Giving Day 2024: Thank You!
If you’ve ever found yourself awed by the boundless opportunities for Durham Academy students, or amazed by the soaring excellence of DA teachers, or wowed by the ceaseless innovations emerging from Ridge and Academy roads, then the source of your wonder has been the Durham Academy Fund — the enduring answer to the question, “What makes the everyday magic of DA possible?”
What enables the incomparable experiential learning provided by Cavalier Capstones, Senior Challenge and class trips? The DA Fund. How does DA make itself more affordable and accessible with financial aid awards? The DA Fund. From where do coordinators of our Diversity, Equity and Engagement initiatives; the students and faculty on our speech and debate team and on our DARC Side robotics team; or the dreamers and believers who operate our Innovation Journey Fund draw the resources to help their visions become reality? You guessed it: It’s the DA Fund.
If the DA Fund is the foundation of our school’s operating budget, then Durham Academy Giving Day is the bedrock. Each spring, parents, alumni, faculty, staff, grandparents and friends join together to support the DA Fund. The financial contributions — no matter the amount — represent an endorsement of DA’s present and future. It is an expression of love for, and faith in, the DA community, as well as the people and students who make it so inimitable.
We invite you to express that same love and faith on March 25, 2025 — next year's Giving Day — a meaningful opportunity to sustain the everyday magic of DA.
Come be part of our enduring answer. Come be part of the DA Fund.
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16% increase in alumni Giving Day support
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78% of faculty & staff made Giving Day gifts
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56% of current parents supported Giving Day
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115 first-time donors supported Giving Day
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$348,109 raised from current parents
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$80,000 in donor and Alumni challenges
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32 states plus D.C.with international support from Canada,
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England, Luxembourg and the Netherlands
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1,028 donors supported Giving Day, together contributing $467,954!
Mr. Ulku-Steiner's Day Off
This year’s DA Giving Day benefited from a full rebrand, and the Marketing & Communications team also faced a unique challenge — how can we incorporate the head of school into DA’s annual pep rally for fundraising during his mini-sabbatical? (see page 5) The answer: reincarnate him as the '80s most famous absentee high school student, Ferris Bueller!
With a social media video series that featured locations like the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, hints about how Mr. Ulku-Steiner was productive during his study leave and iconic scenes from the movie, Mr. Ulku-Steiner’s Day Off of Giving hit the sweet spot for parents, teachers, students and alumni! The entire series — comprising a teaser and three episodes — exceeded 13,600 views on Instagram on Giving Day. Life moves pretty fast, so in case you missed it, watch the Director's Cut below.