Ravenscroft Magazine Fall 2016 (Report on Giving)

WINTER 2016 | VOL. XIX. NO. 3

magazine

REPORT

on giving 2016

INSIDE: The Makerspace

| Our Culture of Philanthropy | A Family Embraces Generosity

Because of you...

Students are challenged.

Friendships are made.

Leaders are inspired. THANK YOU!

magazine

REPORT

on giving

WINTER 2016 | VOL. XIX. NO. 3

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FEATURES 4 Making an Impact Kevin Keim and The Makerspace

8 Our Culture of Philanthropy Volunteer Groups Making a Difference

10 A Family Embraces Generosity

Pretzer/Salisbury Family Gift

DEPARTMENTS 2 Vision & Voice

Giving & Gratitude: The Culture of Philanthropy at Ravenscroft Doreen Kelly, Head of School

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Financial Report Statement of Activities

14 Report on Giving Donor Lists 2015-2016

Ravenscroft magazine is published three times a year. Please direct suggestions or comments to Kathleen Louis, Assistant Director of Communications, 919-847-0900, ext 2828 or kathleen.louis@ravenscroft.org.

The winter issue is the annual Report on Giving. Every effort is made to ensure accuracy of the listings of names, businesses and gifts. If a name is omitted or inadvertently listed incorrectly, please notify Aprille Metcalf in the Advancement Office, 919-847-0900, ext 2815 or aprille.metcalf@ravenscroft.org.

Design by M Creative | Mixed Media Illustration by Amanda King | Photography by Bob Handelman, Mary Kornegay, Kathleen Louis, and Barbara L. Salisbury | Written by Stacy Calfo and Karen Lewis Taylor

The paper used for this magazine contains fiber sourced from well-managed forests.

Front cover: Second graders participated in a Lead From Here activity on collaboration. Students formed a circle and worked together to pass a tin can all the way around as fast as they could, using only their feet. After several rounds, students articulated the importance of collaboration among group members in order to achieve a common goal.

VISION & VOICE A message from our Head of School

Giving & Gratitude: The Culture of Philanthropy at Ravenscroft Doreen Kelly, Head of School

DEAR RAVENSCROFT COMMUNITY, Philanthropy is a voluntary action for the common good — and these pages are filled with exceptional examples of how a culture of philanthropy is alive and thriving at Ravenscroft.

I am very grateful to each and every one of our donors and volunteers who have given their time, talent and treasure to Ravenscroft over the past year. Thank you for your support — you are truly what makes the difference in our community.

As you read through our Report on Giving, you will find stories of parent and alumni groups enhancing our community with volunteer efforts (page 8),

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a board member who is helping ensure the future of Ravenscroft is taken care of — even after his own granddaughters graduate (page 4), an example of multiple generations of one family uniting to make an amazing gift to the school (page 10), and much more.

Gifts of all sizes are important, as are gifts from all sizes. We have amazing parents, alumni, grandparents, and friends who support the school, but did you know our own students are doing so as well?

One family of three young students makes Annual Fund donations from their piggy banks every year; we had 36 graduating seniors make a gift in honor of their teachers.

We have students who have founded charities and fundraise for charities, dedicating hours of their free time to make our school and community a better place. Our children are not just the recipients of generosity, they are the givers too.

For those receiving gifts, the gratitude they show is powerful.

One Pre-K student, who receives a financial aid scholarship through a newly established endowment, sent a note, complete with a Mickey Mouse

sticker, to the donor who is financially supporting his Ravenscroft journey.

Our students reflect sincere generosity of spirit — both in giving and receiving gifts. I am very proud of the fact that at Ravenscroft we are building a strong value system in our students from the earliest of ages.

That is truly priceless.

With gratitude,

Doreen C. Kelly Head of School

FINANCIAL REPORT

2015-2016 Financials By the Numbers

TOTAL GIVING

HAS INCREASED FROM

6

1.9 M TO 2.5 M

NEW

ENDOWMENT FUNDS WERE ESTABLISHED,

HELPING TO FUND

FINANCIAL AID, STUDENT SUPPORT,

&

LEAD FROM HERE

AS PART OF OUR

EMBRACE POSSIBILITY

CAMPAIGN.

44% $100 6 OF ANNUAL FUND

32% OF SENIORS GAVE IN

HONOR OF

GIFTS WERE UNDER

SMALL GIFTS MAKE A

HUGE

IMPACT. 2015-2016 Philanthropic Income

TEACHERS.

YEARS OLD THE AGE OF

RAVENSCROFT’S

YOUNGEST

DONOR.

TUITION COVERS

86%

OF THE COST TO EDUCATE A CHILD AT RAVENSCROFT.

THE ANNUAL FUND HELPS TO FILL IN THE GAP.

ANNUAL FUND

EMBRACE POSSIBILITY*

$943K

$10.7K

RESTRICTED GIFTS

ENDOWMENT

TOTAL RAISED

(Includes Embrace Possibility)

$210K

OVERALL RAISED

TOTAL RAISED THIS YEAR

$1.3M

(total value $19.8M) *as of Oct. 2016 Report on Giving 2016

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TRUSTEE’S STRATEGIC COMBINATION OF OUTRIGHT AND DEFERRED GIVING PROVIDES LONG-LASTING FINANCIAL SUPPORT

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BY KAREN LEWIS TAYLOR MIXED MEDIA BY AMANDA KING

R. KEVIN KEIM has spent much of his career in neurophysiology

studying how the human brain responds to new drug treatments.

Now, as a Ravenscroft trustee — and grandfather of two Ravenscroft middle schoolers — he has turned his passion for the workings of the mind in a new direction: MOLDING YOUNG THINKERS INTO TOMORROW’S LEADERS.

Through a combination of outright and deferred giving, he is helping nurture Ravenscroft’s culture of educational innovation, both today and in the years to come.

TO PREPARE A GENERATION OF LEADERS Keim’s relationship with Ravenscroft began when his twin granddaughters were enrolled as second graders.

“I remember my first Grandparents Day,” he says. “It was evident from everyone I met, from Doreen Kelly to Payton Hobbs to Mrs. Pugh, Ravenscroft is just amazing.”

He soon sought opportunities to get more involved at Ravenscroft. He is now in his third year on the Board

of Trustees, serving on both the Educational Stewardship and the Buildings and Grounds committees.

“It’s a great learning opportunity. I see and hear all of the reports on new topics and opportunities,” he says.

“What really impresses me is the passion with which staff, faculty, administrators and board members carry out their responsibilities.”

Keim takes those responsibilities to heart, notes Phil Higginson, Assistant Head of School for Institutional Advancement. “He just rolls up his sleeves to make Ravenscroft a better place,” he says.

As a researcher and business leader, Keim has been particularly interested in the school’s Lead from Here

Keim and seventh grade granddaughters, Jessica and Nicole, in the Makerspace

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curriculum, coming away inspired after the board’s workshop with Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) in 2015.

“The purpose of a Ravenscroft education is to develop and prepare an upcoming generation of leaders in an increasingly complex world,” he says. “Incorporating skills of leadership, communication, cooperation and empathy starts here — and it starts at Pre-K!”

“ THE PURPOSE OF A

SOMETHING THAT HAD MEANING TO ME It was during the drive to that workshop, with Higginson at the wheel, that Keim made a personal connection to another Ravenscroft initiative. The Middle School’s move to embrace a design-thinking model as part of their expanded electives — including a course called Think It! Design It! Make It!, or TDM — had opened the door for use of a Makerspace. While the term was unfamiliar to Keim, the value of hands-on, problembased learning was not.

“Phil asked, ‘When you were in school, did you have shop class?’ I could easily relate! Shop was formative for me,” Keim says. “The idea of making things with your hands, disciplined by plans or goals, and seeking achievement was very important to me.”

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RAVENSCROFT EDUCATION IS TO DEVELOP AND PREPARE AN UPCOMING GENERATION OF LEADERS IN AN INCREASINGLY COMPLEX WORLD.” As soon as Head of Middle School Denise Colpitts could put together a budget proposal, Keim agreed to fund the new Makerspace in full. Colpitts describes its impact on the Middle School as “tremendous.”

“The design-thinking process encourages all of the skills and competencies our students need for twenty-first century learning, many of which are in our Citizen Leader Framework,” she says. “Many classes, including history, geography, science, math and language arts, now incorporate design-thinking activities into their programs.”

Keim notes that this gift resonates with him on multiple levels.

“It’s important to give to the Annual Fund and to Embrace Possibility, and I do that, but I [also] wanted

to do something that had meaning to me and would be of almost immediate benefit to my granddaughters,” he says. “When Phil mentioned the Makerspace for the Middle School, I said, ‘I would be interested in that.’

The project theme and timing were right!”

“Kevin is passionate about every student’s experience in math and science at Ravenscroft,” says Deborah Thompson, Director of Capital Giving. “In recognition of his gift, Middle School administrators put the name on the door of the Makerspace with the ‘k’ squared for ‘Kevin Keim.’”

THE VALUE OF PHILANTHROPY It’s important to note that Keim’s outright gift to fund the Makerspace is part of a broader strategy of philanthropic giving — one that has both immediate and longer-term benefits for Ravenscroft and other institutions he supports.

“In addition to his outright gifts, Kevin chose to direct a portion of his family’s charitable remainder trust to Ravenscroft as a deferred gift, making him a member of the Josiah Ogden Watson Society as well as a significant donor to the Embrace Possibility campaign,” Higginson says. “He has since come back and increased

his deferred gift because he’s so excited about our partnership with CCL and Lead From Here.”

All told, deferred giving through the charitable remainder trust has allowed Keim to triple his giving to Ravenscroft — something he’s eager to share with other Ravenscroft supporters.

“Most people don’t realize they can minimize their tax exposure with this kind of financial planning strategy, enjoy the benefit of an income stream for life, as well as help others,” he says.

Closer to home, he adds, he wants his granddaughters to understand the importance of giving back.

“They didn’t quite grasp the function of a member of the Board of Trustees [at first],” he says with a laugh.

“They envisioned I may be teaching or helping to clean the school, maybe serving lunch. One request I had from them in the early days was to increase the number of M&Ms in the trail mix!”

“MY FAMILY GOAL,” HE CONCLUDES, “IS TO SHOW BY EXAMPLE THE VALUE OF PHILANTHROPY — AND TO SHOW MY GRANDKIDS THAT I’M AS INVESTED IN THEIR EDUCATION AS THEIR PARENTS ARE.” R

Middle School science teacher Tim Phillips and students testing out trebuchets they built in the Makerspace

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OUR CULTURE OF PHILANTHROPY T

HANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR VOLUNTEER GROUPS who are a key part of our community and culture of philanthropy, dedicating countless time, talent and resources to our school! Here are a few highlights of your generosity from the past year:

Fine Arts Association > Sewed and fitted, through the dedication of parent volunteers, the many elaborate medieval costumes for Once Upon a Mattress musical. The costume work was recognized with a commendable mention at the regional musical theater competition, the Triangle Rising Stars!

Ravens Athletic Club > Joined the Embrace Possibility Campaign by pledging a portion of proceeds from the Ravenscroft Golf Classic over five years, including a portion of the $32,000 raised this past year! > Along with the support of hundreds of parent volunteers and staff, proudly hosted schools from across the state and coordinated many logistics for two different state playoff games, NCISAA State Basketball Tournament and TISAC Track and Field Tournament. > Volunteered to support major campus events such as the Wake County Special Olympics, as well as planned and promoted special events such as the Pink Out football game, fan days, and recognized students through the parade of athletes.

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> Produced and published the Fine Arts Booklet for the 20th year, highlighting student ensembles, honors and clubs, and publicizing upcoming student and professional artist gallery exhibits. > Supported many events and students throughout the year; for example, parent volunteers provided judging fees for juried performances, art gallery supplies, ties for band members, and meals for cast and crew before performances.

Global Parent Ambassadors > Formed by volunteers in 2015 to welcome and provide support to international families new to Ravenscroft. > Developed resources such as a pamphlet and parent directory for new international families. Kicked off the year with 25 attendees at the first Global Parent Ambassadors breakfast meeting in September 2015.

Parents’ Association > Hosted 350 parents and guests at the Great Gatsby Gala & Auction, featuring over 150 auction items donated by Ravenscroft parents. Through the dedication of the committee and many volunteers, the evening brought together the school community.

Over $225,000 was raised for the PA’s Embrace Possibility Endowment Fund and to send faculty and staff to leadership training at Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, NC.

> Helped promote Ravenscroft’s global programs by working with Ravenscroft communications team to create a new Global Programs brochure.

> Coordinated and promoted, with the help of hundreds of parent volunteers, school events and activities for faculty, staff, students and the community throughout the year, including helping prepare or serve three faculty and staff appreciation luncheons. > Provided over 60 meals to staff, faculty and families during times of need through The Croft.

Alumni Council > Achieved 100% participation in the Annual Fund by all 15 members of Alumni Council. > Researched and approved Ravenscroft Connect, a new networking and social media platform/online community that allows all Ravenscroft alumni to stay connected with each other and Ravenscroft for business networking and mentorship. > Participated (68 alumni) in the Pen Pal Program with Ravenscroft 4th graders.

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A A FAMILY EMBRACES EMBRACES

GENEROSITY

PRETZER/SALISBURY FAMILY GIFT BRINGS GENERATIONS TOGETHER IN SUPPORT OF EMBRACE POSSIBILITY

BY KAREN LEWIS TAYLOR

ATHY PRETZER remembers the first time, many years ago, when she was asked to make a donation to an organization where she was already a reliable volunteer. “I wondered why I should put money in when I was already giving so much time,” she remembers.

Today, as the parent of two Ravenscroft students — one son in fifth grade and another in seventh grade — and a longtime volunteer for numerous campus activities and events, she’s had an epiphany.

“Once we were involved at Ravenscroft, it dawned on me: Why wouldn’t I put my money in a place where I’m already so involved?” she says. “I know where it’s going. I can see it’s being used wisely and to good effect.”

In fact, Kathy and her husband, Steve, feel so strongly about giving to Ravenscroft that they asked her parents, Alan and Florence Salisbury, to join them in making “a leadership gift” to Embrace Possibility, the campaign for Ravenscroft.

PART OF A COMMUNITY Kathy and Steve have been excited about what Ravenscroft offers its students ever since they served as Big Center volunteers in the kindergarten classes.

Steve says that volunteer work gave them “a wonderful opportunity to engage with the teachers and our children’s new peers when they first started kindergarten. We got to see inside the school at the start, before the academic environment got more intense.”

Both boys have thrived at Ravenscroft, which offers them “a good balance and high level of success” in sports, academics, and the arts, Kathy says. What’s more, “they feel like they’re part of a community of peers and teachers.”

That sense of belonging has been just as important to Steve and Kathy. Kathy has served in numerous roles on campus — “everything from Room Mom to Lower School Division Coordinator to co-chairing the Ravenscroft auction,” she says — and both of them have stepped into ad hoc volunteer roles over the years.

“We’ve forged friendships with other parents that will last beyond our sons’ graduation,” Kathy says. “We’ve also gained a deeper relationship with the faculty and administration. It’s good to know someone recognizes our gifts and contributions to the community, as well. We’ve felt celebrated.”

“ OUR FAMILY REVOLVES AROUND OUR CHILDREN, SO OUR PRIMARY PHILANTHROPIC FOCUS IS ON CHILDREN AS WELL. IT’S IMPORTANT TO US TO MAKE THE OPPORTUNITIES AT RAVENSCROFT AVAILABLE TO MORE CHILDREN.” — STEVE PRETZER A NATURAL CONVERSATION As Embrace Possibility began to gear up, the Pretzers started to consider how their financial support could make the most impact on an institution they have long supported with the gift of their time.

“Our professional lives revolve around children — I’m a pediatric dentist and Kathy is a speech therapist — and our family revolves around our children, so our primary philanthropic focus is on children as well,” Steve says. “It’s important to us to make the opportunities at Ravenscroft available to more children.”

(left) The Pretzer family in the Hugh Morton Jr. Courtyard by Ravenscroft’s Fine Arts Center R eport on Giving 2016

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The example set by Kathy’s parents, Alan and Florence Salisbury, was never far from their minds. Stalwart supporters of education, the Salisburys have given reliably to their own alma maters and to organizations that nurture children’s development. They have followed their grandsons’ experiences at Ravenscroft with great interest.

“Both of us are blown away by the arts programs,” Florence says. “So many schools have had to cut them to the bare minimum. We feel strongly that the arts are as essential as academics.”

Alan, a West Point graduate and career Army officer, says they have also been impressed by the vision of Lead From Here.

“We feel connected to that,” he says. “Leadership is vital to a successful military, but I can’t think of a problem facing us anywhere today that doesn’t need strong leadership to help address it. Education is a critical part of the solution as well. A leader who is enlightened by education is a powerful combination.”

Knowing her parents’ values, Kathy says, made asking them to join her and Steve in giving to Embrace Possibility “a very natural conversation.”

“My parents are philanthropically minded people,” she says. “The opportunity to make a contribution to their

Alan and Florence Salisbury

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“ IT’S IMPORTANT TO US TO SEE THE EMPHASIS ON LEADERSHIP AND EDUCATION AND HELP RAVENSCROFT SUPPORT THAT.” —KATHY PRETZER

grandsons’ experiences is important to them. It’s a tangible gift now but also a way to connect to the larger picture of giving.”

CHAMPIONS FOR FUNDRAISING The Salisburys believe that education and leadership skills are important for every child. When they realized they could influence the future of every student’s leadership learning by supporting the endowment, the decision was any easy one, Florence notes. “It’s important to us to see

the emphasis on leadership and education and help Ravenscroft support that,” she says. The Salisburys’ contribution to the Lead From Here endowment gives Ravenscroft the ability to fund Lead From Here in perpetuity.

Plus, she adds with a laugh, “We had Kathy twisting our arms. She’s good at arm-twisting.”

Deborah Thompson, Director of Capital Giving, describes Kathy and Steve as “champions for fundraising throughout their time at Ravenscroft.”

“With Embrace Possibility, [the Pretzers] were thoughtful enough to include Kathy’s parents making this a multigenerational gift,” she says.

Kathy notes that Ravenscroft gave them considerable flexibility in their planning. “Being able to spread our family gift over several years made it more budget-friendly and encouraged us, allowed us, to give more,” she says.

Ultimately, the Pretzer/Salisbury Family Gift is a reflection of the value they all place on putting their good fortune to good use — and of the happy side effects of philanthropy.

“Whoever said it’s better to give than receive was right,” Alan says. “It’s also a lot more fun.” R

WHEN THE SALISBURYS REALIZED THEY COULD INFLUENCE THE FUTURE OF EVERY STUDENT’S LEADERSHIP LEARNING BY SUPPORTING THE ENDOWMENT, THE DECISION WAS AN EASY ONE.

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EMBRACE POSSIBILITY CAMPAIGN

Embrace Possibility:

Campaign Progress

Through October 2016

$15m

Embrace Possibility Campaign Goal

$10.6m Raised

CAMPAIGN PROGRESS

CAMPAIGN PRIORITIES

$7m LEAD FROM HERE

SUCCEED HERE

Start-up and endowment for a new

Endowment for innovative programs

model of academic and citizen

and services to ensure the success of

leadership education

every Ravenscroft student

$2.5m

iv

$.5m

$5m

BELONG HERE

ANNUAL FUND

Endowment for financial aid to

Annual giving to support

increase access & socioeconomic

operating expenses: $1 million for

diversity

each of five years

What is your Ravenscroft legacy?

PICKEL AND PETE TANNENBAUM STEP UP WITH STOCK

“T

WELVE YEARS AGO, we were looking for

the best educational experience for our daughters and we decided on Ravenscroft,” Pickel Tannenbaum says. “We are getting that excellent education and so much more. Through Lead From Here, Ravenscroft is preparing our children to make a difference in the world — that is more important than anything else. Our daughters are going to make a positive impact in whatever they do.”

Pickel adds, “Lead From Here is helping to develop a strong character and sense of commuThe Tannenbaum Family nity. Ravenscroft has built these essential leadership competencies into the curriculum, beginning in kindergarten. We can’t even begin to fully understand the impact this will have on students’ personal and professional lives — but it will be profound.”

“I think Lead From Here is the most important initiative since we’ve been at Ravenscroft,” Pete Tannenbaum says. “Our partner, Center for Creative Leadership, is at the very top of the leadership training industry.”

It’s this strong belief in the Lead From Here program that led Pickel and Pete Tannenbaum to commit a multi-year leadership pledge to the Embrace Possibility campaign. They have chosen to fulfill their pledge through gifts of appreciated stock.

“We wanted to support an initiative that is providing a great foundation for our daughters, Ally and Charlotte,” Pete explains. “We are so fortunate to have incredible buildings, facilities, arts, athletics… all because of the philanthropy of those who came before us. For our current school community, parents, alumni and families, Embrace Possibility is now our collective legacy.”

The Tannenbaums’ gift of securities is one example of giving that doesn’t involve writing a check. The gift of appreciated stocks, mutual funds or other securities that have been held for more than a year can be donated to the school. The donor will receive a tax deduction and will avoid capital gains tax. Other donations can include gifts of real estate, matching gifts from employers that increase the impact of the gift, and planned gifts.

“We have a culture of philanthropy at Ravenscroft,” Pete says. “Part of that culture is giving back to support programs like Lead From Here and our Annual Fund. It is important to set an example for your kids — letting them know that they are a part of something bigger than themselves. It’s the concept of giving and caring for others that we are trying to teach. Ravenscroft will have a huge influence on who our kids will become and we are happy to support that.”

Give a Gift of Stock Visit www.giving.ravenscroft.org or contact Phil Higginson, Assistant Head of School for Institutional Advancement, or Deborah Thompson, Director of Capital Giving, for a conversation. pch@ravenscroft.org | deborah.thompson@ravenscroft.org | 919-847-0900

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7409 Falls of Neuse Road Raleigh, NC 27615 Return Service Requested

OUR MISSION

The Ravenscroft community, guided by our legacy of excellence, nurtures individual potential and prepares students to thrive in a complex and interdependent world.

A recent project in Mrs. Julie Cardillo’s Upper School photography class taught students to see the world through abstract shapes — the first step to observing the environment as artists do. All students chose a word that inspires them, then found the letters in their environment, and composed, cropped, and highlighted.

LOVE is by Kelly Baker ’20 with photographs taken of her dog. MEMORIES is by Liza Vinson ’20 with photographs from her family’s lake house in Gaston.