Letter from the Director of Advancement

Dear Country Day Families and Friends,

What an incredible year! Amidst the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and despite health and safety protocols preventing many of our community members from visiting campus, you rallied in support of our students and faculty. The year witnessed record giving to the Country Day Fund, more than $250,000 donated to the Guardian Fund to offset pandemic costs, and the launch of a project to renovate our stadium facilities. And those are just a few of the notable highlights!

The Country Day Fund – the cornerstone of our annual fundraising – had a stellar year, surpassing our ambitious annual fundraising goal of $1,000,000 and setting a new record for gifts received. It was heartwarming to see families rally in support of our teachers and staff on “Superhero” Match Day in November, raising over $385,000 in a single day. CountryDate, our annual fundraising gala in March, pivoted to a virtual format and contributed a further $210,000 to the fund. The year was rounded out with Giving Day in May, cementing the success of the Country Day Fund. Your generous support was particularly meaningful in a year when our teachers worked harder than ever, managing hybrid learning environments, reinforcing safety protocols, and investing countless hours in their own professional development. Thank you for supporting their efforts!

With alumni and parents reaching out to support the school as the Covid pandemic took hold, we launched the Guardian Fund in September 2020 to mitigate pandemic-related costs. The fund raised over $250,000 in six months! With the combination of these funds and the generous gifts we received to the County Day Fund, we were able not only to rise to the challenges triggered by the pandemic but excel in a year when many other schools struggled. We are deeply grateful to the families who so determinedly supported us – you are among the silent heroes behind Country Day’s success this year.

For anyone who has been a visitor to campus in recent months, particularly through the summer, you cannot fail to notice this year’s big capital project: the substantial renovation of our stadium and installation of a synthetic turf field. While this $3.75-million project has been many years in the making, we are sincerely grateful to the group of donors who stepped forward to fund this project and see it to completion in time for the start of the 2021-22 school year. Cincinnati Country Day School has been built almost entirely by generous donations from our community, and this project is a wonderful example of the difference that can be made when our families bring their passion and commitment to bear. Their generosity will benefit our students today and strengthen the school for generations to come.

Aside from bricks and mortar infrastructure, the school’s financial security is underpinned by its endowment. The school’s total endowed funds stood at over $32 million on June 30, 2021, having benefitted from strong market growth and over $750,000 of new funds in the year. Growth of our endowment remains a critical priority for school leadership. While our invested funds are substantial by any measure, our total endowment lags that of competitor schools. With the annual draw from the endowment supplementing the operating budget, this places CCDS at a relative disadvantage that we must continue to address. One important area of focus over the last 12 months has been the relaunch of our planned giving society, The 1926 Society. Members of this society, the majority of whom are devoted alumni, have made a commitment to a planned gift to the school. Many of these gifts are ultimately directed to the school’s endowment and will serve to strengthen CCDS as we move into our second century.

In closing, this year has given me many moments of pause to reflect on the strength of our community and its generous support. “We stand together, strong in our devotion” has never been truer than in a year when Country Day faced some of its greatest operational challenges. On behalf of our students, faculty, and staff, please accept my sincere thanks.

With regards,

Louise Vaughan, Director of Advancement