Senior Class Fund 2012 Update

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Chris Giles

The Senior Class Fund is coming to a remarkable conclusion.  With generous volunteers and Leslie Bhutani’s leadership, parents of the Class of 2012 are approaching an incredible $2,000,000 raised with over 80% of parents participating so far. Truly amazing!  Thank you to the Class of 2012 parents who are working hard to ensure the future success of Cate School.

March Magic

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Kate Merritt

The month of March is devoted to our young alumni and their support of the Cate Fund! This year we are celebrating our 2nd March Magic competition with Thacher. It’s a race to see who has the most loyal young alumni of the last decade. The game is simple: make a gift to your school’s annual fund and score a point for your team! As of March 13th, Thacher is in the lead (78-61), but it’s still early in the game. Two new videos have been created for the competition this year, and two photo shoots on the campus of both Thacher and Cate occurred in January. The excitement is still strong. You can follow the race at www.catevsthacher.org.

Cate Fund Update

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Hallie Preston

Greetings from the Cate Advancement Office! It is my hope that these posts will help you learn more about the many ways to support our School, understand the importance of your contributions, and update you on the 2011-12 Cate Fund.

As always, Cate relies upon charitable contributions to fund the programs and projects that are central to the Cate experience. A donation to Cate is an investment in the quality of our academic programs and in the future of our next generation of leaders. I hope you will consider making a gift today.

CATE FUND UPDATE:
Cate Fund Goal: $1,700,000
Cate Fund Gifts and Pledges: $1,170,595
Alumni Gifts and Pledges contributions: $331,256
Alumni percent participation: 10%
Parent contributions: $379,057
Parent percent participation: 34%

Specific Highlights in 2012:
Edward E. Ford Challenge – Cate applied for and will be awarded $50,000 by the Edward E. Ford Foundation to offset costs associated with the curriculum initiative provided the school raises $150,000 in new funds from our parents, alumni, and other friends. Any cash gifts that are new or an increase over last year’s gift will be accepted.

March Magic – After last year’s incredible win over Thacher School in the inaugural March Magic young alumni competition, young alumni are ready to kick off round 2 in March 2012. Graduates Of the Last Decade (G.O.L.D.) will compete to with our friendly rival to see who boasts the most loyal young alumni. The goal is simple: Make a gift to your schools’ annual fund and score a point for your team. Last year, 55% of our G.O.L.D. alumni supported Cate. What will it be this year?

We are well on our way!

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Grayson Bryant

We are so thrilled that many of the senior parents are sharing in the spirit of the Class of 2012. As of today, the Class of 2012 parents have raised over $300,000 in endowment support for faculty salaries, well on the way to reaching their goal of $1.3M for Cate School. To assist the class with this ambitious goal, a senior family has generously offered to match all leadership gifts above $35,000 to the endowment. Thank you to everyone for making this year’s Senior Class Fund one to remember.

Senior Class Fund Underway

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Grayson Bryant

We have had a tremendous start to our 2012 Class Fund so far.  With ten generous volunteers and Leslie Bhutani heading the effort, we have achieved 50% of our proposed goal and are currently at $250,000 of our $500,000 objective.  Thank you to the Class of 2012 parents who are working hard to ensure the future success of Cate School.

Powerful Sentiment

Posted on May 25, 2011 by Meg Bradley

In reviewing letters I have saved, I delighted in a powerful sentiment from a  letter written by Jana C. Meek, mother of Alden Marin ’74

March 1, 2006
…”Anytime the Cate Mesa comes into view, I am visually reminded of those generations ago, who were farseeing enough and generous enough to bring into being, and continue to sustain, the sense of sanctuary and surpassing surround that nourishes thsoe who teach there, learn there, and yearn to excel there.”

Reunions are coming…

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Hallie Preston

Cate’s Reunion Weekend and Camp Cate are less than five months away. On June 10-12, 2011 classes ending in 1s and 6s will return to the Mesa to reconnect with friends and faculty, see the stunning upgrades to the campus, and soak up another Parsonage sunset.

Many alumni choose to honor their reunions by increasing their contributions to the School during their reunion year. Recent examples of this include the Class of ’46 which is on track to establish a new 65th Reunion giving record, and the Class of ’91 is looking to establish a personal giving record.

If you or your class needs an additional reason to support Cate beyond supporting its dedicated faculty, deserving students and worthy programs, consider these….

  • All gifts received this year will count toward Cate’s $65 Million Centennial Campaign goal (ending June 30, 2011).
  • All 2010-11 Mesa Association donors will receive naming rights to a brick that will be placed in the School’s new Centennial Walkway – the name placed on the brick can be in honor of anyone.

For more information about Cate’s Reunion Weekend activities or giving to the Cate Fund, contact Annual Fund & Reunion Giving Director Rob Dunton at Rob_Dunton@Cate.org or (805) 684-4127, x281.

See you in June!

Alumni Participation

Posted on January 11, 2011 by Hallie Preston

The Importance of Alumni Participation

Why is alumni participation so important? This is a great question and one that I am constantly asked…. and not just by alumni, but by parents, faculty, and students as well.

At Cate School, “alumni participation” refers to the percentage of alumni who make gifts in support of current operations in a given year. This commitment in support of your School is regarded as an excellent measure of alumni satisfaction.

But, there are a host of other reasons why alumni participation is important.

  • Independent schools have always relied on the support of alumni. Alumni helped pay for your education; now it’s your turn to pay it forward.
  • Broad alumni participation helps establish a culture of philanthropy that is vital to the success and sustainability of the institution.
  • There is strength in numbers and a community is only as strong as the people who support it.
  • Corporations and foundations consider alumni participation when making funding decisions.
  • Alumni participation is a factor in ranking schools.
  • Parents and students look at school rankings when making enrollment decisions.

So now you know the secret. I urge you to get involved and make your gift to the School. All gifts, no matter the size, are meaningful. Education is too important to forget.

Making a Difference

Posted on December 22, 2010 by Meg Bradley

The students have departed for the holidays after a truly spectacular fall and the Mesa is entirely too quiet. With one exception though, and that is the amount of mail we are receiving. Thank you parents, alumni, and trustee volunteers for inviting support of Cate. Once again, Cate is enjoying an outpouring of gifts and pledges in support of faculty and students through gifts to the Cate Fund and the Cate School Endowment.

In a recent Chronicle of Philanthropy article, Debra Blum reports:

The reasons donors most often cited as a major motivation for making a donation are:

  • They felt their gifts could make a difference
  • They believed the charity receiving the gift was run efficiently

There are at least 265 reasons (every student at Cate) why your gift makes a difference each and every day.

When I visit with Cate alumni, there are consistent themes to my inquiries. Just recently, Cate hosted a series of alumni and parent receptions in:

  • Hong Kong: Mimi Brown ’92 and Alp Ercil hosted a dinner for 16 with alumni, parents, and alumni parents attending while Andrew Chan and Karen Yeung, parents of Ethan ’12, hosted an admission reception
  • South Korea: the Cate Korean families hosted a dinner and admission reception for 13 current families and 7 alumni-parent families
  • Taiwan: Leslie Wei and Chien-Ping Chen, parents of Jeffrey ’13 and Vivian ’11, hosted a dinner and admission reception with over a dozen alumni, current parents, and alumni parents attending.

At each gathering, recent graduates could not wait to tell me how smoothly they transitioned to college…or how well prepared they were to take on a demanding course load. Those in mid-career speak of the lasting value of a Cate education. Their careers vary, but consistently what I see is a passion for their current endeavors and a desire to give back. The spirit of “Servons” lives. And current and past Cate parents in attendance marvel at the remarkably capable and talented young men and women making a difference in our world.

Centennial Campaign Update:

With the Centennial Celebration a wonderful memory, our focus now is to meet our Campaign objectives of furthering Cate’s ability to hire and retain talented teachers, and to ensure that every deserving student who earns a place at Cate, is able to attend.

  • Our goal is to raise $65M in support of faculty salaries, financial assistance for deserving students, and funds for construction.
  • We have $6,936,808 to raise to make our goal by June 30th.

For more information on how to participate please click here.

Cate’s Centennial Name a Brick Program

Would you like to honor someone special or have your named imprinted on a permanent paver?

This year until June 30th, in celebration of Cate’s Centennial, all Caties are invited to make a gift of $2,000 (or $1,000 if you are in the classes of 1991 to 2011) and dedicate a paver. The Centennial pavers will be placed along the newly created walkway at the Class of ’81 Amphitheatre. For more information please contact Grayson Bryant at (805) 684-4127 x266.

Giving

Posted on November 29, 2010 by Cate School

With Cate’s motto of servons, let us serve, it is not surprising that Cate’s extended community has a long history of both service and philanthropy. As our School enters its 101st year, alumni, parents and other friends stand committed in their support of the ideals of founder Curtis Wolsey Cate as reflected in the School’s mission statement. 
 
Through commitment, scholarship, companionship, and service, each member of the Cate community contributes to what our founder called: the spirit of this place…all compounded of beauty and virtue, quiet study, vigorous play, and hard work.
 
Cate’s mission statement not only speaks to the power and purpose of a Cate education, but also points to the contribution that each student makes in on the Mesa and in the world beyond. To that end, we invite you to partner with other alumni, families, and friends in building upon our firmly established tradition of Servons, the motto that has guided Cate School for nearly a century. With your gift, you will be joining others who are making a difference in the lives of all those who live, study, work, play, dream, and design on the Mesa. Thank you.