The Mary McDowell Friends Fund

"Let Your Life Speak" by making a gift today to The Mary McDowell Friends Fund. Your contribution provides direct funding for educational initiatives that tuition alone does not cover. It is an investment in the education of every student at MMFS. Your gift sends a message that you believe in the purpose and you believe in the program that is offered to every student enrolled at MMFS.

Your gift to The Mary McDowell Friends Fund helps to support:

A staff-to-student ratio of almost 1:3 so that each student receives the individual attention and specialized support that s/he needs;
An exceptionally talented and dedicated staff who is the heart of our school; currently 82 full-time and 10 part-time staff;
Innovative and challenging curricula designed specifically for students with learning disabilities;
State-of-the-art interactive educational computer technologies to facilitate learning for all students;
Visual arts, music and theater to enrich students' learning experiences;
Faculty professional development to support new curricula, and training to maximize the integration of new technology into the classroom;
Coaches' salaries, uniforms and transportation for the Lightning teams;
Tuition assistance to ensure the diversity of our student body - diversity enriches the learning experience for all our students.

No gift is too small, and every gift counts. Even in these difficult economic times, please think carefully about what you can give, and please stretch your giving to the fullest extent possible.

Your participation will demonstrate your commitment to the future of Mary McDowell Friends School and inspire others to give.

Giving Circles

Leadership Council
1984 Society Circle	$10,000 and above
Bergen/Summit Circle	$5,000 to $9,999
Future Builders Circle	$2,500 to $4,999
Founders Circle	$1,984 to $2,499
Lightning Circle	$1,000 to $1,983
Thunder Circle	$500 to $999
Cobble Hill Circle	$250 to $499
Brooklyn Circle	$249 (up to)

Ways of Giving

Gifts of Cash: Personal checks and/or credit card payments are the most popular ways to make a gift to The Mary McDowell Friends Fund. Simply include your check or credit card information with The Mary McDowell Friends Fund remittance envelope and return it the school.

Online Giving: For easy and secure gifts by credit card (VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Discover), please visit The Mary McDowell Friends Fund online giving page.

Gifts of Securities: You transfer securities to Mary McDowell Friends School. The school sells your securities and credits the value to The Mary McDowell Friends Fund. The gift is available for immediate use by the school. The charitable deduction is determined by the fair market value on the date of the transfer of the asset to Mary McDowell Friends School. An acknowledgement will be sent to you describing your gift as well as the receipt date and value for your tax records. The School's policy is to sell all securities upon receipt.

Instructions for transferring stock to the School may be obtained from the Development Office: 718.625.3939, ext. 2224.

Matching Gifts: There are many companies that match their employees' gifts. For example, if a donor gives $5,000 to Mary McDowell Friends School, a matching gift company will also give $5,000 to the School, and thus the donor is credited with a $10,000 gift. Donors simply need to contact their human resources offices for the appropriate forms and forward them with their gifts to the School for completion.

If you would like to make a gift to The Mary McDowell Friends Fund, please email
L.J. Mitchell, Director of Development, or call him at 718.625.3939 ext. 2223.

All contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.
MMFS reserves the right to redirect your gift as needed.

The Mary McDowell Friends Fund

Giving Circles

Ways of Giving

The Mary McDowell Friends Fund Cabinet 2009-10