Big3 decision and enrollment - what is expected amount of planned giving each year?

[Anonymous]

Our DC was admitted to two of STA/NCS, GDS, and Sidwell for upper school and we are trying to understand what is the total tranche of funds to sequester for the four years to cover the cost of attendance. Is there an annual expected additional planned giving amount or expected donation at the Big3 schools that we need to include in our funding tranche to cover the full cost of attendance for the next 4 years? I don't have a good sense of the culture with respect to what is actually expected or "voluntarily" required (assuming that this is distinct from self-initiating truly voluntary giving if we were so inspired to do so at the some point in the future).

Is the answer difference and specific to each particular Big3 or similar school, i.e. GDS versus NCS versus STA versus Potomac etc...?

Any experiences from families who currently attend DC privates would be welcome.

Do you think the giving amount impacts the students' experience at the school? Do the faculty/teachers know how much the family has given? Do the counselors (academic, college, etc...) treat you differently once you have donated??

[Anonymous]

Just give yearly. They really care most about participation. We give $500/school. I don't think the faculty know or care less. We've never seen it effect anything.

[Anonymous]

At any school, the correct amount is more than zero. And unless the gift is huge, the school almost certainly won’t treat you any differently.

[Anonymous]

Expect tuition to rise 2-5% each year. Give what you can, whether a couple of hundred or a couple of thousand or whatever. The schools NEED the money, but anything is appreciated.

[Anonymous]

My DD goes to NCS. They provided a "suggested" amount that is calibrated to each family, but you give what you're comfortable giving. Some years we've done more than the suggested amount. Some years less. The school wants as close to 100% participation from families as possible, so it's important to give something if you're able.

[Anonymous]

Give what you can or feel comfortable giving. I’m not sure we ever saw the suggested family amount in the 4 years we have been at GDS. We give $500/yr and gave $2000 for the capital campaign a few years ago.

[Anonymous]

We will be attending a Big 3 next year and it’s a stretch. We applied for aid and didn’t get any, so we’ll have to make big sacrifices to go there. We will give something small as a token of participation, but our plan is to volunteer our time to the community as our primary “gift.” Not everyone at these schools are wealthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At any school, the correct amount is more than zero. And unless the gift is huge, the school almost certainly won’t treat you any differently.

And even if you give large amounts they won’t treat you differently unless you act like an entitled jerk. I still recommend not acting like an entitled jerk.

[Anonymous]

I got a lovely letter from the HOS that acknowledged gratitude for donating our first year. It was more than I expected. They have a student led donation day too which I think is nice modeling. You are in full control to give any amount of what you want/can. I don’t know why any of the schools listed would treat people different based on what you decide to do.