Letter from the Director of Advancement

Dear Country Day Families and Friends,

2021-2022 was a year with much to celebrate – not least, a new head of school, a new mission, and a return to normalcy after two disrupted years. With a multitude of on-campus events resuming and Nighthawk spirits revived, the energy in the Country Day community was palpable. I’m happy to report that the positive momentum was also refl ected in our fundraising.

The Country Day Fund, our annual giving campaign, exceeded its target

of $1MM, contributing more than $1.12MM to the operating budget. This was a tremendous demonstration of commitment from our community and in a year when infl ationary pressure bit hard, these funds provided crucial support for our operations. Money raised by the Country Day Fund supports every aspect of the Country Day experience and we cannot overstate the importance of every gift we receive.

Of our 955 donors to the 2021-22 campaign, 116 made gifts at leadership level ($2,500 and above). Many of our leadership donors increased their gifts this year and collectively this group contributed almost 72% of the total amount raised.

While signifi cant in value, leadership gifts were dwarfed in number by those from our broad base of donors – approximately half of the gifts we received were $100 or less, almost a third were $50 or less. Collectively, this group contributed more than $250,000 to our fundraising eff ort and their giving made a signifi cant diff erence to what we could achieve this year.

Thank you to everybody who supported us!

REVENUES

6.4% 7.2% 11.0%

75.4% EXPENDITURES

16.2% 5.0%

18.3% 60.5%

Net Tuition Income

Endowment Funding Annual Giving

Other Income Salaries & Benefi ts

Program Plant Operations

Offi ce

The 2021-22 academic year was a strong year for net tuition revenue, annual fundraising, and summer camps; although these gains were off set by additional spending on salaries and benefi ts to support higher than projected enrollment and by signifi cant spending on capital projects that addressed deferred maintenance needs.

While the Country Day Fund is our most signifi cant annual fundraising eff ort, we also received many gifts directed for specifi c purposes. These gifts ranged from a bench saw to support our technical theater program to Lower School birthday books to Athletic Boosters’ donations and more. These donors are recognized in the Other Annual Giving section of this annual report.

Capital and endowment donations built on the support off ered by our annual donors. Most notably this year, our campus has fl ourished. The early part of the year saw completion of the Brian J. Bortz Family Stadium, which was ready to host the opening home football game on August 20, 2021. Landscaping of the area around the stadium and through the entryway was completed in the fall and spring. There is no question that the opening of this facility contributed to the positive community spirit on campus and changed the face of Country Day athletics. On behalf of the school, I would like to reiterate our deep gratitude to the families who made this project possible.

Our campus benefi ted further from a gift of almost $100,000 from a donor directed specifi cally to the immediate enhancement of our outdoor spaces. Work funded by this generous gift included removal of dead trees, extensive landscaping around the campus entry and driveway, removal and replacement of unsightly fencing, renovation and replacement of playground equipment, and return of the gravel lot to grass fi eld. All these projects signifi cantly improved our outdoor environment, and we are grateful for the support off ered by this generous donor.

Endowed funds, comprising gifts invested for the long-term support of the school, provide our

fi nancial foundation and in 2021-22, 7% of our operating revenue was delivered by income drawn from Country Day’s endowment. Endowed resources presently stand at $30MM and provide approximately $1.3MM of support to the annual budget. While $30MM is an impressive number by any measure, Country Day’s endowment continues to lag that of its immediate peers and growing these important resources remains one of our greatest priorities. To this end, generous donors injected almost $600,000 of new gifts during the year. We are especially grateful to: • The Class of 1971, which celebrated the 50th anniversary of their graduation and commemorated the occasion by establishing a new fund for student scholarships. • An alumnus of 1969 established a fund, also directed to student scholarships, which he seeded with a generous fi ve-fi gure gift. • An anonymous donor who gave over $300,000 to establish a fund to support faculty resources.

These tremendous donations are just three examples of the crucial support we receive from our parents and alumni community. We are deeply grateful for their continued commitment to Country Day’s students and teachers.

As we look toward the school’s centennial in 2026 and embark on a comprehensive review of strategy through this year, I am excited for what lies ahead and deeply grateful for a community that supports the school so generously. On behalf of Cincinnati Country Day School, its students, teachers, and staff , thank you for all that you do.

Sincerely,