The Alumni and Development team oversees all aspects of alumni and parent engagement. Departments include the donor relations office, the leadership giving team, and the gift planning program.
On a given day, the donor relations office could be preparing letters of gratitude or planning events for donors. As director of gift planning, Mr. Brent Sterste reaches out to donors who might be interested in connecting their deep passions with opportunities to become more involved with the school. Ms. Johanna Haan P’14, director of leadership giving said, “Encouraging support of the school is crucial to developing and maintaining strong relationships with our alumni and parents.”
Ms. Haan often spends her days traveling abroad to meet potential donors. On November 12, Ms. Haan traveled to Asia to get to know alumni and parents.
To keep in touch with the over 10,000 alumni of the school, the office plans reunions that welcome alumni back on campus for a weekend every 5 years.
Other events include dinners and parties for parents and alumni. Currently, the office is planning five holiday parties for alumni in Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Los Angeles, as well as dinners with alumni on college campuses.
Additionally, the office maintains social media accounts, including Facebook, Instagram, and Alumnet–the alumni directory that shares event announcments and posts job opportunities and internships.
Most recently, the office organized the annual Hotchkiss vs. Taft alumni challenge, which invited alumni of each school to participate in a fundraising competition between November 8th and 10th.
The Alumni Office coordinated kickoff parties for the classes of 2010-2023 in various cities such as New York City, Boston, and Washington, D.C. Taft emerged victorious in 2022; the results from this year’s competition have yet to be announced.
In addition, the team also focuses on connecting current students to alumni by inviting alumni speakers to the school and offering mentorship opportunities and career networking.
While students may not often interact with staff from Alumni and Development, many will recall meeting them each year during the annual “Thank A Donor Day,” when community members write letters to donors thanking them for their contributions to the school.
Students can learn more about Alumni and Development by visiting their office on the first floor of the Monahan building, talking to staff, or reaching out to Ms. Caroline Reilly via email for more information.
