How You Can Help

Why Do We Need You Today?

We would like to thank all the great supporters who have donated to BDPA this year. Your contributions have had a major impact on all of our programs. However, we still need your help.

Did you know that kids who participate in performing arts have higher grades in school than kids that don't? Those same kids have fewer problems with drugs and alcohol and go on to college and successful careers. Alums who are now in their 40s can attest to this fact with few exceptions. Participating in a drum corps or any other performing art builds character in kids and changes their lives in meaningful ways.

Staging a high-quality performing arts program is not cheap. Funding a non-profit youth organization and a world class drum and bugle corps is a very expensive enterprise. The cost of energy, fuel, gas and electricity will have a major financial impact on The Blue Devils especially this summer. Food and transportation costs continue to spiral higher. As our expenses go up our main sources of revenue, continue to struggle because of political and economic pressures.

More than ever we need your investment as a member. No contribution is too small. Every contribution sends a signal to potential foundation and corporate donors that people believe in what we do for youth -- our community supports us.

You can give in many ways. You can give to The Blue Devils at one of our many donor levels. You can designate your gift to a certain area of interest, or you can donate to an individual participant to help them share in the corps.

Among the challenges that our organization faces is the perception that the revenue stream for The Blue Devils is constant and abundant. The reality is quite the opposite and the entire organization is reviewing program activities looking for ways to conserve and cut expenses.

Why should you want to help us? If you are as passionate about Drum Corps, Winter Guard, and the performing arts as we are, you will realize that planning for the future is critical. With your help, we will preserve the unique opportunities for young people provided by the pageantry arts.

We need you now! Invest in these kids today. If you have any questions, please call Gail Schultz at 925.689.2918 x3007. Play a part in The Blue Devils by sending your membership contribution today. You can donate online or just send us a check.

Donate to The Blue Devils

A monetary contribution helps us in two ways. First, your gift funds operational expenses. Second, your gift makes an important statement to corporations, foundations, and others who look for a high level of community commitment before making their organizations own commitment. Every donor is important. Every gift is appreciated.

We would like to thank you for your support by providing you with exclusive benefits for donors only. A $50 membership will entitle you to a 10% discount on all of our merchandise including CDs and DVDs throughout the year. Or join us at the Supporter or Benefactor level and you will be invited to attend rehearsals of the A Corps as they work on the field show. You will also be invited to participate in donor events that involve our A Corps staff and that are designed for you to interact with others who love this activity.

Thank you for your continued interest in The Blue Devils. Your personal involvement is appreciated.

• Become a donor
• View donor benefits
• Friends of The Blue Devils

The BD Performing Arts Scholarship Fund

The BDPA scholarship fund is to promote innovative excellence in a young persons life. It is awarded to help fund a member's education for their future career pursuits so to enhance their BDPA performance experience.

A maximum of three $500 scholarships are awarded each year at Family Night. The goal is to have principal of the fund (located at Morgan Stanley) reserved and use interest earned to award the scholarships. Awards are selected by the BDPA Scholarship Committee which is directed by the BDPA Board of Directors.

The BD Performing Arts Scholarship is named in honor of these great individuals who were committed to the mission of BDPA and The Blue Devils. Over $50,000 in contributions honoring these great individuals have been given in their name, so that their passion for young people and the performing arts can continue well into the future.

BDPA Scholarship Contributions in the following names (donations in excess of $5000)

• Brian Bingham
• Shirley Caldera
• Bill Cecil
• Jim Cloyd
• Alfred DeMello
• Margaret Dottery
• Tim Giroux
• Fred Hollenbeck
• Peter Loret
• Jim Lynn
• Andy Marchetti
• Tony Odello
• Jerry Seawright

Your donation will entitle you to BDPA donor benefits.

The BD Brass Alumni Scholarship Fund

The BD Brass Alumni Scholarship Fund is for current Blue Devils Brass members that have a financial hardship paying for participation fees. It is an opportunity for past Blue Devil Brass members to give back and help current members have the Blue Devil performing experience.

The money raised in a current year will be fully used for current members. Money raised will be directed at the sole discretion of The Blue Devil 'A' Brass Caption Head and the BDPA Executive Director.

Your donation will entitle you to BDPA donor benefits.

The Legacy Circle

The Legacy Circle, an honorary society of BD Performing Arts, was formed in 2009 to recognize those generous donors who make charitable contributions of assets through their estate plans including gifts provided through their will or revocable trust.

If you have already made plans to leave a bequest to the Blue Devils through your estate plan, we would welcome you as a Legacy Circle member immediately. Please let us know right away by providing us with copies of the pages from your legal documents that name BD Performing Arts. You will be recognized as a member of the Legacy Circle on our website and in other Blue Devils publications.

In addition, you will be invited to our annual Legacy Society Dinner, an event designed to bring you up to date on the most recent developments within the Blue Devils organization and to meet with other like-minded individuals who value the mission of the Blue Devils and have also provided for the long-term financial stability of the Blue Devils through their estate plans.

The Board of Directors of BD Performing Arts will add your gift to the Blue Devils unrestricted endowment fund, the Legacy Fund. Income earned from the invested assets of the Legacy Fund will provide ongoing annual operating funds to the Blue Devils units. Or you may prefer to specify other preferences for the use of your gift. For example, you may choose to create a scholarship endowment fund that provides for a deserving young person to participate annually in one of the Blue Devils units. The minimum gift to start a named scholarship endowment is currently $100,000.

If you are interested in learning more about the Legacy Circle or our endowment funds, please contact David Gibbs, Executive Director at dgibbs@bluedevils.org or 925.689.2918 x3008.

Give Stock: It's a Winning Way to End the Year!

Throughout the year, many of you will be reviewing your tax liability situation with your CPA or other advisors. Now is the time to plan a gift to help reduce the taxes you may need to pay.

A gift to The Blue Devils of appreciated securities or mutual fund shares offers dual benefits: you will be helping our non-profit organization and you will get a tax deduction.

With any stock sale, you owe taxes on the capital gain, which are generally charged at a rate of 20%. But when you donate publicly traded stocks held long-term (owned for more than one year) to a qualified charitable organization, such as ours, you avoid all capital gains taxes. Plus, you may take the full fair market value of the stock gift as a charitable deduction on your income taxes. The maximum deduction you may take within a given tax year is 30% of your adjusted gross income. If you are unable to take the entire deduction in one year, you may carry the excess deduction forward for five additional years.

If you would like to know more about making a gift of stock or mutual fund shares, please call Gail Schultz, at 925.689.2918 x3007. Your gift to The Blue Devils can be designated to help your favorite Blue Devils program.

Matching Gifts

Your employer may be able to help you give even more to The Blue Devils. Many companies have a Matching Gift program where they will match your donation. Just check with your Human Resources office and send us the paperwork. We will take care of the processing and you can be proud of doing even more for the young people performing for The Blue Devils.

For any questions, please call Gail Schultz, at 925.689.2918 x3007.

Endowment

For years, The Blue Devils organization has relied on few sources of revenue to fund program expenses. Realizing that even a small shift in the local economy and continued pressures on our fundraising activities could have devastating effects, the Board of Directors has moved to secure a stable foundation for our organization. In order to assure that there will be a future for The Blue Devils programs, we have developed a goal to create an Endowment, a savings account with a principal large enough to support our programs on the interest alone.

An endowment fund is a restricted fund that that is invested in stocks, bonds, and other investment vehicles that provide income, dividends, and capital gains from these investments. The Board of Trustees is able to utilize a conservative percentage (5%) of the total return from the endowment's income annually as revenue.

For example, if your family provides a $50,000 endowment gift to The Blue Devils that the Board would invest the $50,000 in a balanced portfolio of investment that would never be spent. Only 5% (or $2500) of the annual total return would be spent towards Blue Devils program support.

The original investment would stay in tact forever, and the investment would grow to keep pace with inflation. Endowment gifts are a wonderful way to make a gift that will literally last forever providing income to The Blue Devils in perpetuity on your family's behalf.

If you would like to support The Blue Devils with an endowment gift, please call Gail Schultz, at 925.689.2918 x3007. Endowment gifts can be restricted for use by a specific Blue Devil program.

eScrip

Shop at Safeway, Eddie Bauer, Office Max, Whole Foods, and many other retailers and they will donate a percentage of your purchase to The Blue Devils. Get up to 10% for your group when you dine at over 10,000 participating restaurants and earn up to 8% when you stay at over 7,000 hotels and resorts nationwide. This is only a small example of the thousands of companies that honor eScrip and donate to your favorite charity.

Joining eScrip is easy and FREE! All you have to do is go to escrip.com and follow the 4 easy steps to join. Don't forget to enter The Blue Devils ID number in step #1. The ID number is 136588753. A percentage of your purchase will automatically go to The Blue Devils.

If you have any questions about the eScrip program please contact Gail Schultz at 925.689.2918 x3007 or email gschultz@bluedevils.org.

Sign up for eScrip now!

iGive.com

Go to iGive.com and designate The Blue Devils as the non-profit organization that you support. iGive has a working relationship with numerous retailers, who sell books, office supplies, toys, videos and compact discs. These retailers have agreed to donate from 2.5% to 12.5% of the purchase price of goods to designated groups. The Blue Devils have registered with iGive and qualify to received the benefit of your shopping on-line. (You need to indicate that The Blue Devils are to receive the donation.)It would be helpful to us if, during the start of this program, you would email a note reporting that you made a purchase from one of the iGive companies. Your information would be helpful as we double check on the program. You will also receive verification of your donation.

Start Shopping at iGive.com!

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I become a member of The Blue Devils Medallion Society?

A donation of $1,000.00 or more qualifies you as a member of the Medallion Society. Contact Gail Schultz at 925.689.2918 x3007 for more information.

I paid my child's annual registration fee. Am I a Blue Devils donor?

No. Even though your support is greatly appreciated, the fees you pay for your child registration only pay a part of the costs of their program. The Blue Devils members support the organization and these additional costs, so your children have the opportunity to learn and perform. You have registered all of the children in your family to perform in programs sponsored by The Blue Devils and to use equipment owned by The Blue Devils by paying the registration fee.

What is The Devils Pride Booster Club?

The Devils Pride Booster Club provides support to the 'A' Corps and serves as a point of contact for family, friends and fans of the 'A' Corps.

What are "Friends of The Blue Devils"?

These are the donors who support The Blue Devils organization. When you donate to The Blue Devils, your name is listed on The Blue Devils website and in our newsletters and programs as a "Friend of The Blue Devils". You can donate online or by contacting Gail Schultz at 925.689.2918 x3007

The Blue Devils have always been known as a wealthy organization. Why are you asking people to make gifts at this point?

The Blue Devils have been fortunate to be able to pay for much of their operating costs through income derived from a charity bingo operation. Parents and youth have always been required to volunteer their time at the bingo hall to help support The Blue Devils. In 2000, the voters in California approved Proposition 1A, which expanded Indian gaming laws in California. Now, large casinos are being planned in our immediate vicinity and we have already seen a significant reduction in bingo revenue. People want to play for the larger winnings that are available at casinos. The amount that charities can pay to winners is controlled by the Attorney General.

With continued decline in bingo revenue, the Board of Trustees of The Blue Devils has taken the point of view that we need to reduce our dependency on bingo within the next three years. In addition, the Board does not want to continue to use the valuable time of parents and participants in volunteering for a bingo operation that is in conflict with the life style and character building goals of The Blue Devils.

How do I know that my gift will benefit the kids? Can I restrict my gift for a particular program?

You can support The Blue Devils by becoming a donor at any level. These funds go directly to pay for the costs of operating each program including teaching staff, transportation costs, uniforms, instruments, and other equipment in addition to facilities expense, management and development costs. If you prefer, you can restrict your gift to be used by any specific BD program that you desire. Your gift will still provide you with the same donor benefits that are provided to general donors.

What percentage of my gift goes to The Blue Devils programs and how much covers overhead and fundraising costs?

75% of your gift goes directly to Blue Devils direct program costs. 15% covers the cost of facilities, management and accounting, while 10% covers the cost of operating The Blue Devils development program. These percentages are well within the national guidelines established by the National Nonprofit Chamber of Commerce and Guidestar. The Board of Trustees of The Blue Devils does everything that it can to keep the overhead costs as low as possible. The Blue Devils financial statements are available to anyone upon request.

What is BD Performing Arts (BDPA)?

This is the official name of the non-profit corporation 501(c)3 that collections donations for The Blue Devils. Founded in 1957, this parent-based organization provides general operating support for all Blue Devils programs as well as our entire family of supporters. As a public charity, The Blue Devils is supported by gifts and grants from individuals, foundations, and corporations. Your gift ensures the continued quality of our programs.