"For our family, nothing is more important than education. That's why we chose Country Day. Every day we see our children benefiting from the generosity of previous generations. Stacy and I strongly believe that it is now our turn to do the same. That's why I agreed to lead this campaign."
   PAUL JACOBS,
   CAMPAIGN CO-CHAIR

"My two boys are thriving at Country Day. What more could a mother want for her children? Country Day's dedicated teachers and nurturing community are something we all value. I am committed to creating a campus that is equally superb."
   CLARE FARLEY,
   CAMPAIGN CO-CHAIR



Campaign Leadership Team
Clare Farley, Co-Chair
Paul Jacobs, Co-Chair
  Mukesh Assomull
  Barbara Blake
  Stacy Cromidas
  Judith Glickman, Head of School
  Pat Hughes
  Don Ings
  Debby Jacobs
  Hal Jacobs
  Stacy Jacobs
  Cameron Rooke

PLANNING & STRATEGY

The seed for a major fund-raising initiative is planted during a comprehensive strategic planning process and can be a transforming experience for a school.

Country Day parents, teachers, administrators, alumni and board members met in 2001 to review the school's mission, clarify its long-term vision, and evaluate every aspect of school operations with an eye toward long-range viability.

In short, they planned for the future. They identified needs and made recommendations in a number of key areas. Those regarding the physical plant and facilities were referred to the Buildings and Grounds Committee which then developed the Campus Master Plan. This comprehensive program recommended the best use of our 24 acre campus to support the school's mission and requirements for educating young people in the 21st century. It described the types of buildings needed, improvements required, how the building process could be implemented in phases over time, and most importantly — estimated the costs.

The next step was to figure out how the school was going to support these plans in bricks and mortar for phase one (the Middle School and Library/Academic Center) and also to secure the future by building the endowment. A feasibility study was conducted to test fund-raising potential. Through a series of interviews, the study identified a group of possible leadership donors and volunteers. Along with trustees, these possible leadership donors were asked for gifts.

This early phase of a campaign is often referred to as the "quiet Phase." It is during this period that a large portion of the expedited outcome is raised. Once that threshold is reached, usually through a combination of outright gifts and pledges, the school can then announce its campaign goal and "gear up" for a "public" campaign that will invite everyone to participate. The "public" phase of a campaign usually is conducted over a two or three year period.

We have entered the public phase and invite everyone to support the most exciting, ambitious campaign in the history of Country Day — Building on Excellence.