McGehee School | Ways of Giving

Adelaide Wisdom Benjamin ‘50

I can never repay all that McGehee School has given me—but I’m going to keep trying.

Ways of Giving

The gift of a superb education. The gift of lifelong friendship. The gift of leadership. Your financial support of Louise S. McGehee School allows us to give our girls the tools they need to become the next generation of McGehee Leading Women. Adelaide knows that to give back to McGehee is also to give forward, to this generation of McGehee School and the ones that follow in our second century.

The McGehee Family is very proud of the depth of our community’s support for our school. 100% of the Board of Trustees, 100% of the Faculty and Staff, 94% of our parents and over 40% of our 2,400 contactable alumnae make Annual Gifts. Charitable foundations look to levels of support as a sign of the school’s strength, and McGehee is in the top 3% of schools our size in the country by these criteria.

Donations from all members of the McGehee Community – alumnae, parents, grandparents, faculty, staff and friends – support the academic and programmatic needs of McGehee via charitable contributions.

List of 8 items.

Capital Campaigns
- Conducted periodically to provide significant funds for growth such as endowment, construction/renovation or extensive equipment purchases.
- Contributions are generally pledged over 3 – 5 years.
- Contributions are tax deductible.
Annual Giving
- In any given year, Annual Giving provides between 7-12% of the school’s operating budget. Annual gifts bridge the gap between the actual cost of educating a McGehee student and the revenue that tuition and fees provide.
- Annual Giving underwrites every element of the McGehee experience – faculty salaries, academic and extracurricular programs, financial aid, and maintenance of the school’s historic campus.
- Pledged over the course of July 1 – June 30.
- Contributions are tax deductible.
Annual Giving Levels
- Avenue Society ($15,000+)
- Louise S. McGehee Society ($10,000 – $14,999)
- Headmistress’ Club ($5,000 – $9,999)
- Bradish Johnson Guild ($2,500 – $4,999)
- Red & Gray Club ($1,000 – $2,499)
- Gatekeepers ($500 – $999)
- Decade Club ($10 for every year since graduation)
Outright Gifts

Checks, cash, and credit card (MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover) are all used to make contributions to McGehee on an outright basis. If using a credit card, please click the Make a Gift button to the right or click here and submit the online giving form.
Secure Online Giving

To make a pledge, gift online or to make multiple, scheduled payments on your credit card click here. Should you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Cameron Lyon at clyon@mcgeheeschool.com or 504-274-4915.
Gifts of Securities

Giving appreciated stock may be an appealing way to establish your year-end gift. Stock that is worth more than you paid for it and has been owned for more than a year, generally offers exceptional tax savings. A gift of appreciated stock lets you bypass capital gains tax that could be due if you sold the asset. It also entitles you to a charitable deduction based on the property’s current value.

Giving appreciated stock is easy. It can be transferred to the Louise S. McGehee School account by providing the following transfer instructions to your broker:

Charles Schwab
DTC#0164, code 40
Further credit to account #: #5709-1059
Account Name: Louise S. McGehee School
Donor Name: [your name]
Attention: George Young, 504-525-0808
Matching Gifts

Double or triple your gift to McGehee! McGehee is an independent PK-12 school, and many corporations have matching fund programs for such institutions. Please check with the Human Resources department of your company to see if they have a matching gift program. Please click here to see if your/your spouse’s company will match your gift.
Planned Giving

To learn about all the ways you can make a planned gift to McGehee please visit our planned giving page here.

Make a Gift

Development FAQs

List of 10 frequently asked questions.

Why does McGehee need Annual Giving?

The cost of the quality education that McGehee provides each student is not completely covered by tuition. Annual Giving subsidizes tuition and helps fill the “gap” between tuition income and the actual cost of educating each girl. Annual Giving is an annual campaign whose success is dependent upon the voluntary contributions of parents, alumnae, faculty and staff, grandparents, parents of alumnae and friends. Annual Giving contributions provides between 7-12% of the operating budget.
How can I make my gift?

The easiest way to make your gift is online. Just go to the “Give” button at the bottom of any page and follow the easy directions to make a credit card donation or pledge online. We will record your pledge and bill you later. McGehee also welcomes cash, checks and we accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover.
Is my gift to Annual Giving tax deductible?

Yes
Why doesn’t the school charge full tuition?

High tuition drastically reduces the applicant pool and admissions suffer as a result. If tuition were raised to cover the cost of all programs, many families could not afford a McGehee education. This would mean a drop in enrollment, a cut back in programs, and large tuition increases to fund operations.
Who gives to McGehee?

Parental support is a clear indicator of the school’s success and Parent gifts accounted for 41% of gifts to McGehee last year. From the school’s earliest days McGehee’s own graduates have served as a bulwark of support for our mission. During fiscal year 2017-2018 Alumnae donations accounted for 45% of all gifts. The remaining 14% comes from Trustees, Grandparents, Faculty, Friends, and Matching Companies.
What does my Annual Giving gift do?

80 cents of every dollar raised goes toward faculty salaries. Education is a people-driven industry. For McGehee to give the individual attention, small class sizes and low teacher-student ratio that is at the heart of our mission, we need to attract and keep the best faculty for our girls. The remainder of your gift covers the costs of financial aid, technology, classroom materials, programs and field trips, athletic equipment and transport and the many costs associated with the maintenance of a uniquely beautiful historic campus.
How much should I give?

At McGehee we believe that ‘a rising tide lifts all boats’ and our focus on increased participation has seen the dollar amount raised grow too. Parent, alumna, faculty member, trustee, grandparent or friend, we encourage everyone to give at the level which is best for them and their family - but we ask that all constituencies give something. Annual Giving gifts range from $10 to $60,000 and gifts at any amount are gratefully received. This year the gap between tuition and actual cost of educating each girl is $2,500.
Can I donate securities to McGehee?

Yes. McGehee has an account with Charles Schwab, Acct No. 5709-1059, DTC No. 0164, Code 40. Our Tax ID No. is 72-0408943.
Does McGehee qualify for a matching gift program?

Yes. McGehee is an independent PK-12 school, and many corporations have matching fund programs for such institutions. Please check with the Human Resources department of your company to see if they have a matching gift program. Please click here to see if your/your spouse’s company will match your gift.
Do foundations and corporations look at Annual Giving figures?

Yes. Foundation and corporations look at participation figures from parents, faculty and alumnae when McGehee approaches them with grant proposals. High participation from the school family sends a strong message about the McGehee community to foundations and corporations. McGehee's exceptional participation across all constituencies is a sign of the depth and breadth of support our school inspires.