Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Waverly Fund?

The Waverly Fund is the school’s annual fund — a fundrais­ing campaign conducted each year with the help of volun­teers to support the school’s oper­at­ing costs. Each year, Waverly relies on gifts to the Waverly Fund to provide addi­tional revenues that, with tuition, cover the full costs of oper­at­ing the school. It is an inte­gral compo­nent of Waverly’s annual budget, and the school’s single most impor­tant fundraiser. Each gift bene­fits every student at Waverly and strength­ens all aspects of school life, includ­ing educa­tional programs, faculty compen­sa­tion, faculty profes­sional devel­op­ment, the arts, tech­nol­ogy, and finan­cial assis­tance – all programs that have been deemed as budget prior­i­ties. In short, annual gifts benefit each student every day.

The Waverly Fund campaign begins with the school year and ends with the school’s fiscal year on June 30.

Why is family partic­i­pa­tion so important?

Partic­i­pa­tion is crit­i­cal, as it is an impor­tant measure of how strongly Waverly fami­lies support the school. When the outside commu­nity sees that Waverly enjoys a high partic­i­pa­tion rate from fami­lies, it enables the school to success­fully seek addi­tional funding from foun­da­tions and other indi­vid­u­als. Partic­i­pa­tion reflects the confi­dence and commit­ment our fami­lies have to Waverly’s mission and to the value and success of its education program.

Why should I support the Waverly Fund when I am paying tuition?

Although tuition provides the revenue for the greater portion of the school’s budget, the annual fund provides the resources needed to fully operate the school. Because gifts to the Waverly Fund help to cover the budgeted expenses that are key to teach­ing and learn­ing, every family bene­fits from the contri­bu­tions gener­ously made each year. Another benefit: unlike tuition, contri­bu­tions are tax-deductible.

How does the annual fund relate to the Waverly Parent Orga­ni­za­tion (WPO)?

The annual fund and the WPO both contribute much needed unre­stricted gifts to Waverly annu­ally. However, each is distinct and sepa­rate. WPO events, which include the Book Fair, World Market, Jogathon, and Silent Auction, are oppor­tu­ni­ties for the commu­nity to gather, shop, dine, dance, or jog while also doing some­thing posi­tive for the school. Whether or not fami­lies partic­i­pate in a WPO event, we ask that they plan to make a gift to the annual fund.

How can I make a gift to the annual fund?

There are several ways to give:

  • With cash by writing a check made payable to The Waverly School
  • By credit card by either stop­ping by the Busi­ness Office (located in the elemen­tary school) or online
  • Making a gift of appre­ci­ated stock to Waverly may offer two-fold tax savings by avoid­ing capital gains in addi­tion to an income tax deduc­tion. Please contact Carolyn Hom, Devel­op­ment Direc­tor, for infor­ma­tion on trans­fer­ring stock to Waverly as a gift.

How much should I give?

We ask our fami­lies to give to the best of their abil­i­ties. Regard­less of size, every gift will have a mean­ing­ful impact on Waverly’s students. The average gift from each family last year was about $900; many were much, much more, and many were quite a lot less. Each gift was deeply appreciated.

Is my gift tax deductible?

Yes. Waverly is a non-profit public charity recog­nized as tax-exempt by the Inter­nal Revenue Service under Section 501(c)(3). We suggest that donors consult their finan­cial advis­ers to deter­mine how contri­bu­tions may affect their taxes. The school sends every donor a letter of appre­ci­a­tion that also serves to docu­ment the gift for tax purposes.