Giving
Donate to Meridian School online through Firstgiving – click link at left.
Meridian School is a non-profit corporation and qualifies under paragraph 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code as a charitable organization. Meridian School charges tuition and fees and raises additional funds to operate. Public monies or religious subsidies do not support Meridian School. Thus, Meridian’s fundraising efforts are very important to the school’s financial health. We invite the community to give generously to school fundraising activities.
Fundraising Programs Meridian Participates In:
SchoolMall.com – Shop through this store at hundreds of online stores with some offering up to 40% of the purchase back to the school. Sample of stores: Barnes & Noble, Eddie Bauer, Buckle, Best Buy, CompUSA, ToysRUs, Mrs. Field’s, Walgreen’s, Cabela’s, UnderArmour, Southwest Airlines.
Target: Take Charge of Education : Shop at Target using a Target REDcard, VISA or check card, and 1% of the purchase is given to the school. Last year, the 9 Meridian families enrolled in this program earned $400 for the school.
Smith’s Earn & Learn: Help Meridian raise money by participating in the Smith’s Earn and Learn Program! It’s easy, doesn’t cost you anything, and can be done while doing your regular grocery shopping. Click here to download the Earn and Learn letter for Meridian, scan the barcode on the letter and your Fresh Values card at any Smith’s.
Box Tops Marketplace: Shop online through this site at multiple stores with a percentage of your purchase being donated to Meridian. Similar to SchoolMall. www.btfe.com/marketplace
Cell phone recycling – receptacle at school
Green Fiber Paper Recycling – recycle bin at school
Rocky Mountain Coolkeeper
5K Fun Run
Fall is a great time for a run and the 5K Fun Run has become a much-loved tradition at Meridian. Students recruit sponsors to achieve fundraising goals and then gather for a cross-country run.
Spring Gala
In the spring, the Meridian community gathers for an evening of fine cuisine, exciting entertainment, and energetic live and silent auctions, all as a benefit for Meridian School. The semi-formal event is catered by our business sponsor, Culinary Crafts, who provide a delectable array of dishes to delight event the most discriminating palette. Entertainers hired from the local Utah community have included magician, Brian “B†South, musician Jacob Luttrell, and song and dance performer Jason Hewlett. Meridian classes and parents and local businesses donate items that are bid on as part of the silent auction, while professional auctioneer and Meridian parent Kevin Gallagher leads a fun-filled live auction. The Gala is a much-loved and successful Meridian event.
Annual Giving Campaign
Each fall, Meridian conducts an Annual Giving Campaign among its current families, faculty and staff, and alumni. Annual Giving is an important part of the financial picture of Meridian School. Using the Annual Giving Campaign to pay for improvements and programs allows the school and its families to make significant improvements to the school through tax-deductible donations rather than having to raise tuition. It also helps keep Meridian School tuition lower than other independent schools in the area and across the country.
As we seek financial support from foundations and corporations, we are required to report the percent of parent participation in Annual Giving donations. Having a large percentage of participation indicates that our families believe in what we are doing. These foundations and corporations are more likely to contribute when they know our school community is doing their part. Each family’s participation, regardless of the amount, will help Meridian School obtain additional support from other sources. Overall, our students are the real winners in the Annual Giving Campaign. Donations directly and indirectly benefit every program on campus.
Ways To Give
Gifts of Cash
You can make your donation by writing us a check for the desired amount, by setting up an Electronic Funds Transfer each month from your checking account, or by charging your gift on your debit or credit card. Gifts of cash are fully deductible*–up to 50% of your adjusted gross income.
Corporate Matching Gifts
As an employee benefit, many companies match the gifts given by their employees to charitable causes. The total amount that companies donate usually depends on the amount of the contribution by the donors and the number of total donors from the school. Please take the time to check with your company to find out more about their matching gift program or please contact the school office for assistance.
Gifts of Stocks, Bonds, and Mutual Funds
Gifting securities is often a more advantageous way for families to make a donation to the Annual Giving Campaign. A gift of appreciated securities can offer families two major tax benefits. First, they avoid paying capital gains tax on the increase in the value of the security. Second, they are allowed to deduct* the full fair market value of the security at the time of the gift.
Example: If you purchased some stock many years ago for $1,000, and it is now worth $10,000, an outright gift of stock to Meridian School would result in a charitable contribution of $10,000. In addition, there is no tax on the $9,000 appreciation in value.
Generally, gifts of appreciated stock are fully deductible up to a maximum of 30% of your adjusted gross income. Please consult your tax advisor for more information.
