IMS Annual Fund
Climbing Higher
Reaching New Heights Together
As we embark on our second century, we are filled with gratitude for the remarkable journey that has brought IMS to where it is today. Since our founding, we have strived to create a joyful, engaged community of learners. Life on campus is vibrant and full of positive momentum. This exciting journey reminds us that every day brings new opportunities, and it is this affirmation that drives us to continuously climb higher.
For the past three years, the IMS Annual Fund has surpassed the $1M mark. While this progress is commendable, it is essential to acknowledge that the Annual Fund currently supports just 7% of our annual operating budget. Our goal is to be able to rely on the Annual Fund for 10% or more of our annual operating budget. With your invaluable assistance, we aim to reach and even surpass this target in the very near future. Our unwavering faith in our school’s mission has brought us to this point, and we remain confident that our vision for IMS will help us achieve our immediate goals together.
The Impact of Your Support
The Annual Fund plays a pivotal role in enabling everything we do here at IMS. It finances essential parts of our program and the extras that make the IMS experience unique. Donors are able to direct their gift within the Annual Fund to the area of greatest need (unrestricted $), financial aid, faculty/staff professional development, campus improvement, and Equity, Inclusion and Belonging initiatives. With your support, we can continue to:
Foster Student Centered Learning
A gift to the Annual Fund allows us to continue to provide student-centered, curiosity driven learning experiences that engage our students in a real-world context.
Cultivate Community
Your contribution helps us create a place where students feel a sense of ownership and belonging, where every person is excited to arrive each day and engage in joyful relationships.
Maintain Our Inspiring Campus
Annual Fund donations ensure that our students learn and grow in an environment that encourages exploration, prizes diversity, and spurs personal growth.
Attract & Retain Exceptional Faculty
Your generosity enables us to recruit and retain dedicated teachers who are the heart and soul of our educational community.
In an effort to build on the momentum of our Centennial, we ask you to help elevate our Annual Fund to new heights.
Together, we can climb higher, making a lasting impact on our students and the world they will shape.
The Student Experience
C.C. Stevenson, ’26
Artist
“I started acting in plays on the Lower Campus, where I had major roles. When I came up here, I realized I had to pay my dues. It was a great lesson in auditioning, managing disappointment, and learning from behind the scenes, by watching the people onstage. And the Tiegers—they’re not just regular teachers; they’re wonderful, funny, inclusive, and so professional. I’ve taken my IMS experience with me to Sharon Playhouse and realized that this is ‘my thing.’ It’s what I want to do.”
Chloe Gairard, ’32
Lower School Student
“I love IMS because the teaching is the way that I like. Mrs. Charlap and Mrs. Gargill give me a lot of support in learning how to read. Everybody else gives me a lot of support here in this wonderful place.”
Santi Meza Rivera, ’24
Athlete
“Squash, which is my main focus, athletically, is an individual sport, but being on the squad here and supporting each other kind of makes it a team sport. Same with my soccer team this fall: it’s not just a group of friends, but a family. That’s one of the main things that IMS has given me, and I appreciate that, being so far from home. Sometimes you feel lonely, but if you need anything, they are there for you: coaches, faculty, every single person here. And that community that’s been built within the team, it spreads outward, impacting your experience in the classrooms, the halls, the dorms. The MAC and Centennial Field have enhanced all of this. The students love to be there––playing, laughing, competing––always together. The resources the school put into those facilities shows that IMS really cares about its students, going through this enormous effort just to make us feel comfortable, to feel at home.”
Together we can Climb Higher
Questions about the Annual Fund and how your impact will be felt? Reach out to our Advancement Team.
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Heather Adams
Director of Annual Fund & Constituent Relations
Department:- Advancement
Campus:- Both Campuses
- 860-435-0871 x185
- heather_adams@indianmountain.org
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Dave Gargill
Leadership Gifts Officer
Department:- Advancement
Campus:- Both Campuses
- 860-435-0871 x274
- david_gargill@indianmountain.org
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Sarah Smith
Director of Institutional Advancement
Department:- Advancement
Campus:- Both Campuses
- 860-435-0871 x172
- sarah_smith@indianmountain.org
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Donna Stoetzner
Advancement Associate and Events Coordinator
Department:- Advancement
Campus:- Both Campuses
- 860-435-0871 x155
- donna_stoetzner@indianmountain.org
Every gift to the Annual Fund directly impacts our students’ experience. We are deeply grateful to all alumni, families, and friends who help to advance our mission through their support of the Annual Fund each year.
Inspired by Francis Behn Riggs, who founded Indian Mountain School in 1922, this society recognizes the dedication and belief that our donors have in the IMS program and community. Membership in the 1922 Society begins at $1,000. Recent alumni can join the 1922 Society at reduced giving levels.
- Century Society $100,000+
- Courage to Climb Society $50,000 +
- Life Through Service Society $25,000- $49,999
- Maroon & Gray Society $15,000 – $24,999
- Francis Behn Riggs Founder’s Society $10,000 – $14,999
- Head of School’s Circle $5,000 – $9,999
- Becket Society $2,500 – $4,999
- Falcon Society $1,000 – $2,499
Young Alumni
- 5 years since graduation
$100+ joins Falcon Society - 6-10 years since graduation
$250+ joins Falcon Society