WAYS TO GIVE

What is the Annual Fund?
The Annual Fund is Gifft Hill School’s annual gift-giving campaign. It is an essential component of the GHS operating budget and vital to the continued growth and achievement of the school. The Annual Fund runs the length of the school’s fiscal year, July 1st through June 30th. The official “launch” of the Annual Fund drive takes place on November 1st; from that time through the end of the school year, parents, faculty and other supporters of GHS can expect to hear about the Annual Fund through school newsletters, emails, local media, and direct mailings.

Why support the Annual Fund?
Think of the impact you can have on one life, and then multiply that many times over.

The joy of giving to the Annual Fund is the knowledge that your contribution has the singular power to change one student's life as well as the cumulative power to strengthen and elevate the Gifft Hill School community. Your gift's potential is limitless in shaping our world.

Your contribution can be the investment that secures the future of our students. We rely on Gifft Hill School parents and grandparents, alumnae and parents of alumnae, trustees, faculty, staff and friends to help us by investing in our students through the Annual Fund. While other investments may reap monetary returns, Annual Fund investments reap returns too precious to measure in dollars and cents. We measure it in the life of a student.

Gifft Hill School needs gifts of all sizes to reach our Annual Fund goal for the 2011-2012 school year. From academics to arts to athletics-every aspect of our mission and programs is supported by the Annual Fund. Whether your gift is $5 or $50,000, every contribution directly benefits our students and teachers.

Help GHS create a brighter future for St. John by supporting…
…our students, our school, our island.

To donate you may send a check to:

Gifft Hill School
P.O. Box 1657
St. John, VI 00831

or on-line


For more information on the Annual Fund, please click here.

Capital funds enable GHS to construct new buildings and athletic facilities. Money raised for the annual fund is never used for capital projects. Over the course of the school's history, capital gifts have enabled the school to grow with our student body.

Endowment funds act as a savings account for the school and help ensure the future financial health of the institution.

One of the ways that Gifft Hill School is unique among independent schools is because we offer twice the amount of tuition assistance than the average independent school through our Scholarship Fund. To ensure that the quality education we offer is accessible to any motivated student, regardless of income, we must raise over $500,000 each year to support scholarships. Supporters of GHS and its students may sponsor students at different giving levels. In addition, all proceeds from our annual Auction benefit the Scholarship Fund. Without the Scholarship Fund, many students would be unable to attend Gifft Hill School and experience all that GHS has to offer.

Students have the opportunity to apply for Merit Scholarships in the spring; during this process, students in 3rd-12th grade are required to complete an application and write a personal essay, describing why they feel they are deserving of a scholarship based on their achievement in athletics, arts, or academics. Please view the Tuition Assistance page for more information regarding applying for merit scholarships.

Including Gifft Hill School in your family's estate plan can be beneficial to both the school and your estate as there are many tax benefits to planned giving. Examples of planned gifts are:

Securities

Appreciated Assets

Charitable Remainder Trust

Charitable Lead Trust

Retirement Account

Life Insurance

Cash

Gifft Hill School's Annual Auction is the largest fundraising event for our school each year. We rely on donations from our community as well as dozens of volunteers in order to ensure the success of the event. Please refer to the Auction page for more information, or contact the Development Office.

Volunteerism is an important part of what makes GHS special and we rely on the time and talents of parents, grandparents and community members to fill needs at our school. Please contact the Development Office if you would like to share your special talents or free time with the students of Gifft Hill School.

Gifts in kind are donations of goods or services such as computers, books, classroom resources or playground equipment. Receipts for gifts-in-kind will be issued at current market value of the good or service.


For further information on any of the above ways of giving, please contact the Gifft Hill School Development Office:

Beth Tamplin Jones, Development Director (340) 776-1730;

Molly McCullough Murrill, Assistant to the Development Director (340) 776-1730;

Angel Bolques, Development Assistant (340) 776-1730;