Development and Alumni Office

Welcome to the Development and Alumni Office

I feel privileged to work alongside our Trustees, Rebecca Crean our Head Teacher, and with our whole school community and far beyond the school gates. We have a bond and common purpose: To give our young people the best possible education experience at TGS, so that they leave school ready to make their own positive contribution to our shared world.

School Vision steers the focus of our work, and our office procedures and processes, approved by the Trustees, adhere to highly professional standards.

Working together we can provide extended opportunities and resources in inspiring facilities for each and every student irrespective of their personal financial circumstances. There is a priceless value to the very generous and personalised offers of voluntary time and professional expertise. Our fundraising provides opportunities and facilities that the state grant funding sources do not afford. When we can meet their highly competitive criteria, we are enormously grateful for grant awards from private Trusts and Foundations.

Engagement and Fundraising is voluntary and is entirely separate from the education of a child in school.

Tonbridge Grammar School is HMRC registered for gift aid and this means that School and donors can benefit from the UK’s personal tax incentives of gift aid, payroll giving, and other personal charitable giving schemes.

As a schools development professional with over 15 years’ experience, I adhere closely to professional best practice and fundraising guidelines, I meet with and mentor other schools and represent state schools as a speaker at fundraising conferences and workshops.

I have my own set of principles which guide my work. These are: Every offer of time and expertise and every gift is important and each is equally deserving of thanks and recognition. Giving is highly personal and confidential. I don’t ask of others what I am not prepared to engage with myself.

We can only achieve all this as a Team. I warmly invite you to get in touch with me.

Mrs Pippa Blackstone

Director of Development and Alumni Relations-01732 365125 x221-pippablackstone@tgs.kent.sch.uk

Links to Online Forms.

Please do not hesitate to ask for a hard copy form.

Enrichment School Fund
Facilities Development https://forms.office.com/e/4crwKZGZMp
Payroll Giving https://forms.office.com/e/DQHPDaEGjj
Joys Legacy Programme - contact pippablackstone@tgs.kent.sch.uk
Widening Access through Bursaries - contact pippablackstone@tgs.kent.sch.uk

Links to Publications

Click on the publication to read:

Launching 23.24

Thank you for supporting 22.23

Thank you for Supporting 21.22

Thank you for Supporting 20.21

Policies

Charging and Remissions,
Sponsorship
Data Protection
Privacy
Gift Acceptance and Recognition

About Tax Reliefs

Donating from Payroll or Pension

Many employers offer payroll schemes which they also match. The gift is taken from the employee's gross salary and therefore the donor has the benefit of all relevant HMRC tax deductions at source rather than via the income tax return. Employers run a wide variety of donor matching schemes either in addition to payroll giving, or sometimes in return for evidence of support at say a PTA event.

Payroll giving information sheet

Gift Aid

With a valid gift aid declaration a gift of £1 or more enables TGS to claim a further 25p at no additional cost to the donor. There are additional gift aid benefits for higher rate tax payers. The impact of tax relief on potential giving choices is demonstrated on the table below.

The Gift Aid Declaration
I wish Tonbridge Grammar School to treat all donations I have made for the last four years prior to this year and all donations I make from the date of this declaration until I notify you otherwise, as Gift Aid donations. I confirm that I have paid an amount of UK Income Tax/Capital Gains Tax at least equal to the tax that Tonbridge Grammar School and all other charities I donate to will reclaim on my donations in the appropriate tax year (6 April one year to 5 April the next). It is my responsibility to pay any difference. Council tax and VAT do not count and I understand the charity will reclaim 25p of tax on every £1.

Popular monthly giving amounts are £20, £30 and £50.

Planned giving is encouraged to help school plan ahead.

The table above shows how gift aid works.

If a basic crate tax payer gifts £40 with a gift aid declaration, the gift is worth £50 to school.
If the donor is a higher rate tax payer, there are more tax reliefs: The gift costs £30 (40% tax payer), or as little as £28 (45% tax payer).

Important note: A donor must take independent tax advice. The information given here is for guidance only.