Annual Fund First

A Culture of Philanthropy

A vibrant culture of philanthropy has sustained our ability to offer excellence in education for more than 50 years. Together, we help every student attain his or her personal best. Tuition, of course, plays the largest role in our ability to serve students, covering 93% of our annual budget.

The Annual Fund: We are fortunate to have widespread support for the school's top giving priority—the Annual Fund—which benefits every student, every teacher, every day. It is fundamental to the school's operating budget, and we are so deeply appreciative of broad participation from our entire GDS community: parents, alumni, faculty and staff, parents of alumni, grandparents, and friends of the school.

Annual Fund = Flexibility: Annual Fund dollars allow us to be nimble and responsive to the changing needs and demands of our institution. Past Annual Fund gifts provided technology for students and teachers on a 1:1 ratio allowing for remote learning to be a real-time solution to the world’s current crisis. Past Annual Fund gifts have also provided professional development for our faculty and staff; they were not only equipped, but also trained in 21st century teaching techniques.

Your Gifts at Work: The global pandemic of COVID-19 brought unforeseen levels of disruption to all of our nation’s institutions. It was necessary for GDS to pivot quickly to remote learning for the remainder of the 2019–20 school year. Further, thanks to the generous philanthropic support of our community to the Annual Fund we were able to welcome students back to school safely for the 2020-21 school year. Annual Fund gifts haven't just helped the school to survive, but have allowed us to THRIVE! Other highlights made possible through philanthropic support include:

Retain 100% of faculty & staff without job loss or furloughs
Utilization of technology for synchronous learning for remote and in-person learners
Continue individualized instruction and responsiveness to help each child reach their full potential

Why Give to the Annual Fund? The Board of Trustees and Head of School are committed to minimizing tuition increases while continuing to offer every student an excellent education. The Annual Fund offers a tax-deductible opportunity to augment tuition revenue that supports the school’s operating budget each year. The majority of any school budget is applied to people and facility maintenance, leaving little flexibility due to those fixed costs. Your Annual Fund gift signifies a powerful vote of confidence in our school and community and makes it possible for us to fulfill our mission.

Areas of Impact: The Annual Fund invites our annual donors to share what Areas of Impact are most meaningful for them. These areas may include:

Greatest Need
Academic Programming & Innovative Learning Tools
Exceptional Faculty & Staff
Financial Aid
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Programming
International Studies
Athletics
Fine Arts
Other

*Areas of impact are not designations for funding, but allow GDS to better understand what inspires our generous donors to give annually.

Because the Annual Fund is 3% of the GDS operating budget, it is a critical part of everything we do.

Give Now

Annual Fund 2021-22

Goal: $600,000.00

Current $673,045.00

Remaining $0.00

21-22 Annual Fund Chairs

We are excited to introduce Elizabeth Harrington Payonk '97 and Phil Payonk as our 2021-22 Annual Fund First Chairs. They are the parents of Liza '28, Mac '30, and Ward '32. The Payonk Family has been deeply involved in the life of Greensboro Day School since the late 80's, and we are thankful to have them lead the Annual Fund during the 2021-22 year.

We are excited to have the Payonks as they lead a dedicated group of parent volunteers to help us reach our goal of $600,000 and 100% parent participation. This year, one of our focuses is to ensure everyone understands the Annual Fund and the important role it plays in supporting the operating budget each school year.

The Annual Fund:

Helps bridge the $1,600 gap between tuition and the actual cost of attending Greensboro Day School. This allows you to make a tax-deductible donation to support the school.
Helps the school afford many of the investments it made to make in-person learning a reality for our students. Without these investments, it is likely that our students would not be in person or be able to remote in from home.

We look forward to Elizabeth and Phil's leadership this year as the annual fund is as important as it has ever been due to the additional costs associated with continuing to operate safely in-person.

- Phil, Liza, Elizabeth, Ward, and Mac Payonk

Annual Fund Facts

List of 4 frequently asked questions.

Q: What is the Annual Fund?

The Annual Fund is GDS’ most important ongoing fundraising activity, raising over $600,000 for the current school year budget. The Annual Fund helps provide for the same items covered in the budget: teacher salaries, classroom supplies, specialist programs, arts, athletics, technology, and more. This is the foundation for all that we do.

Because tuition doesn’t cover the entire cost of a GDS education (there is typically an $1,600 difference per student), we ask every family to support the Annual Fund at a level that is appropriate to their own family budget and one that shows your pride in being part of the GDS community.
Q: How are gifts recognized?

GDS values your support! Every year, we recognize our donors in our Annual Report, both by who you are (parents, alumni or grandparents, for example) and the giving level in which you participate. Specific gifts are never listed. Donors can make gifts in honor or memory of a teacher, a family member or someone special and they are listed in the Annual Report.
Q: Why commit now?

Because GDS Annual Fund dollars are part of this year’s budget, it’s crucial that the Board of Trustees and the Finance Committee know that we will meet our goal in the fall in order to plan for the remainder of the year. While we realize that everyone may choose to fulfill their pledge at any time during the school year, we encourage that you make your pledge now.
Q: What is a Leadership Gift?

Leadership gifts for the 2021-22 school year are those gifts of $1,970 or more. We are asking everyone to consider joining the 1970 Society with a gift of $1,970 in honor of our founding year and in celebration of our 50th anniversary.

Leadership gifts represent 88% of annual fund dollars raised in a given year. Gifts of every size make a difference, and every gift is appreciated.

Greensboro Day School develops the intellectual, ethical, and interpersonal foundations students need to become constructive contributors to the world.