How much do you donate to your school’s annual fund every year?

[Anonymous]

HHI around 300-350k, we give 5k per year plus smaller amounts for the annual fundraiser.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HHI around 300-350k, we give 5k per year plus smaller amounts for the annual fundraiser.

That seems excessive relative to your income level, especially if you’re full pay and don’t have grandparents paying for you.

[Anonymous]

We used to give $5k per kid - our kids’ “gap” plus cover the gap for an additional kid. But our income took a big hit (from 7 figures to $400k with three kids full pay)so going forward we will likely drop to $1-2k per kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These numbers are high, OP. The schools publish a book of annual fund donations and the vast majority are smaller donations. We used to give $5-10k and eventually aligned our philanthropy to organizations we connected more with. Now we give $100 to the school so they have their participation numbers. If you’re budgeting, budget $100 and be done with it. Nobody will care either way!

Wait, what? Is this all schools? They don’t list by name of donor, right?!
New private parent, who has now found one more thing to worry about.

I think it is fairly standard, and yes they list the donor names. But you can donate anonymously, and I promise you nobody is judging where you are in the book if you don’t donate anonymously. Don’t spend a minute worrying about it!

The book is normally published in tiers similar to the ballet or theaters. We have HHI ~600k, 2 kids, full pay. We donate 2k per kid and our company does a 2x match, so the total is 12k (6k per kid). We donate completely anonymously. I would cringe if I ever saw my name next to a charity donation amount. For me it defeats the purpose and caters to the flashy types, which am not. Everyone looks, but no one really cares. The large donors who want a little flash can get the kudos they need to feel good about themselves.

[Anonymous]

$5k.

[Anonymous]

The numbers here see high based on what I see in our schools annual report. We give $1k for two full pay with HHI $300k. We have resources outside of our HHI to help with tuition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The numbers here see high based on what I see in our schools annual report. We give $1k for two full pay with HHI $300k. We have resources outside of our HHI to help with tuition.

High? Maybe. Depends on the school. Some schools publish the report online too. (Through the parent portal, for sure, but maybe also to the public, if anyone is inclined to find the true amounts). That would give you a reasonable spread. Most families (at our school) fit in the buckets between 1k and 3k. Many grandparents donate in the hundreds from what I see.

[Anonymous]

$300 plus volunteer a lot

Moderate single income family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These numbers are high, OP. The schools publish a book of annual fund donations and the vast majority are smaller donations. We used to give $5-10k and eventually aligned our philanthropy to organizations we connected more with. Now we give $100 to the school so they have their participation numbers. If you’re budgeting, budget $100 and be done with it. Nobody will care either way!

Yes, this. Unless you are really emotionally invested in the school or it's mission, save the big bucks for something else that matters more. Also, if you donate a lot they will target you for additional asks throughout the year. And even if you don't donate a lot, depending on how experienced their fundraiser is, or what kind of financial strife they are having from COVID, they may reach out for donations multiple times during the year. We regretted being generous in the beginning with our kids small private. They just kept asking for more. I don't think their fundraiser understood that many families budgeted a certain amount and by making multiple asks all she was doing was annoying people, not getting more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We pay full tuition ($48k or so this year) and donate about $250 on a $400k income. My kid is at or near the top of the class academically (straight As at a Big3 high school) and is a top athlete. he/she earns his keep for the school.

The school is there because other - generous - people donated long before your gift to the school/superior child ever attended. Your family is benefitting from all of those donations. Since you have the ability, return the favor. Then you can boast about the great school your child went to for the rest of your life.

[Anonymous]

$10k