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Under the Oaks & Rooted and Rising Fundraising Committee

Where Your Gift Goes.

Every dollar raised at the Under the Oaks Gala and the Rooted & Rising Luncheon goes to 3 Oaks Academy, Inc., stays at our Estero, Florida campus, and is shared five equal ways. Here is exactly where it goes, who leads the work, and how every gift is protected.

See the Split How Your Gift Is Protected

Our purpose

A Parent-Led Committee

The Under the Oaks & Rooted and Rising Fundraising Committee is a group of 3 Oaks parents who volunteer their time to plan and run two events each year: the Under the Oaks Gala and the Rooted & Rising Luncheon.

Our purpose is simple: raise money for the students, teachers, and programs of our Estero, Florida campus, and handle every dollar in a way donors can trust. The committee works under the School's Board of Directors, which adopted the fund, the split, and the safeguards on this page.

Committee leadership

Meet the Committee

Parent volunteers leading both events.

Jessica Wood

Committee ChairLeads the committee and both events: the plan, the calendar, and the partnership with our Board.

Karina Quiroz

Vice ChairLeads sponsorships and major gifts, and serves as the Chair's second across both events.

Cheyenne Falisi

Hospitality ChairLeads the venue, hospitality, and guest experience, from the first welcome to the final toast.

Want to help? Tell us how you'd like to get involved →

Where your gift goes

Five Equal Shares, 20% Each

After direct event costs, net proceeds from the gala and the luncheon are divided five equal ways. Every $100 of net proceeds puts $20 toward each of these, all at our Estero campus.

Tuition Assistance

Need-based help so cost is never the only reason a child can't attend 3 Oaks. Awarded through the School's financial-aid process, never by the committee.

Personalized Pathways

Curriculum, assessment tools, technology, and enrichment for each student's own learning pathway.

Week Without Walls

Travel and program costs for our signature experiential program, so every student goes.

New Roots

Our Estero campus expansion and relocation fund: a larger building so more students have a seat, plus one-time improvements to the campus we have.

Teacher Retention

Keeping the specially trained teachers our students depend on: retention stipends, certification, and professional development.

Want your gift to go to one purpose? Say so on your sponsor form, pledge card, or Zeffy checkout. All of it goes there, and none of it is moved.

Our Board sets the split each year. This is the split for the 2026–27 gala and luncheon.

Raised here, stays here

Each Campus Keeps What It Raises

3 Oaks has two campuses, and their fundraising is kept separate.

Estero, Florida

Raised in Estero, stays in Estero.
Every dollar from the Under the Oaks Gala, the Rooted & Rising Luncheon, and all fundraising done here stays with our Estero students, teachers, programs, and campus.

Sherrills Ford, North Carolina

Raised in North Carolina, stays in North Carolina.
Fundraising done for our Sherrills Ford campus stays with that campus. Money is never moved from one campus to the other.

How your gift is protected

Safeguards, Built In

Our Board adopted these safeguards for both events. They protect every donor, and every parent who volunteers.

One Destination

Every payment goes to 3 Oaks Academy, Inc. through our secure Zeffy checkout or by check to the School, never to a volunteer. It is deposited to the Under the Oaks & Rooted and Rising Event Fund, a donor-restricted fund within our Tuition Assistance & Enrichment Fund that receives only the proceeds of these two events.

Two People on Every Dollar

Cash is counted by two unrelated people and deposited within two business days. Every payment out needs a written request and two approvals.

Board Oversight

Our Board approves each event's budget before tickets go on sale, receives a reconciled financial report within 45 days after each event, and votes on how net proceeds are released each year.

Restricted by Design

Event proceeds can't pay the School's general operating costs, payroll, or debt, can't be mixed with other fundraisers, and can't benefit any board member, volunteer, or specific family.

Tuition Assistance, Fairly Awarded

The committee raises it; the School's financial-aid process awards it. No volunteer picks recipients, and gifts can't be earmarked for a named student or family.

Open Books

We budget event costs at or below 30% of what an event raises and publish the actual figure in each post-event report. That report, our annual report, and our Form 990 are available on request.

Your receipt. Every receipt shows the value of anything you received, such as a meal, a ticket, or an auction item, and the tax-deductible part of your payment. Raffle and wine-pull purchases are not deductible. Please check with your tax advisor.

Give with confidence

Be Part of It

3 Oaks Academy, Inc. is a Florida nonprofit and a registered 501(c)(3) public charity, EIN 83-1547506. You can confirm our status on the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search.

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