As an independent school without financial support from any church or denomination, Dunham operates solely on tuition and gift income. Tuition dollars are allocated to meet the basic operational needs, but we rely on the generous support of our donors and the efforts of our amazing army of volunteers to transform a great education into an extraordinary one—one that prepares students to step forward as the next generation of leaders, scholars, and compassionate Christians.
We would be delighted to work with you in structuring gift opportunities that ensure your philanthropic goals are met while best supporting the needs of the school. Dunham is a 501(c)(3), and contributions to the school are tax deductible upon compliance with the Internal Revenue Code. If you would like to speak with a member of the Advancement team regarding your gift, please contact Director of Advancement Kinch Cato at 225-315-1788.
The Annual Giving Campaign supports every element of the Dunham experience – academics, athletics, fine arts, faculty salaries, financial aid, alumni programming, and campus maintenance. The campaign takes place annually, and the funds raised are used the same year. Learn more.
Our Pillars of Purpose Capital Campaign efforts are focused on raising the $13 million needed to fully fund the $31.7 million in campus improvements that have allowed us to grow our program offerings and enabled our students to excel in all areas—academically, artistically, and athletically. Contributions may be made outright or paid in installments over a pre-determined period of time. Learn more.
Gifts to the endowment are invested permanent funds from which only a percentage of earned income is used to support mission-critical areas like faculty salaries and need-based scholarships. Named endowments can be established with a minimum threshold gift of $25,000 payable over five years while gifts of lesser amounts can be made to the school’s general endowment or an established named fund. Learn more.
Project fundraisers, such as Jubilee and Carnival, take place each year and provide funding for special projects and support the academic, fine arts, and athletic programs in all three divisions of the school.
Paw Perks is a corporate rewards program supported by a number of companies, including Amazon, Box Tops for Education, Coca-Cola, and Community Coffee, that allows anyone to make a contribution to Dunham simply by shopping. Complete information about our Paw Perks program can be found here.
The Dunham School is blessed by a strong, vibrant volunteer community that gives of their time and talent in meaningful ways to support our school, students, faculty and staff, and each other. There are a number of ways for parents, grandparents, alumni, and other friends of the school to get involved through one or more of our volunteer organizations. Learn more.
We are excited to announce the launch of the Tiger Mascot debit card, made possible through a corporate partnership with Neighbors Federal Credit Union. For each card issued, Neighbors will donate money back to Dunham, making this a perpetual fundraiser that will benefit all areas of the school. Learn more.
Outright gifts can be made in a single installment or through a pledge to be fulfilled over a period of time. Cash, check, bank draft, or credit card (Mastercard, Visa, American Express, Discover) are accepted.
A gift of appreciated securities entitles the donor to an income tax charitable deduction for the fair market value of the securities. These gifts are usually transfers of securities, including mutual fund shares that have been held for more than a year. Such transfers often allow contributors to realize a significant tax advantage.
There are a variety of planned giving opportunities that fit particular, personal circumstances including Trust Remainder Gifts, Trust-Income Interest Gifts, Gifts of Real Estate or Tangible Property, Bequests, Gifts of Life Insurance or Donation of Retirement Plans.
As you consider your end-of-the-year giving, the following documents may be helpful and explain how to best capitalize on the new tax reforms, the benefits of appreciated stock gifts, and how your gifts to technology may have a specified tax credit. If you have any questions about end-of-the-year giving, please contact Kinch Cato.
Corporate matching gift programs help employees maximize their philanthropic contributions, and a number of companies will even match gifts by retirees and/or spouses. Such gifts are a great opportunity to double or even triple the amount of your contribution to Dunham. To find out if your company will match your gift, use the search feature below. Contact your company's human resources office to confirm that your gift will be matched and obtain a gift form.
