Give to Black Pine Circle School View the BPC Guide to Partnership & Giving > The Annual Fund benefits every student in every classroom. As with most independent schools, Black Pine Circle seeks donations from families and the broader school community to help close the gap between the cost of tuition and the full cost of a Black Pine Circle School education. Annual Fund dollars allow us to invest more in tuition assistance, our faculty, our facilities, enrichment activities, and other critical areas. It also allows us to keep tuition lower overall. Our Request to You We ask all families to contribute at a level that is meaningful to them, reflects their desire for a thriving school community, and is in keeping with their circumstances. Every gift, no matter the size, has an immediate impact and is deeply appreciated. 100% Participation Broad support for the Annual Fund is an important barometer of community engagement at a school and is something to celebrate! It sends an important message to major donors, foundations, teachers, and one another: that we are all committed to BPC and its mission. In recent years, we have achieved 100% participation from faculty, the board, staff and Parent Circle, and have been steadily approaching full participation in the parent body. Leadership and Major Donors BPC relies on the support, leadership, and loyalty of major donors to achieve its financial goals. We define major donors as households who contribute a minimum of $1,000 annually, and leadership donors who contribute $5,000 or more. The school encourages families who can make a gift at the major donor level or higher to do so. Each fall, the board of directors hosts a party to acknowledge major donors. Jump to FAQs Join one of the Black Pine Circles! Our community appreciates philosophy and philosophers, and with that in mind, our support circles are named after some of these world-changing question-posers. Give Now Socrates Circle "Be as you wish to seem." gifts of $25,000 and up Athena Circle "all I have I give free on low-bended knee." (from poem by Alfred Berggren) gifts between $10,000 - $24,999 Plato Circle “Good actions bring strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others.” gifts between $5,000 - $9,999 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Circle “If I cannot do great things, I will do small things in a great way.” gifts between $2,500 - $4,999 Lao Tzu Circle “Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.” gifts between $1,000 - $2,499 Sojourner Truth “I will shake every place I go to.” gifts of $500 - $999 Aristotle Circle “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” gifts up to $499 Give Now Frequently Asked Questions What is the Annual Fund Campaign? Collapse The Annual Fund is BPC’s top giving priority. It exists to augment tuition and other sources of revenue. Charitable donations are an important part of BPC’s budget. Annual Fund dollars go to the General Fund and are dedicated every year to the highest and best use determined by the board of directors. What does my donation make possible? Expand Thriving Annual Fund performance allows BPC to invest more in financial assistance awards, our faculty, our facilities, enrichment activities, and other critical areas. The more resources we have, the more we can invest in things that ultimately benefit our students. A robust Annual Fund also helps lower tuition for all. When does the Annual Fund Campaign occur? Expand The Annual Fund Campaign commences each fall and concludes on June 30 of the following year. Families can expect to receive one or more written appeals for support in the fall, and additional appeals in the spring as needed. Who is asked to contribute? Expand Because the Annual Fund touches every student, we ask every family to give every year. We also ask every member of the board of directors, and invite faculty and staff, alumni, alumni families, grandparents and other friends and family members, local businesses, and foundations to make contributions as they can. What is a Major Donor? A Leadership Donor? Expand BPC relies on the support and loyalty of all its donors to achieve its financial goals. We define entry level “Major Donors” as households who contribute a minimum of $1,000 annually. Donors who contribute a minimum of $5,000 annually are considered “Leadership Donors.” The school encourages all families who can make a gift of $1,000 or higher to do so, and typically recognizes those who do with a party in the fall, and in other ways. How much should my family give? Expand Only you can answer this question. We ask families to make BPC their charity of choice while their children are attending. We suggest families contribute at a level that is meaningful to them, reflects their belief in BPC’s mission, and is in keeping with their circumstances. Is my gift tax-deductible? Expand Yes. Gifts to the Annual Fund are deductible to the extent allowed by law. BPC is a certified 501(c)3 nonprofit. Our Federal Tax ID is 94-1700228. Do you accept matching gifts from employers? Expand As part of their own community investment efforts, many companies match charitable donations made by their employees. If available, this is a very effective way to double and sometimes triple the impact of a donation. BPC has benefited greatly in recent years from employer matching contributions. Inquire at your company to see if this benefit is available. Contact Director of Development John Ormsby at jo*****@bl*************.org with any questions, for assistance with any paperwork, or for online verification. Do purchases at the Spring Soiree Fundraiser count toward participation? Expand Spring Soirée ticket sales and auction purchases do not count toward participation in the Annual Fund Campaign. However, the “Raise the Paddle” portion of the live auction goes directly to the Annual Fund and is counted as—or as part of—your family’s gift. How do I make my gift? Expand Gifts are typically made by check, credit card, bank, and stock transfers. Checks may be mailed to the school or dropped in either of the lower or upper school offices. Credit card payments may be made at blackpinecircle.org/donate or by contacting the Development or Business Offices. Please contact John Ormsby at jo*****@bl*************.org to arrange for a gift of securities or enable a wire transfer. What about gifts of marketable securities? Expand A gift of appreciated securities is frequently the most economic way to give. You will be eligible to take a federal income tax deduction equal to the fair market value of the stock* on the date of the gift (for up to thirty percent of your adjusted gross income) and will not have to recognize the appreciation of the stock as capital gain. You may obtain details on the transfer of securities by contacting John Ormsby at jo*****@bl*************.org What about bequests? Expand Black Pine Circle School greatly encourages and appreciates future gifts made through one’s estate plan. Providing a provision in your will for Black Pine Circle School will benefit future generations of students. To learn more, please contact John Ormsby at jo*****@bl*************.org Can I offer or take advantage of a challenge match? Expand At times, donors have offered the school larger gifts, with the goal of stimulating higher giving overall from the broader community. The availability and timing of such matching gifts is uncertain year to year. The school endeavors to announce any such gift as early as possible in the school year, so families can plan their giving accordingly. If you would like to discuss making a matching gift yourself, please contact John Ormsby at jo*****@bl*************.org Does the school ever conduct capital campaigns? Expand Yes. Occasional capital campaigns provide additional funds for major campus improvements. Past campaigns have made possible the renovation of the Fine Arts and Drama building (FAD), the construction of the Founders’ Building (library), the addition of the climbing wall, the purchase of the Addison Street property, and most recently the Q Lab: A Space for Science & Inquiry. We have no campaigns under consideration at this time. Learn about other ways to get involved