Glossary of Terms
Alumna : female graduate, singular
Alumnae: female graduates, plural
Alumni: graduates, plural -either all male, or co-ed
Alumnus : male graduate, singular
Annual Fund: A gift program seeking funds on annual basis, income is used to support the School’s operating budget. The Annual Fund makes up approximately 10% of St. Mark’s operating budget.
Appeal: An attempt via mail or email to obtain financial support for the School.
Capital Gifts : Funds provided for endowment purposes, buildings, construction, or equipment.
Constituent: An individual or organization that has some connection to St. Mark’s. Our constituents are: alumni, parents, former parents, grandparents, former grandparents, friends, faculty, staff, students, foundations, corporations, and organizations.
Donor: An individual or organization, which gives money to the School.
Endowment: A pool of funds held by the School, which is invested to provide an annual income for the institution.
February Faceoff : friendly competition among the young alumni of the schools of the ISL; takes place annually during the month of February; encourages increased participation in the Annual Fund.
Fiscal Year (FY): The School’s financial year, which runs from July 1 through June 30.
ISL: Independent School League; sixteen New England preparatory schools that compete athletically and academically. Founded in 1948, the ISL's sixteen members compete in eighteen sports in the New England Prep School Athletic Conference (NEPSAC). The Independent School League is the oldest Independent School athletic association in the United States and St. Mark's is a charter member of the ISL.
LOST: A constituent for whom we do not have a valid current mailing address.
LYBUNT: Solicitable donors who contributed “Last Year But Unfortunately Not This” year.
Matching Gift: Alumni may request that donations be directed to St. Mark’s through their employers’ (or their spouses’) matching gift programs, by contacting their employers.
Outright Gift: Cash, check, or securities received by the School.
Outstanding Pledge: A pledge that has not been paid yet.
Participation Rate : The percentage of solicitable members of an alumni class who donated in a given fiscal year.
Planned Gift: A gift provided for legally during the donor's lifetime, but whose principal
benefits do not accrue to the school until some future time, usually at the death of the donor and/or his/her income beneficiary.
Pledge: a commitment to make a gift during a specified period. All Annual Fund pledges for the current fiscal year must be paid by June 30.
Pledge Payment: A payment on an existing pledge.
Pledge Write-off: A cancelled unpaid pledge. An Annual Fund pledge that is not paid by June 30 becomes a pledge write-off.
Restricted Annual Fund Gift: A gift for a specified purpose clearly stated by the donor to be used in the current fiscal year (unless otherwise noted). Cannot be used for another purpose without donor consent.
Soft Credit: Recognition for a gift to someone other than the legal donor. Alumni are soft credited for matching gifts from their employers.
Solicitable: Any constituent for whom St. Mark’s has a valid mailing address and who is not otherwise exempt from solicitation.
Specified Pledge: a commitment to make a gift of a specified amount during a specified period.
Stewardship: engaging, recognizing, and thanking current and prospective donors in a fashion that cultivates deeper affiliation and future, continued, and increasing giving.
SYBUNT: Solicitable donor who contributed “Some Year But Unfortunately Not This” year.
Unrestricted Annual Fund Gift: A gift to the School to be used in the current fiscal year (unless otherwise noted) to offset the School’s operating expenses. Unrestricted annual fund gifts support academic programs, athletics, the arts, student life and activities, financial aid, faculty compensation, and the maintenance of our buildings and grounds.
Unspecified Pledge: a commitment to make a gift of an unknown amount during a specified period.