Making Generosity a Habit

Monthly and annual recurring gifts ensure that supporters maintain their annual connection and provide clarity on total giving. For the Schools, recurring gifts represent a consistent and predictable stream of income which allows us to plan budgets and reduce reliance on one-time donations. For the donor, recurring gifts have the benefit of a compounding effect, often leading to a larger gift spread out over time.

 

We are grateful to all donors who place Cranbrook Schools in their philanthropic priorities and invite you to meet five alumni donors who have set up recurring gifts to The Cranbrook Schools Fund. Perhaps they will inspire you to make generosity a habit with a recurring gift, too.

Gabriel Ervin ’20 set up his monthly recurring gift a year after graduation. “I think of a good memory when I see Cranbrook show up [on a statement],” he says. “It makes me feel like I’ve done something good in supporting Cranbrook.”

 

For Gabriel, the gifts demonstrate his appreciation for the “fantastic Cranbrook community” and the resiliency of the class of 2020. “Cranbrook is a home. This is a way to give back to a community that has given so much to me,” he says. “The faculty members are inspiring and formative – they are my friends today – so I want other students to have the ability to have similar experiences.”

 

A light bulb went off for Margaret McMath Chester ’72 after talking with a Schools volunteer who noted that recurring gifts make it easier for the Schools to prepare its budget. “That made total sense to me,” she says. A recurring gift allows her to establish a consistent level of giving for each organization she supports. “And if it’s a good year,” she adds, “I can make an additional gift at a special time.”

 

Margaret has two recurring gifts at Cranbrook – to The Cranbrook Schools Fund and to the Astronomy Fund at the Institute of Science. Her love of astronomy and eventual career in teaching and research in astronomy and astrophysics began - right here - on Cranbrook’s campus.

 

Fellow ’72 graduate David Lynn selected a recurring gift to maintain his connection to Cranbrook Kingswood after a celebratory and enriching 50^th Reunion in 2022. “I had tried to make a gift off and on,” he says. “This was a way to make it steady and predictable, in a meaningful way.”

 

He makes the connection to “acknowledge to myself and the world the deep and meaningful ways that Cranbrook Kingswood has shaped me and how I see the world.”

 

As a guest lecturer in a Creative Writing workshop this past spring, David saw the continued excellence of a Cranbrook education. “The students and the faculty are stronger than ever,” he says. “Cranbrook Kingswood has attracted students from around the world who are talented and so deeply engaged in their education.”

 

Recurring gifts can form the foundation of personal giving and are flexible over time. Bob Klein ’58 has supported Cranbrook Schools in many ways – during capital campaigns and as a member of the Cranbrook Legacy Society. He keeps his monthly recurring gift as an inspiration for others to join him in annual support.

 

“Cranbrook was recently ranked in the top 30 high schools in the country. What we are doing is making a good investment, and investments are generally not one-time. To keep our leading edge, we need donor support, and this is a great way to do it,” he says. “Put a Diet Coke a week on auto-pay, then keep doing that,” he suggests.

 

Ashani Collins O’Mard ’96 is proud to support today’s students and their Cranbrook experience. “I give to Cranbrook because Cranbrook poured so much into me at a formative part of my life,” she says.

 

“My recurring gift through my employer’s giving program makes it easy to keep Cranbrook in our family’s regular giving plan, and it helps ensure that future students can have the same transformative experiences I did.”

 

Recurring gifts can be created on The Cranbrook Schools Fund giving form, by selecting “Recurring donation”. Gifts can be processed monthly, quarterly, or annually, either with an end date or as indefinite. Gifts can be made via credit or debit card, direct debit, or Google Pay/Apple Pay. Recurring gifts are also a great way to spread a larger gift over time. For those wishing to join our leadership giving society, a recurring monthly gift of $125 provides entry to the Friend level. Lower options are also available for young alumni. Click here for more information on the Twenty-First Century Club.

 

For more information and assistance in giving at Cranbrook Schools, please contact The Cranbrook Schools Fund team at 248-645-3140.