Deerfield parent giving resulted in impressive annual support numbers for 2014. Non-alumni parent gifts hit a record $2.4 million to the Annual Fund and another $2.1 million to the Senior Family Campaign. DA had contributions from 287 families, putting the overall participation at 53%, which was a 3% point increase over the prior year, while gifts from current parents to the Annual Fund were up over 20%. Parent support was also a critical component in helping DA’s combined annual support hit a record $6.7 million in 2014, a 14% increase over the prior year.
Each year Deerfield invests $30,000 more per student than it receives in tuition in interdisciplinary courses, community spaces, and the student experience. Annual support from parents and alumni covers approximately one-third of this amount with the balance drawn from Deerfield’s endowment. This financial supplement to the operating budget provided by the Annual Fund represents the margin of excellence that guarantees an unparalleled education for Deerfield’s 630 students. Parent giving is an integral component of the funding required to help keep Deerfield at the very pinnacle of secondary school education and to remain a great place for our children to go to school.
Through the years, parent giving has been instrumental in creating a school with rock-solid financial stability, along with a diverse, uniquely talented faculty and student body. This has enabled Deerfield to retain the community focus established by Frank Boyden over one hundred years ago, accentuated by sit-down meals and close faculty/student relationships in the classroom, on the playing fields and in the dorms. By preserving the past, and preparing for the future, Deerfield remains a school in first-rate condition. Parent giving continues to play an important role in the school’s development and is worthy of our ongoing strong commitment.