We Are Thacher A GUIDE TO ANNUAL FUND GIVING
“Thacher gives all its students the most precious of gifts: the opportunity to discover not only who they are, but more importantly, what they can become as they move from challenge to achievement to personal fulfillment. They are surrounded by a motivated peer group and adults who know them and care deeply for them; they are held to high standards out of this concern for their growth.�
HEAD OF SCHOOL MICHAEL K . MULLIGAN
As we teach our students self-reliance, we recognize that a school has no other self than its community. We are Thacher.
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Generosity THACHER RELIES ON PARENTS, GR ANDPARENTS, AND ALUMNI LIKE YOU The Annual Fund raised $3.53 million last year. Without your support, Thacher would not be where it is today.
$100,000 + up 4 Gifts $50,000 + up 11 Gifts $25,000 + up 12 Gifts $10,000 + up 61 Gifts $5,000 + up 88 Gifts $2,500 + up 80 Gifts
$1,000 + up 288 Gifts
$250 + up 576 Gifts
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Why Your Gift Matters $100 Shoes a horse. $400 Pays the cost of educating a Thacher student for one day. $1,000 Funds 15 advisee dinners. $2,500 Allows the Mulligans to host all of the students in their home every Saturday night for a year. $3,500 Pays for the yearly stipend of an Olympus Scholar, a student who receives our highest level of financial aid. $5,000 Covers the cost of buying a new horse. $7,500 Covers the cost of two major theatrical productions and several concerts and art exhibitions each year. $10,000 Covers the cost of the freshman Extra-Day Trip to Golden Trout. $25,000 Covers the cost of the Science Department supplies for a year. $35,000 Covers the difference between Thacher’s tuition and what it costs to educate a student. $50,000 Maintains Thacher’s campus-wide wireless computer network for the school year. $62,000 Underwrites an Olympus Scholar scholarship for one year. $100,000 Underwrites the Faculty Professional Development Program for a year.
The Annual Gift WHY GIVE AN ANNUAL GIFT? A gift to the Annual Fund immediately strengthens Thacher’s ability to provide extraordinary opportunities for learning and discovery, increases the number of students who receive financial aid, and helps
Thacher Facts:
the School respond to a wide assortment of
•
Average class size: 11
immediate needs such as
•
Students of color: 41%
campus improvements,
•
Faculty to student ratio: 6:1
•
2016-2017 acceptance rate: 13%
new programs, technology upgrades, and staffing. In addition, these
unrestricted funds give Thacher the flexibility to undertake critical initiatives, attract the best faculty, and sustain a learning environment that continues to distinguish Thacher.
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THE THACHER EXPERIENCE Gifts support every part of the Thacher experience—inside the classroom and out—and help afford the School the flexibility to innovate and meet its highest priorities, year in and year out. Tuition only covers 60 percent of a Thacher education and we need your help to fund the difference.
FINANCIAL AID Your annual gifts are instrumental in helping support Thacher’s financial aid program, allowing the best and brightest students to come to Thacher regardless of their economic backgrounds. Twenty-eight percent of Thacher students receive financial aid, with an average award of $43,951.
FACULTY SALARIES By assisting the School in recruiting and retaining the most talented teachers, you ensure that Thacher remains strong and dynamic.
Thacher Facts: •
1% average attrition rate of Thacher students over the last five years— the lowest attrition rate in the country.
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100% of Thacher parents would recommend the School to other parents.
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99% of students report little to no peer pressure to use alcohol, tobacco, or drugs on campus. Page 9
Annual Giving A CRUCIAL ROLE
Fiscal year 2015-16
Tuition only covers 60 percent of a Thacher education and we depend on your help to fund the tuition gap of $35,000 per student.
Tuition only covers 60% of expenses per student. We cover the tuition gap through:
Number of students
257
•
Expenses per student
$90,000
Tuition
$55,500
The difference
$35,000
•
Annual Giving - Our parents and friends gave approximately $3,500,000 in annual gifts ( $14,000 per student) Endowment Income - $141 million endowment provided $5,540,000 towards our budget ($21,000 per student)
OUR SOURCES As this revenue chart shows, a Thacher education would not be possible without philanthropy. Your gift makes an impact.
60% – Tuition
40% – Annual Giving and income from gifts invested in the endowment and additional Revenue Sources
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YOUR CONTRIBUTION Annual Fund support has an impact. $3.53 million was raised last year from the following five sources.
15% – Parents of Alumni & Friends 37% – Alumni
40% – Parents
5% – Grandparents 3% – Corporations & Foundations
“Please join us in giving to the Annual Fund. Every gift, big or small, makes an immediate and tangible impact on scholarships, salaries, and programs at Thacher. Please help us make this the best Annual Fund year yet. Let’s go for 100% participation!” – Carolyn (CdeP 1986) and Doug (CdeP 1986) Kirkpatrick
YOUR INFLUENCE Annual gifts support the Thacher experience. Here’s how the cost of that experience breaks down. 28% – Academic Programs
14% – Student Activities
11% – Financial Aid
and Special Programs
24% – Faculty, Staff, and
23% – Campus and Facilities
Administration Salaries
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Annual Giving FAQs What is Thacher’s Annual Fund and why is it so important? Thacher’s Annual Fund is a significant part of Thacher’s annual budget. Tuition alone does not cover the School’s annual expenses. In fact, tuition covers only 60 percent of the cost of educating each student. The shortfall between what Thacher receives in tuition and the actual cost of running the School is made up by a combination of the Annual Fund and the proceeds from the School’s endowment. Income from the Annual Fund and the endowment helps cover expenses such as faculty salaries, financial aid, campus improvements, and technology upgrades. For this reason, the Annual Fund makes an immediate impact on the daily operations of the School and is therefore the most important way to give to the School.
Doesn’t Thacher have an endowment that should cover all of these costs? Thacher’s endowment is a trust that enables Thacher to sustain its commitment to provide the Thacher experience in perpetuity. The endowment contributes towards the cost of educating every student, close to $21,000. The endowment allows the School to carry on its most vital work, independent of the ups and downs of the economy. A strong endowment is also crucial to maintaining the School’s competitive edge and holding down tuition increases. It would be fiscally imprudent to chip away at the base of Thacher’s future financial security.
Why is the difference between what it costs to educate each student so different from what Thacher charges in tuition? If Thacher were to charge the actual cost of approximately $90,000/year to educate each student, tuition would be prohibitively expensive for the majority of our families. Gifts to the Annual Fund are 100 percent tax deductible and are a sensible tool for parents, grandparents, alumni, and friends to use to sustain Thacher in a way that benefits them too.
Does my gift really benefit the current students? Yes! One of the most wonderful things about giving to the Annual Fund is getting to see it put to use in real time today. The Annual Fund pays the salaries of our extraordinary faculty, increases the School’s ability to offer financial aid, and makes our unique horse, outdoor, and other programs a reality. In short, everything that makes Thacher one of the best boarding schools in the country and an educational experience unlike any other is possible in large part because of the Annual Fund.
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You have so much money to raise. Will my small gift even matter? Absolutely! Every gift counts. The Annual Fund is the result of many people working together for a common goal. If every member of the Thacher community gives to their capacity, we will raise the dollars necessary to take care of Thacher today and in the future. The School receives gifts of varying amounts and we are grateful for each and every one and what each represents to the donor. In 2015-16, Thacher received over 1,600 gifts under $250. These gifts added up to a significant portion of the Annual Fund. Nothing fuels the School’s ability to take on new initiatives or make improvements more than a strong Annual Fund.
I keep hearing about participation. Why is it so important? This goes back to the point made above regarding the magic that can happen when there are many people united towards common goals. Participation in the Annual Fund is one of the tools Thacher uses to measure the difference it is making in the lives of current students and alumni. Thacher also approaches organizations and foundations for grants and outside sources of funding. These organizations use our internal community’s support as a means of evaluating their potential investment. Additionally, when parents and alumni see their peers give, they are inspired to do the same. In other words, giving leads to more giving.
Why does a Thacher education cost so much? The unique educational experience that Thacher provides students is why the School is one of the best boarding schools in the country. The Horse Program, our small teacher to student ratio, our outdoor trips, the quality of our teachers, the staff who keep the kitchen and school systems up and running, increased need for financial aid for students, facility and infrastructure upkeep, 28 interscholastic sports teams, innovative academic programming for students, dorm dinners and socials, advisor/ advisee outings—all the things that make Thacher Thacher are behind the cost of educating each student.
I have noticed that I can designate my Annual Fund gift when giving online. Should I do this? At Thacher, we understand that giving is personal and we want to offer donors ways to give that reflect this. Whether you designate your gift as unrestricted, for financial aid, faculty salaries, the horse or camping programs, the arts, athletics, or environmental initiatives, your gift supports Thacher and we honor donors’ designation requests vigilantly. Interestingly, Thacher ranks higher than peer schools in undesignated gifts because of the trust that our donors place in the School’s financial decision-making.
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“Were it not for the generosity of the School and the financial aid they received, Thacher would not have been an option for my children. In the beginning, I was conflicted about donating to the Annual Fund and answering other calls for donations for the School when our family was a recipient of financial aid. I believed any amount I might be able to donate would be insignificant. I wish someone had told me sooner that it isn’t the size of the donation that matters; it’s the act of joining with the rest of the Thacher community to attain a common goal. One thing that makes Thacher so special is how everyone comes together for the common good of the community! Making a donation to Thacher, small or large, is a way of doing just that… and it feels great!”
- Kathleen Ellman
“We know that our yearly contribution to the annual fund is a direct deposit to further enhance an already great education.� - Jennifer & Niall Kelly
Understanding Giving at Thacher
ANNUAL FUND: The Annual Fund is a critical part of Thacher’s annual operating budget and is our first responsibility. Proceeds support the School’s current needs: programs, technology, staffing, and campus improvements.
BIG GYMKHANA FAMILY WEEKEND AND PARENTS AUCTION: The Parents Auction is a fun, community-building annual event held in the spring on Gymkhana Weekend. Proceeds from the Auction go to the Annual Fund. The annual paddle raise benefits specific causes based on need which are designated each year. Families, alumni, and friends are invited to volunteer, donate items, and attend the event.
CAPITAL GIFTS: Capital gifts include gifts made to Thacher’s endowment, capital campaign, our planned giving program— Boot Hill Legacy Society— and the Senior Parent Gift. These gifts help to grow the endowment, enhance facilities, and ensure the future of Thacher.
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Make Your Gift MAKE YOUR GIFT: Mail: The Thacher School Alumni and Development Office 5025 Thacher Road Ojai, CA 93023 Online: www.thacher.org/donate We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express.
FOR QUESTIONS ABOUT GIVING OR VOLUNTEERING: Contact: Hilary Doubleday Director of the Annual Fund, Parent Giving, and Special Gifts 805-640-3201 x 293
GIFTS OF SECURITIES: For directions on how to make a gift of stock or securities, please contact Jillian Wade at jwade@thacher.org or 805- 640-3201 x 240
MATCHING GIFTS: With an employer matching gift, you may be able to double, or even triple, your gift to The Thacher School. Check to see if your employer matches at: connect.thacher.org/matching-gifts You can check with your employer’s human resources office for more information or to request a match. The Thacher School is on the IRS list of approved non-profit tax exempt organizations. The School’s EIN is 95-1642398.
BOOT HILL LEGACY SOCIETY: Leave a lasting legacy to Thacher by including the School in your will or living trust. For information, contact Karleanne Rogers at krogers@thacher.org or 805-640-3201 x 242.