Support St. John's

Ways to Give

List of 7 items.

Make a Gift Online or by Mail

The easiest way to make your gift may be using our online giving form.

If you wish to make your gift by mail, please make checks payable to St. John’s School and send to the following address. Please designate the intent of your gift in the MEMO line on your check.

Advancement Office
St. John’s School
2401 Claremont Ln.
Houston, TX 77019

If you need further information, please email advancement@sjs.org.
Make a Gift of Appreciated Stock
Thank you for considering a gift of stock in support of St. John’s School. It is almost always to your advantage to contribute long-term appreciated shares directly to St. John’s, rather than selling them and donating the proceeds of the sale. Why?
- You may be able to claim the full market value of donated shares as charitable deduction on your income tax.
- You may be able to avoid paying capital gains tax on the increase in the value of your shares given to St. John’s.
To make a gift of stock, please email advancement@sjs.org for further instructions.
Make a Gift via Wire Transfer/ACH

Donors may wish to make a gift to St. John’s School via electronic transfer, which may be especially convenient for international donors.

If you would like to make a gift via an electronic transfer, please contact advancement@sjs.org for detailed instructions.

To ensure proper and timely credit of your gift, please send a copy of the wire transfer instructions to us at advancement@sjs.org with the following information:
• Date St. John’s should expect the wire
• Dollar amount
• Sending organization
• Intended fund (i.e., St. John’s Fund, Mark J. Desjardins Student Assistance Fund, Endowment, Capital Campaign)
Make an Honorary or Memorial Gift

You may make a gift to St. John’s School in honor or in memory of an individual. Honor/Memoriam gifts may be made through the St. John’s Fund, restricted to an existing fund, or designated as unrestricted. All unrestricted honor/memoriam gifts will be designated as general operating income.

Honor/memoriam gifts will be recognized in the “Honor/Memory” section of the Report on Giving reflecting the fiscal year in which the gift was made. Additionally, the family of the memorialized or the individual being honored will receive notification from the Advancement Office that a gift was made in their memory/honor. Please include the name of the honoree so that we may notify them.

The School receives numerous requests to honor/memorialize individuals through physical gifts of items such as benches and trees. While these are thoughtful and generous proposals, the School’s campus simply cannot accommodate the volume of requests received. Alternatively, the School asks that those individuals who wish to restrict their honor/memorial gifts to a specific purpose do so by directing gifts to existing funds within the School. To see a comprehensive list of existing Funds, please click here.

While monetary gifts of any size can be contributed toward an established fund, new endowment funds may be established and named with a minimum gift of $50,000.
IRA Charitable Rollover
Individuals who are 70 ½ or older can make a qualified charitable deduction (QCD) of up to $105,000 each year from their individual retirement account (IRA), while avoiding paying income tax on their distribution. For married couples, each spouse can make up to a $105,000 QCD for a potential total of $210,000. Some benefits may include:
- Reducing taxable income while supporting a qualified charity of your choice.
- Reducing your IRA balance thus reducing required distribution minimums in the future.
- Potentially being able to make a larger one-time gift than one could with other appreciated assets.
For further instructions on how to make a Qualified Minimum Distribution to St. John’s School from your IRA, please click here.
Donor-Advised Funds

Donor-advised funds (DAFs) are charitable savings accounts managed by third-party institutions that enable you to claim immediate tax benefits as you consider the timing and impact of grants you request from the fund to support charitable organizations you care about. When submitting a gift from your DAF, we’d appreciate it if you could include “Where it is needed most” as the gift designation. For more information about making a grant from your DAF to support St. John’s, please contact advancement@sjs.org.
Become a Member of The Chidsey Society

St. John’s community members who make planned gifts and communicate such gifts to St. John’s School become members of The Chidsey Society in honor of founding Headmaster Alan Lake Chidsey. Planned gifts can take many forms including bequests, partial or full life insurance beneficiary designation, charitable remainder trusts, lead trusts, income-producing assets, IRAs, and more.

If you are interested in learning more about planned giving vehicles, or if you have already included St. John’s School in your plans, please contact Director of Advancement Dawsey Romero at dromero@sjs.org.

Give a Gift Today

Giving FAQ

List of 8 frequently asked questions.

Q. Can I Make a Pledge?

Yes. In order to book a pledge, the School must have written confirmation of the amount you plan to give. Pledges can be made online, or by contacting the Advancement office at Advancement@sjs.org. St. John's Fund pledges must be fulfilled by June 30 in order to be credited for the current school year.
Q. How Do I Make Sure I Am Counted For "Participation"?

St. John’s measures donor participation based on St. John's Fund giving only. One gift counts for all of the various constituencies a person may have within the School. So, an alumna from the Class of 1987 who also has two children attending St. John’s in the Classes of 2019 and 2024 would make only one St. John's Fund gift to boost participation for the Classes of 1987, 2019, and 2024.

To receive participation credit for this school year, gifts must be received by June 30.
Q. Is My Gift Tax Deductible?

St. John’s is a 501(c)(3) institution. Monetary gifts made to the School and receipted through the Advancement Office are tax deductible. However, gifts of “in-kind” services (i.e., professional services such as accounting, architectural, medical or legal, etc., for which the School would otherwise have had to pay a professional fee) are not tax deductible but will be recognized at the level the gift relieves the School of actual expenses, as determined in accordance with the provisions of the Gift Acceptance Policy.

To the extent the Advancement Office has been notified or is aware of a gift of service, such gift of service will be recognized in the “Gifts in Kind” section of the Report on Giving.
Q. Where Does My Gift Go?

As the philanthropic priority of the School, St. John's Fund gifts supply roughly 10% of the School’s annual operating budget. A gift is distributed roughly according to the way the SJS budget breaks down, with the vast majority going to faculty salaries. Other large items of support include financial aid, facility maintenance, curricular and program enhancements, and technology upgrades.
Q. Can I Give to Restricted Funds, Such as Academics, Arts, or Athletics?

If you have an interest in making a restricted gift for capital, endowment, or specific program support, please contact Director of Advancement Dawsey Romero at 713-850-4037 or by email at dromero@sjs.org for more information. All official fundraising appeals supported by St. John’s are required to be coordinated with Advancement and approved by the Head of School and the Advancement Committee of the Board of Trustees.
Q. Do Foundations Support St. John's?

Yes. Some of St. John’s most generous support comes from charitable foundations in Houston and around the country. If you are connected with a charitable foundation that you think would be interested in supporting St. John’s, please contact Director of Advancement Dawsey Romero at 713-850-4037 or by email at dromero@sjs.org.
Q. Does St. John's Host a Gala?

No. Out of respect for our donors’ time, and in order to keep fundraising activities properly focused within the context of school life, St. John’s does not typically hold fundraising events of any kind. Most families express appreciation for this unique, donor-centered approach.

Instead, St. John's primary fundraising request is for the St. John's Fund. The success of the Fund allows St. John's to focus on this yearly program and eliminate the need for multiple appeals throughout the school year. The St. John's Fund is composed of unrestricted contributions. These funds represent approximately 8% of the annual operating budget and help provide the measure of difference in the St. John's education. Unrestricted gifts to the Fund can be made in honor or memory of others.
Q. How Do I Volunteer?

St. John’s enjoys a long and proud tradition of extraordinary support. Year in and year out, parents give generously of their time and resources to advance the School’s mission.

The St. John’s Fund is the focal point of yearly, ongoing fundraising for the School. There are numerous and wide-ranging opportunities for involvement in this program. Please contact Director of Annual Giving Stephanie Crowl at 713-850-4028 if you have interest in becoming involved.

We thank you for your interest in volunteering and giving to St. John’s School. We encourage a culture of philanthropy and appreciate your assistance in maintaining an organized and cohesive program that supports the best interests of St. John’s.

Recurring and Matching Gifts

Recurring and Matching Gifts enable donors to give more in a convenient way.

Recurring Gifts

There are two ways to set up a monthly installment plan:

Go to the Give Online page and select the "recurring monthly" gift option.
Establish St. John’s as a monthly “payee” through online bill-pay with your banking institution.

Matching Gifts

Corporate matching gifts are a great way for St. John’s alumni, parents, and friends to maximize personal contributions and increase the impact of their gift. By taking advantage of a company’s matching gift benefit, you may be able to double or even triple your impact to St. John’s! Ask your employer if they match educational institutions, or you can also visit our website here to see if your employer is already listed as a matching donor.