Why Support Stanwich?

The Stanwich School is thriving. The School has assumed its place among the premier independent schools in Fairfield County. The School's success can be measured in many ways, from consistently high student test scores to dramatic enrollment growth. However, one of the most compelling measures of The School's success is the extraordinary financial support from The School's families and friends. The Stanwich School community believes in the mission of The School and is committed to The School's future.

The Development Office works closely with the Board of Trustees, parents, grandparents, and friends to help The School achieve its mission. The Development Office supports the ties between The School and those who are committed to its continuing growth and quality. We seek to strengthen and secure the School's financial health by establishing a "culture of giving."

As with all independent schools, The Stanwich School's fundraising efforts must be understood as an essential component of all of the revenue sources available to support The School's mission, growth and stability. Following is an overview of The Stanwich School's revenue sources and the uses of these funds.

Responsible Financial Stewardship

Since The School's founding in 1998, the Board of Trustees has been deliberate and systematic in its efforts to establish a fiscally sound infrastructure for The Stanwich School. We have been able to keep our financial house in order in large part because most parents, grandparents, and friends of The School understand that tuition and fees alone will not sustain excellence. Like all successful independent schools, we have purposefully sought to diversify our sources of revenue.

Fundraising, from the beginning, has been an essential component of our revenue base. We launched both an Annual Fund and Annual Benefit during our first year to supplement the annual operating budget, and to establish a culture of philanthropy at Stanwich. Both efforts continue on an annual basis, with increasing levels of volunteer support and income. Our Annual Fund has attained 100% participation from returning parents, an achievement virtually unprecedented among independent schools.

Now that The School is fully accredited by The Connecticut Association of Independent Schools and is a member of The National Association of Independent Schools, matching gifts and grants are available to augment the revenue stream.

In addition to producing the Annual Benefit, The Parent Association conducts a variety of fundraising events, such as an annual Book Fair, to provide additional operating funds.

The Board of Trustees also has created an unrestricted Endowment Fund to support The School's long-term facility, program, scholarship and staffing needs. In March 2000, the Board unanimously passed a resolution to establish such an endowment, a step other schools have taken much later in their history. In the absence of alumni, we must count on ourselves - most notably parents - to expand this initiative.

The Role of Tuition

While not a fund-raising component, tuition is the largest source of operating revenue in the annual operating budget. Tuition funds the basic necessities of providing the quality education our parents expect, on a year-by-year basis. However, tuition alone does not cover the cost of developing the excellence of The Stanwich School.

Expenditures per student have increased every year and are used as follows:

• Faculty salaries and benefits comprise the largest component of these educational expenses. Our goal is to attract and retain the finest faculty in the area, in order to deliver the finest program. To meet this goal, The Board of Trustees resolved to compensate our faculty at levels competitive with the Greenwich Public Schools, well ahead of other independent schools in our area. Furthermore, our employee benefits are at least comparable to our peer schools. As a result of this serious commitment to our teachers, we have one of the highest staff retention rates in the area.
• Other educational expenses include classroom materials, art and enrichment programs, technology development, and a diverse athletic program utilizing the resources available in our community.
• Finally, tuition funds the administrative expenses necessary to support the program and all plant expenses.

In summary, tuition, along with the Annual Fund, and the Parent Association fundraisers, comprise nearly all of The School's annual operating revenues. Each of these income sources is a renewed annual effort used to offset annual educational and operating expenses.

Where We Stand Today

Today, The Stanwich School is fiscally healthy on a year-to-year basis, with adequate financial resources to meet its annual program needs. Our cash flow is positive and growing, allowing us to focus our attention on the growth of our students. We are committed to the future of The Stanwich School and securing its long-term success.

For more information, please contact:
Olivia Dolce, Director of the Annual Fund
The Stanwich School
257 Stanwich Road
Greenwich, CT 06830
t. 203.542.0030
f. 203.863.2097
ldolce@stanwichschool.org

257 Stanwich Road | Greenwich, Connecticut 06830 | Tel. 203.542.0000 | Fax 203.542.0025 | info@stanwichschool.org | Support Stanwich