It’s no joke! Annual Fund 2011 ends on Thursday!

Imagine going to a bank for a business loan and your plan is this: We’re going to charge customers 75% of the face value of our product and ask other people to make up the difference.

This is the economic model of independent schools, colleges, and universities in a somewhat simplified nutshell. Sure, some schools have huge endowments that make up a lot of the difference between the cost of education and the tuition they charge. But most, including The Putney School, rely heavily on the generosity of alumni, parents, grandparents, and friends in the form of Annual Fund gifts.

This year’s annual fund goal is $800,000 and, with just a few days left in the fiscal year, we are very close to attaining that goal. Because of your generosity, The Putney School can offer financial aid to 40% of the students who attend, allowing the school to attract and admit students from a broad spectrum of socio-economic backgrounds. But Annual Fund gifts are also necessary for attracting and retaining a seasoned faculty skilled in the art of progressive education, which is the heart of the Putney experience. And, as commencement speaker Carma Hinton pointed out in June, The Putney School is more than a school. It is a template of beliefs and values for attaining a sustainable future through progressive education. “What I think lies at the heart of these values and beliefs,” says Carma, “is an insistence on connectedness against forces that tend to separate, divide, and stratify.”

Your gift will help us continue this vital mission. Thank you, in advance, for helping us make our yearly goal.

To make a gift now, click here or call Carlotta (Brelsford) Cuerdon ’80 at 802-387-6248.