Our annual Day of Giving on April 23 brought the Taft community together in a powerful expression of support for the school and its mission. Across time zones and generations, alumni, families, faculty, staff, students, and friends showed up with generosity and purpose, demonstrating the strength of a community committed to making a difference for Taft students.

“Day of Giving reflects something essential about this community,” said Kyle Storms, Director of Annual Giving. “People care passionately about ensuring that all students have the opportunity to learn deeply, explore their interests, and grow into who they are meant to become. We are sincerely grateful to everyone who took part.”

This year’s effort was energized by the extraordinary leadership of the Class of ’66, whose $1 million matching challenge set the tone for the day and inspired participation across the Taft community. On the Day of Giving itself, 768 donors from 40 states and 21 countries contributed $1,649,969. That total includes 522 alumni who gave $860,417 and 139 current parents and families whose gifts totaled $697,830, along with 107 additional donors whose support further expanded the day’s impact with $91,722. With the addition of the $1 million match from the Class of ’66, the grand total reached $2.6 million, exceeding this year’s goal.

Among alumni, the Classes of ’88 and ’84 led the way in participation on the day of the event, while current parents and families showed broad-based engagement across every class year, with more than 30 donors represented in each. The upper mid parent cohort recorded the highest participation, with 39 families contributing.

On campus, students added their voices to the day with creativity and gratitude. At a community celebration featuring donuts and iced coffee, 105 Tafties wrote 228 thank-you notes to donors. A rhino scavenger hunt invited students to help direct five $100 gifts to areas of their choosing—an initiative made possible by Steve Starnes ’76.

We truly appreciate our dedicated class agents and parent volunteers, whose outreach and leadership helped make this day so successful. Their efforts—and the generosity of every donor—sustain the Taft Fund and support the daily experiences that define a Taft education.

We are grateful for the collective commitment that helps provide the opportunities and experiences students need to grow into the bold thinkers, creators, and leaders of tomorrow.

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If you missed out on the Day of Giving this year, we invite you to make a gift to the Taft Fund before June 30 to be counted in our final fiscal year numbers.