The PTS Annual Fund takes place every year from July 1st to June 30th (Fiscal Year), and is the number one annual fundraising priority for our School. Thanks to the generosity of our parents, alumni, grandparents, and friends, Annual Fund donations enable us to fulfill our school’s mission and expand our vision for the future. Annual Fund gifts touch every student, every faculty member, and every corner of our school. Every donation, gifts of all sizes, make it all possible.
There are many ways to contribute to Palmer Trinity. Whether you choose to support the PTS Annual Fund, make a gift to the General Endowment, support a naming opportunity on the North or South Campus, sponsor or participate in one or more of our events, volunteer with our parent organization, or customize a special philanthropic memorial gift, your support is vital to our continued success. The role philanthropy plays in our future cannot be overstated. We hope you will consider making a personal commitment to our school’s campus development efforts.
On behalf of the entire PTS community, thank you for supporting Palmer Trinity School and its mission.
Juan Gomez
Director of Development
Meet the Team
The Development Office oversees fundraising, parent volunteers and alumni relations
for Palmer Trinity School.
Frequently Asked Questions
The ideal supporter consistently donates to the Annual Fund, increasing his/her gift each year. If financial circumstances permit, a donor will consider a major contribution to the school in his/her lifetime, supporting the construction of new facilities or the general endowment. A model contributor will make a planned gift through a bequest, trust, or alternative option.
Parent participation is percentage of parents who give a gift of any size to PTS. All independent schools aim for 100% participation in the Annual Fund. High participation is a vote of confidence and a gauge of an institution’s stability. It is a sign that parents invest in their children’s welfare and support the school’s mission, even outside of tuition. This percentage can also have an impact on gifts from outside sources; most foundations consider parent participation rates before agreeing to donate funds to PTS.
Gifts in kind are donations of needed goods and services rather than money. These could be vehicles, computers, musical instruments, carpentry, printing services, or framed art. However, PTS must avoid accepting items that we are unable to make good use of, or that would cost too much to maintain or store. Also, because of the complicated rules and regulations about valuation and tax credits, you must be sure to consult with a tax expert before giving more expensive gifts-in-kind.
Restricted gifts can be spent only for a specific purpose that you designate, such as financial aid or a particular academic program. Unrestricted gifts can be spent where the school believes the need is greatest. Unrestricted giving provides the Board and the Head of School the greatest flexibility. Unrestricted giving represents the highest form of philanthropy. It helps the school most because it gives the freedom to place money, in the trusteeship of the Board, which will serve the best purpose.
As an employee benefit, more than 550 American corporations match their staff’s philanthropy. Matching gifts allow you to double or triple your gift to a school. The Development office holds the list of these companies, if interested. After confirming that your employer is indeed a matching gift corporation, obtain a matching gift form from the human resources department, fill it out, and send it to the school with your gift. The development office then submits the form to the company’s matching gift department, which sends the check directly to the school.
Endowments are crucial elements in our school's financial plan for serving present and future generations of students and supporting faculty needs and goals. Palmer Trinity School, like comparable institutions, balances the need to pay for today’s programs with the need for appreciation in the fund’s principal value, which protects and enhances the fund’s future purchasing power. The school expects interest income from endowments to pay for direct and associated costs connected with endowed activities.
- Write a check to the endowment.
- Make a bequest in your will or living trust.
- Assign title to real estate to the endowment.
- Name the endowment as a beneficiary of your life insurance.
- Establish a charitable remainder trust or other plan with lifetime income.
The tax laws make philanthropy an attractive option. In some cases, for example, a gift to PTS now can increase current income. Charitable bequests at the time of death can reduce estate taxes. Attorneys and financial professionals can help you sort out these issues.
Giving to PTS is a joyful, grateful response to the gift of education provided to you or a loved one by the School. Your gift also helps preserve the mission and vision of Palmer Trinity School and its enviable position in the greater Miami community. Additionally, the endowment provides donors with an effective way of directing their assets to the school for the benefit of future generations.
Your unflagging generosity reminds us that fundraising is at heart a joyful process that appeals to our highest instincts and enables us to be our best selves. When a volunteer, staff member, or student speaks on behalf of our school, he or she sows a seed of goodwill that ultimately yields more than gifts to the school; it grows and renews community. Contributions big and small – made by everyone who made a call, donated a gift, attended a meeting, voiced an idea, or wrote a thank-you note – all leads to our continued success.
Preguntas Frecuentes
Su donación filantrópica ayuda a la facultad y todos los empleados que hacen Palmer Trinity tan especial como es. Tanto la atención individual, la facultad extraordinaria, el ambiente tranquilo, así como las clases pequeñas nos ayudan a fomentar este ambiente positivo que disfrutamos en Palmer Trinity. Por tal razón, esta campaña es muy importante para nuestro colegio.
Si, Palmer Trinity, como la mayoría de escuelas privadas, es reconocida por el gobierno como una organización no lucrativa en Miami. El modelo de hacer dinero, como en un negocio con fines de lucro, no es la meta de manejar un colegio privado. Nuestra misión es proveer a todos los estudiantes una educación extraordinaria. Con lo cual, es costoso vivir en Miami y encontrar la facultad más preparada y dedicados a su profesión. Queremos los mejores profesores disponibles en nuestra comunidad. Muchos de ellos vienen de otros colegios prestigiosos de diferentes partes de los EEUU. Esto requiere ingresos a nuestro presupuesto, para ofrecer contratos adecuados para mantener el estilo de vida de la clase media para poder mantener sus propias familias. Así es, que esta campaña es tan importante para Palmer Trinity.
Si, Palmer Trinity se dedica a proveer una ayuda financiera a familias que tienen estudiantes sobresalientes que necesitarían recursos para asistir a nuestro colegio. Palmer Trinity es una comunidad de facultad y empleados muy especiales, quienes trabajan en conjunto a los padres y familias para ayudar a desarrollar los estudiantes a ser adultos responsables, competentes y bien educados. La expectativa de los estudiantes es que participen e contribuyen en la vida diaria del colegio y en la comunidad externa. Palmer Trinity requiere mucho de los estudiantes, para que realicen su potencial individual como erudito bajo un ambiente de amor y cariño. Es fundamental crear una comunidad de estudiantes que desean sabiduría y que desarrollan los ideales de tolerancia, integridad y responsabilidad social.
Es sumamente importante que cada familia participe en el Annual Fund de Palmer Trinity. La meta para cada clase de estudiantes es llegar al 75% de participación por familia del colegio. Cada donación, de toda cantidad, ayuda llegar a la meta. Si uno tiene tres hijos asistiendo el colegio, una donación cuenta para los tres grados. El reconocimiento de Palmer Trinity como una opción caritativa ayuda el colegio llegar a las metas financieras y simultáneamente ayuda a todos los estudiantes durante el año escolar. También, consolida nuestra estabilidad financiera como institución escolar.
