How to Plan Your Giving
There are many different ways to make a gift to the school, and all gifts make a positive impact on our students and teachers. Our Guide to Philanthropy provides information about the many giving opportunities at Harker. The following are options you may wish to consider when making your gift.
Where to Direct Your Gift
There are a several different fundraising areas which benefit our students. We ask our community to make their primary gift each year to annual giving, which helps to fund annual operations. After making a gift to annual giving, donors may choose to support the school through one of our yearly event fundraisers, the picnic or the fashion show.
Longer-term gifts are also greatly appreciated. During your time at Harker, we will also ask you to consider making a capital giving gift to support the construction and upgrade of buildings and facilities to meet student needs. There are also opportunities for planned giving and endowment giving.
How to Make Your Gift
- Gifts of Securities – One of the best ways to make a gift to Harker is to donate appreciated securities. A gift of stock held more than one year entitles the donor to a charitable deduction for its full current market value, in most cases without paying the capital gains tax on the appreciation, which would be required if the securities were sold for personal gain. - Transfer of Securities Form (pdf)
- Gifts of Cash – You can participate with a gift of cash or a check (made payable to The Harker School). Please use this pledge form or mail your contribution to our development office at 500 Saratoga Ave., San Jose, CA 95129. Or you may Make Your Gift Online with a credit card.
- Wire Transfer – Gifts may also be made by directly transferring funds to our bank. - Wire Transfer Information (pdf)
- Gifts of Tangible Personal Property (In-Kind Gifts) – Donate a tangible asset that can be used by The Harker School in our student programs and you can also receive a charitable deduction equal to the asset's fair market value. - In-Kind Gift form (pdf)
- Automatic Clearing House (ACH) -
- Bequest – You may choose to include Harker in your estate planning with a bequest.
Memorial or Honorary Gifts
Pay special tribute to a family member, friend, colleague or group with a memorial or honorary gift. Be sure to include this special information on your pledge form or when you make your gift online.
Make Your Gift Multiply
Double, triple or even quadruple a gift made to The Harker School if you are affiliated with a company that has a matching gift program. First, contact your employer's human resources department to see if you are eligible for a matching gift. Next, complete the forms provided by your employer, send it with your donation and Harker will submit the necessary paperwork.
Nonprofit Status Information
The Harker School is a 501(c)(3) corporation, tax ID number 94-1613808.
Download our 501(c)(3) letter of determination (pdf)
Event Giving
Each year The Harker School puts on two schoolwide events as fundraising and friendraising activities. These events are organized by more than 100 dedicated parent volunteers, staffed by many more, and bring together our school community to have fun while supporting our wonderful students.
The Family & Alumni Picnic is a decades-old tradition in which the entire Harker community gathers together each fall to celebrate the beginning of the new school year and enjoy a day of fabulous family fun. More than a "picnic," the day includes games and prizes galore, great food, fantastic student entertainment, the ever popular silent auction, fun-filled themed activities, and more.
The annual Harker Fashion Show is an exhilarating and elegant event held each February that involves a lunch and a dinner show featuring more than 200 students, faculty and parents on stage. Segments highlighting the latest fashions are interspersed with fun, high-energy performances from our talented student performers. The dinner show is followed by an exciting live auction and a dance band rounds out the evening gala.
For further information about how you can support fundraising activities at Harker, please contact Joe Rosenthal, executive director of advancement at joer@harker.org, or any member of the advancement team.