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The Alumni Association is continuously raising money for ELS Plovdiv's
programs, projects, renovations and other school and students' needs. We
are grateful to the donors whose generosity enables us to provide support,
express appreciation and empower students on a daily basis.
It is our
policy to honor donors by respecting their wishes with regard to anonymity
or public acknowledgment of their gift. It is also our goal to honor our
donors in an equitable and appropriate way, based on the size of a gift,
by publicizing their involvement through press releases, articles in our
newsletters, mention on our web site, recognition in the donor listings in
ELS Plovdiv building and in many other ways. It is our ultimate goal to
ensure that contributors' money goes to exactly the same target for which
it was donated.
Your support for the Association and ELS Plovdiv’s programs and action
items is not only appreciated; it’s essential. With it, we help our
students' potential grow. What could be more important?
You can help build our legacy. When the ELS Plovdiv community gains true
equality within our lifetimes, you’ll know you played an important part.
Besides leaving a legacy for current students to follow, you also are
setting the trend for the future. At some point in your life, someone lent
you a helping hand. There are students who need that help now. Your gift
will help them to succeed and in turn help others in their own time.
Additionally, a gift to your alma mater has tax benefits (read below).
Why donate?
By donating to the Association you are eligible for a deduction on your
itemized federal return for the full amount of your contribution. In other
words, the money that you owe the government will be redirected to help
something that you care about. After all, if you are going to donate to
charity it only makes sense to choose the one that matters to you.
How to take a deduction for my donation?
To claim a deduction, you will need to fill out a 1040 Form, which is
available through the IRS website, and itemize your deductions on Schedule
A. If you use the short tax form or take standard deductions, you cannot
claim your contributions. Let us know if you need more information and we
will be happy to help.
If we exclude the monetary benefits, why give to ELS Plovdiv?
 Because you can make a difference and it just makes sense.
Whether you fund a student scholarship, an individual program, a small
action item, or the alumni Association, your money will make a difference
and leave your mark on the school.
Investing in the School allows you to
take part in something you love, it gives you some ownership of your alma
mater, and it helps create strong connections to it.
You can donate to indicate your approval of what the Association is doing.
Because by contributing you support and express your appreciation to the
School.
To be a Patron of the ELS Plovdiv
Because your tax deductible donation enhances our ability to:
 - Contribute financially to ELS Plovdiv,
- Help ELS Plovdiv achieve its short and long term goals,
- Counsel student and parents and direct them to resources for higher
degree education after school,
- Provide teachers with information on the latest trends and strategies
related to the classroom,
- Help the less fortunate. If you have been blessed, making a decision
to donate to charity can help you give a
little back,
- to encourage others to give.
Who donates?
For now 100% of our funding comes from the individual contributions of our
more than ??? members. ELS Plovdiv supporters come from every U.S. state,
Puerto Rico, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and elsewhere. They are
doctors and plumbers, politicians and blue-color workers, college students
and grandmothers, police officers and flight attendants. ???[graph]
How does the Association use the donations?
The Association spends 90% of its budget on covering the funds needed for
the school's action items. 10% of your donations go towards the
operational costs of the Association. That's before PayPal fees, by the
way. We absorb their costs on the back end.
How does donation work exactly?
Let's assume that you want to donate $25 for an open action item, which
happens to be for example a new computer for the secretary's office. After
clicking on the corresponding
button, you are taken to PayPal's website to complete the transaction. If
you do not have a PayPal account, you can easily open one at that time.
Making donations with PayPal is quick, easy and secure. PayPal’s world-class
security systems help protect customer information.
PayPal charges a transaction fee of 1.9% - 2.9% +
$0.30 USD of the total donation, or in our case $24.20 are being transferred
to Association's account. 90% of this ($22.50) go directly towards the
target amount of the action item. 10% go towards the operational costs of
the Association. We absorb the $0.80 PayPal fee on
the backend. After the transaction is complete, both parties receive payment
confirmation via email. We then add your contribution to our database and
the total % of collected donations for the action item, as shown on our
website, grows.
We keep track of all your donation throughout the year and at the end of the
year, upon request, we will issue an official statement which you can
include with your tax forms to claim the tax benefits for your donations.
If you have any questions about your donation, the donation procedures, or
any special requests for recognition, please do not hesitate to
contact us.
What projects is the Association currently pursuing?
We all our projects 'action items'. For a full list of the action items,
please click here.
How to donate?
Our preferred way of donations is online. We use PayPal as our financial
broker in conducting all transactions. Simply
use the
buttons on the corresponding action items to make your donation.
If you prefer, you can also make your donation by mail. Simply print
out this donation form and send it along with a check for the contribution amount
to the following address:
419 Lafayette Street, 3rd Floor New York, NY 10003 USA
At this time we only accept monetary donations.
Where to donate?
Here.
What other ways are there to contribute?
You may notice a few ads here and there on the site. Those things help us
create additional revenue and generate a source of income to the school
and the alumni association. They also allow is to keep this website
afloat.
Donations for the Association?
The response to the fact that all donated money to the action items go
directly to the school has been great, but many of you have asked the same
question: How can I donate just to the staff of the Alumni Association?
It's as easy as filling out this donation form. All contributions that
come through it will be used solely for the Association needs.
Matching Gifts
Double or even triple your gift's impact on the School! More than one
thousand companies throughout the world offer some level of corporate
match for their employees' philanthropic interests. You will be recognized
for the full amount of your own gift plus any resulting corporate match.
Contact your company's personnel or human resources office to find out if
your employer, or your spouse's employer, has a matching gift program.
Questions?
Please feel free to contact us.
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