Each spring, Concord Academy’s Advancement and Engagement team launches the Concord Academy All-School Community Campaign. The campaign, which spans a couple of weeks, serves as an internal extension of CA’s Annual Fund, meaning all donations are unrestricted and tax-deductible. The Annual Fund is a yearly fundraiser that raises money to cover the cost of running the school that tuition does not. Gifts enrich all aspects of CA from supporting the faculty, financial aid, and the student experience.
However, the All School Community Campaign’s role in the Annual Fund is much greater than the amount of money raised. Rather, the participation of community members that the All School Community Campaign targets, notably faculty and students, serves as a metric for engagement with and support of CA. This can then be shared with the greater community, such as alumni and parents, to compel more major gifts.
Involvement with the All School Community Campaign can take three forms: a donation, a pledge, or a thank you note. Though donating is the most obvious means of support, it has been previously stressed that the amount is unimportant. The act of donating itself is what matters. By pledging, community members are committing to a donation of some amount sometime in the future, though the pledge itself is non-binding. Thank you notes serve as the final means of campaign support and are similar to those written during Thank-A-Thons in the Trudy Room throughout the academic year; simple templated notes of gratitude for community members who have supported the Annual Fund. The main project of the All School Community Campaign is to plant a seed of service in the student body and teach the students about the importance of giving back to the school.
In the coming weeks, community members can anticipate the premiere of the All School Community Campaign promo video, a video by student leaders for the campaign who work in partnership with Elizabeth Crowley P’23, ’24, ’26, Director of the Annual Fund, and Hannah Dunphy, Annual Fund and Alum Programs Officer. Last year’s video followed an interview format and was shared within the PAC and over email to current parents. Additionally, a thank you of snacks, such as ice cream and cupcakes, courtesy of the All School Community Campaign is precedented.