As Choate students sit at their desks, writing essays, solving equations, or polishing lab reports, they can sometimes forget about the school’s incredible resources. So many of its special programs, study-abroad opportunities, new buildings and other facilities are made possible by Choate’s financial supporters, an ever-growing group of alumni and friends of the school who believe deeply in the institution’s mission. In recent years, donations have been so robust that the international Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) recently awarded Choate an Educational Fundraising Award, honoring schools that, over three years, demonstrate substantial and continuous growth in financial gifts. Between July of 2014 and June of 2017 Choate raised nearly $70 million.
“This is the highest award you can get in the nonprofit fundraising world,” said Mr. Dan Courcey, Choate’s Executive Director of Development and Alumni Relations. “It’s based purely on data that is reported to the I.R.S. and to CASE.”
As it happens, the three-year stretch that won Choate its award—officially known as, simply, an “Award for Excellence”—excludes the single largest fundraising year in the school’s history: 2017-2018, which saw more than $38 million in donations. This total includes gifts in support of Choate’s latest construction project, Ann and George Colony Hall, which is scheduled to open next fall and will improve facilities for the school’s dance, orchestra, and chorus programs and provide a single gathering space for the entire student body.
In the span of only a few years, Choate has seen the opening of a succession of cutting-edge, donor-supported buildings: the Kohler Environmental Center (which opened in 2012); the Cameron and Edward Lanphier Center for Mathematics and Computer Science (2015); and the St. John Hall student center (2017). Ms. KeriAnne Tisdale, who works with Mr. Courcey as the school’s Director of Development Communications, said that, although these buildings are awe-inspiring, “it’s not really about the facilities but more about creating a framework for our community.”
Head of School Dr. Alex Curtis said that the CASE award speaks to “the families and alumni that support and step up for the school; the dedication and professionalism of the development staff; and, third, the faculty, staff, and students.” By way of example, he added, “George Colony and his wife, Ann, didn’t give because they wanted a building, they gave because they know how important our school meetings are and how they bring the school together.”
