizes alumni who graduated within the last 15 years and display their leadership by making a gift to the Country Day Fund.
Questions?
If you have questions about the Country Day Fund or would like to volunteer, please contact:
Leighann Swanson
Director of the Country Day Fund
(704) 943-4543 | E-mail