Berkshire Country Day School relies on the philanthropic support of its community. Without the support of parents of current and past students, grandparents, faculty, alumni and friends, BCD would not be able to fulfill its mission to inspire the individual promise of every student, that each may become an exemplary citizen of the world.
As a donor, you may support current students and faculty by making a gift to the Annual Fund. Or, you may make an investment in the future of BCD by making a donation to facilities or endowment.
Use our simple and secure online form to make an online donation to the Annual Fund. By donating to this fundraising effort, you are supporting every moment of our current students’ educations.
The Annual Fund
The significance to the Annual Fund to School’s success cannot be understated. As with all independent schools and universities, the Annual Fund provides critical support of the School’s yearly operating budget. Currently tuition covers approximately 90% of the required revenue to sustain the school. BCD relies on the Annual Fund along with endowment income and auxiliary income to bridge that gap.
Gifts to the Annual Fund are unrestricted and directly benefit the operating budget, which fulfills the daily and essential needs of our students and faculty. In supporting these day-to-day expenses, the Annual Fund is supporting every moment of a BCD education. In particular, the Annual Fund support those moments that couldn’t happen at many other schools – the kindergarten explaining to other visitors at the butterfly museum the details of a butterfly’s anatomy, a ninth grader understanding French and Spanish on their school trip to Europe, a fourth grader debating with his grandfather about the causes of the Civil War. These special moments are not essential to an education, but they are central to the BCD experience.
Designated Gifts
Berkshire Country Day School is proud to be a gift-supported school. Designated Gifts support programming and areas of need, and help to build BCD’s endowment for the generations of students to come.
There are many ways to make a Designated Gift to BCD or to one of its endowments. These include gifts of cash, tangible personal property, securities, and bequests.
For more information and to make a gift, please contact Berkshire Country Day School’s Office of Development.
Brook Farm Society
The Brook Farm Society recognizes those families and individuals who have made a legacy gift to the School through a bequest in their will or some other type of planned gift. By including BCD in their estate planning today, Brook Farm Society members ensure a strong and sustainable financial future for the School.
To become a member of the Brook Farm Society, please contact the Amy Elmore to let her know that you have remembered BCD in your estate plans.
Below is an overview of the types of vehicles that may be used to make a planned gift to BCD. Please consult your financial adviser for advice on what type of gift would work best for you and your family.
Bequests
Bequests are perhaps the best-known and most widely understood planned gift arrangement. A gift done through one’s will is a classic way to express one’s dedication to Berkshire Country Day School. Such a gift is simple to arrange, satisfying to complete and beneficial to BCD.
Types of Bequests
• Unrestricted Bequests: Used for general purposes, this type of bequest is especially appreciated because it can be put to immediate use in the areas of greatest need at the School.
• Restricted Bequests: This is a bequest that instructs Berkshire Country Day School to use the gift in a specific manner.
Both restricted and unrestricted bequests are made in the following ways:
• Specific Bequest: A specific asset or collection of assets in the form of cash, securities, or other property is bequeathed to the School. You may designate a specific amount or a percentage of the property.
• Residuary Bequest: You may bequest all or a percentage of what remains of your estate after all specific legacies have been satisfied and debts and expenses have been paid.
• Contingent Bequest: If a named beneficiary is not alive when you die, all or a portion of your estate in the event will go to Berkshire Country Day School. This type of bequest can avoid costly litigation or prevent property from reverting to the state for lack of heirs.
Gifts of Real Estate
A primary or vacation residence or other property may be used to fund a charitable gift. Donors may choose to continue to live in a house or to give a home outright. Investment property may be gifted as well.
Gifts of Life Insurance
Many people own outdated or unneeded life insurance policies. One’s circumstances may change: children leave home, a couple moves to a smaller home, or an individual receives an inheritance. Consider donating an unneeded insurance policy to Berkshire Country Day School and receive a charitable tax deduction while you are making a special gift.