Instead of cramming for an A.P Bio exam during his free period, junior Nico Khoury-Levy reported to the Sharon Room to call alumni on the phone. He greeted them warmly, delved into a conversation about his experience as a student, and explained the Masters Fund in hope for a monetary contribution. 

Masters celebrated their 10th annual Alumnae/i Giving Day on Thursday, April 3, which is a time when current students and parents connect with alumni over the phone, with the goal of receiving 148 (148 for years of Masters) monetary donations. If that goal is reached, an anonymous donor will give the school an extra $20,000. The reason for the calls and donations? The Masters Annual Fund.

“The Masters Annual Fund is the only annual fundraising initiative for the school,” Maureen Steinhorn, the annual giving and stewardship manager, said. “The Masters Fund essentially fills the gap between what we make with tuition and how much money we actually spend as a school.”

Giving Day also serves as an opportunity for alumni to connect with current students beyond the dollar.

“Alums love hearing from students. They love hearing what life is like on campus now and I think it’s very nostalgic for them to also share their experience,” Hilary Finkelstein, director of annual giving, noted. “The thing about Giving Day is that it’s not necessarily the day that we make the most money, but it is the day that we connect with the most people.” 

Khoury-Levy recapped his Giving Day experience enthusiastically.

“It was great to collaborate with fellow students and the advancement team. They were all really nice, and they guided me with how to call alumni,” Khoury-Levy said. “Connecting with them was a really exciting experience, and I learned so much about the alumni network for our school.”

Junior Danse Mobray added to the positive environment of the advancement team. 

“A highlight for me during Giving Day was the positive atmosphere of the volunteers and Advancement team. It was really nice to see students and faculty collectively working together to achieve a greater goal for our school,” she said.

The alumni office reached out to Emily Daly, an alumna from the class of 2006, to spread the word about Giving Day to fellow alumni. Daly remarked on the alumni-student connection.

“Masters isn’t just four years. It’s really a lifelong community. Being an alum and a student aren’t two worlds: it’s all sort of one giant family,” Daly said. On Giving Day itself, Daly had a meaningful phone call with a parent of a seventh grader.

“When I got that call, I was having a really hectic day. It was great to receive a call from a parent from a school that I love so much,” she said. 

“Student connection is important to Giving Day because calling alumni to raise money as well as writing thank you notes creates a meaningful connection between former and current Masters students,” Mobray said.

Student involvement is a recent tradition, added just last year. Due to the positive feedback from students, alumni and parents, the advancement team will keep up that tradition. “Last year, we came back to the student model for the first time since Covid. We’re excited to continue that tradition for later years to come,” Steinhorn said. 

Student involvement has made a huge impact on Giving Day. On Friday, April 4, an email went out to the Masters community notifying that they have exceeded their goal of 148 gifts and have received 157 gifts. In total, Giving Day raised $55,000  for the Masters Fund. 

“I am so grateful to have gotten the opportunity to come together with the Masters community to support our school,” Mobray said.