Give

When I first arrived here, I knew that I had found a special school. From day one, I wanted to run our fundraising efforts in a way that was just as innovative as this amazing school. We are entrepreneurial, bold, inclusive, and creative in our approach to education, from the way we teach biology using case studies to our ungraded Exploratories where students can try everything from podcasting to vegan cooking. Why shouldn’t our fundraising efforts be as unique as our programs are?

 

Philanthropy and the spirit of giving has always been central to the Sonoma Academy story. Our thirteen amazing founders, all seeing a need for a rigorous college preparatory school in Sonoma County, dug deep into their own pockets to make this school a reality. We have weathered financial storms through the generosity of our community. From the downturn of 2008, when the commitment to financial aid never wavered, to the ways our families opened up their homes to members of our community during the wildfires of 2017, to the launch of  our Community Support Fund to support our families experiencing hardship due to the global pandemic, giving is inherent to who we are as a school and as a community.

 

Each year we raise approximately $1.5 million through our annual fundraising event (Big Night Out) and the Sonoma Academy Fund. Our goal is to support a culture of giving that sustains our school. Not just this year, but for many years beyond. Although we replenish it on an annual basis, the Sonoma Academy Fund provides the enduring support that enables our school’s continual drive to innovate, reframe, and inspire. 

 

These past few years have demanded that we embrace change, but that is nothing new for our school. We strive to question our assumptions and create unique, meaningful programs that will captivate and challenge our students. We seek to establish exciting new initiatives that will connect us with the greater community and the world beyond the North Bay. We keep evolving, imagining, and working together.

We invite you all to be involved in the Sonoma Academy Fund and our advancement efforts. We have some fun in store for you this year!

 

Kim Eber, Director of Advancement