Thanks to the Taft Community for a Successful Day of Giving!
Gifts from alumni, current parents, past parents, grandparents, faculty, staff, and friends came from 40 states and 18 countries around the globe, including China, Australia, and Panama. In all, our highly successful sixth annual Day of Giving raised a total of $575,388 from 584 donors. In addition to the Annual Fund and Parents' Fund, donors supported the COVID-19 Financial Impact Current Use Fund, which helps address new expenses due to the pandemic, and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Current Use Fund, which helps fund the expanded DEI initiatives on campus.
The one-day campaign theme this year was Show Your Love for Taft. Art Club members shared why they love Taft with messages on paper hearts. Dylan Simonds '89 and Tamara Sinclair '05, Co-chairs of the Annual Fund, and Chad '90 and Neile Messer P'20,'22, Chairs of the Parents' Fund, shared why they love and support Taft through video messages. The classes of 1947 through 2020 engaged in friendly competition, competing by decade to earn seat plaques in Bingham Auditorium. The class with the highest participation percentage was the class of '69 with 22.54%. The class with the most donors was the Class of '99, with 19 individual donors. Special mention to the Class of '74 for having the most donors in their decade.
Annual Fund Director Kelsey Kerr P'07 credits Taft's Class Agents for the success of the campaign, who went all out to boost dollars and participation. Alumni alone contributed $256,817.
Taft's current parents also contributed to the day's success. "Taft's very active and hard-working Parents' Committee did their part to engage families on this special day," notes Director of Parent Giving Joyce Romano '92, P'14. "More current parents made gifts this year than last—a total of $299,996. It is an impressive trend, and one we would love to see continue. Our current parents are consistently supportive of the work we do, which directly benefits their children in every aspect of their Taft education."
Congratulations to the class participation winners: 2020, 2016, 2005, 1999, 1988, 1970, 1958, and 1947.
View full results here. If you would like to make a gift to the Annual or Parents' Fund but missed the Day of Giving, please visit www.taftschool.org/give. The 2020-21 fiscal year ends on June 30, 2021.
