PARENTS' FUND
The Annual Fund is a yearly fund-raising effort designed to help the School balance its annual operating budget. The Fund is conducted by the Development Office in coordination with Taft alumni and parent volunteers who seek to raise gifts from the School constituency, including alumni, current parents, past parents, grandparents and friends. Last year's Annual Fund raised $3 million dollars, representing 10 percent of the School's total operating budget.
What is the Current Parents' Fund?
The Current Parents' Fund is that portion of the Annual Fund that seeks gifts from parents of current students. It is conducted by members of the Parents' Committee, a group of approximately 75 volunteer families. The Parents' Fund at Taft is the leading campaign of its kind in the country and for years has been the standard-bearer for parent giving among our nation’s independent secondary boarding schools.
Where do Annual Fund dollars go?
Contributions to the Annual Fund go directly into the current operating budget, which supports not only the academic program at Taft, but also its library, athletic, arts, extracurricular and financial-aid programs. The strength of Taft's Annual Fund has helped the School to balance its budget for the past 35 years--an outstanding achievement and one to which few major independent schools in the country can lay claim.
Why is the Annual Fund Necessary to Balance the Budget?
Tuition alone will not cover the School’s $31.3 million dollar operating budget. In fact, Taft's 2007-08 tuition fees will cover only 68 percent of the actual cost of educating its students. Operating expenses will exceed tuition income by $17,215 per student! This $9.9 million deficit must be made up by other sources of funding, including endowment income and Annual Fund contributions. In this respect, Taft's current students are the most direct and immediate beneficiaries of all Annual Fund gifts.
Why is the Parents' Fund Important?
The quality of parent support at Taft not only serves to enhance the lives of each student in a direct and immediate way, but is also one of the School’s most impressive credentials. Last year, 92 percent of Taft parents joined in raising $1,315,596, making the 2006-07 Parents’ Fund one of extraordinary and historic significance both for Taft and for parent giving nationwide. No school in this country can boast of greater parent support than Taft. The ringing endorsement of its parent body has become Taft’s special trademark and is a critical factor in enabling the School to compete on every level with the most highly endowed schools in the nation.
Please join your fellow Taft parents in making a gift to the 2007-08 Parents' Fund. Pledges are welcome but must be honored by June 30, 2008, when the Parents’ Fund officially ends. Remember that your gift can be doubled if you or your spouse is associated with a company or foundation that matches gifts to secondary schools. Thank you!
Please enter our secure site and join your fellow Taft parents in making a gift to the 2007-08 Parents' Fund.
If you have any questions, please contact Joyce Romano '92, Parents' Fund Director, at 1-800-959-8238. Thank you!
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