Thank you for your interest in supporting Routt Catholic High School and our mission.

Giving to Routt is an investment that preserves the ideals upon which the school was established in 1902. Our mission is sustained and enhanced by the generosity of our loyal supporters – alumni, current and past parents, grandparents, faculty and friends – and builds upon the advancements that have followed in pursuit of providing our students an environment that promotes intellectual and faith-based pursuits, good health and service to others.

Annual Giving

The Annual Fund is the foundation of Routt’s fundraising efforts. We strive for 500 individual donations between the start of the campaign in early November and June 1 of the following year.

Each year, the Annual Fund provides crucial support to fund the gap between tuition and the actual cost of a Routt education.

Your annual support enables Routt to maintain our commitment to excellence and has an immediate and powerful impact, allowing Routt’s dedicated faculty to continue to inspire our students.

We ask all members of our Routt community to contribute to the Annual Fund every year. High donor participation is a testament to how valuable a Routt education is to our students, alumni and families. Every gift, at any level, is a continued vote of confidence in the work we do at Routt.

Donor Societies

Routt Family Society $5,000 or more

Board’s Society $2,500-$4,999

Principal’s Society $1,000-$2,499

Rocket Gold Club $500-$999

Rocket Silver Club $250-$499

Rocket Bronze Club $100-$249

Friends of Routt $1-$99

Making a gift to support the work we do at Routt has never been easier. Gifts may be made with cash, check, credit card payment or with gifts of stock. Donations may be a one-time gift or made through regularly scheduled payments.

GIVE ONLINE

Click here to donate using your credit card.

GIVE BY MAIL

Send a check payable to Routt Catholic High School to:

Routt Catholic High School
ATTN: Development Office
500 E. College Ave.
Jacksonville, IL 62650

MATCHING GIFTS

Many companies offer a matching gift program to their employees that will double – even triple! – a donation’s value. Employers set up matching gift programs as a way to make charitable contributions to nonprofits and organizations that are important to their employees.

The benefit for you is:

  • You receive donor credit.
  • You direct your company’s philanthropic dollars to Routt.
  • Your donation to Routt is doubled (or tripled).

To find out if your company will match your contribution to Routt or if you have questions about your company’s matching gift program, please contact your personnel/Human Resources office.

Once it is determined that your company will match donations to Routt, obtain the appropriate form from your personnel/HR office and send it with your gift to:

Development Office
Routt Catholic High School
500 East College Avenue
Jacksonville, IL 62650

The impact of your gift to Routt Catholic High School may be doubled or possibly trippled! Does your spouse also work for a company with a matching gift program? If so, your efforts to obtain a second corporate match will be appreciated. Even if you are retired, don’t assume you cannot benefit – there are companies who match gifts made by retirees.

GIFTS OF STOCK & SECURITIES

A gift of appreciated securities that you have held for more than one year may be an economic way to give. Securities which have appreciated in value and which you have held for more than one year are an especially attractive gift because you are allowed to take a charitable deduction for the full market value and, at the same time, avoid taxes on your capital gains. In order to qualify for this benefit, you must donate your stock directly to the school prior to sale.

The stock you gift to Routt is valued at the average of the high and low prices on the day your broker tranfers the stock to Routt, and that is the amount of the deduction you can claim.

When transferring stock, please contact the Development Office at Routt to get the information to contact our broker. If you have stock certificates, check with your broker about getting a medallion signature guarantee to secure the certificate during the transfer process.

If you decide to make a stock donation at the end of the calendar year, the IRS stipulates different guidelines for determining the legal gift date depending on how the transfer was made. Therefore, start the process early so you know the transaction will be completed before Dec. 31 and is thereby eligible for a tax deduction for that year.

As in all matters regarding your individual tax liability, we recommend contacting a qualified tax advisor.

PLANNED GIVING

The Routt family had a vision during their lifetimes of providing Catholic education in Jacksonville, and their planned gifts secured our school’s future. Others in recent years have followed in the footsteps of the Routt family, thoughtfully including Routt in their estate planning, either through a bequest, charitable trust, retirement plan or insurance policy.

These types of charitable gifts will benefit Routt well into the future without impacting current financial security and will likely also provide possible tax benefits.

Gifts by Will and Living Trusts

Charitable gifts through your will are among the easiest ways to make significant future gifts.

How it works:

You include a bequest provision in your will or revocable trust.
At your death, Routt receives the bequest you specified, which can be a dollar amount or a percentage of your estate.

Benefits

  • You may change your bequest or trust designation at any time.
  • You control the funding property during your lifetime.
  • Your bequest or trust designation may be eligible for a tax deduction by your estate.
  • You provide financial resources for Routt.

Beneficiary Accounts

Your retirement accounts, life insurance policies or savings and investment accounts are very likely a significant portion of your net worth. Because of special tax considerations, they could make an excellent choice for funding a charitable gift by naming Routt as a beneficiary of an account.

Not everyone wants to commit to making a gift in their wills or estates. Some prefer the increased flexibility that a beneficiary designation provides by using:

  • IRAs and retirement plans
  • Life insurance policies
  • Commercial annuities

It only takes three steps to make this type of gift. Here’s how to name Routt as a beneficiary:

  • Contact your retirement plan administrator, insurance company, bank or financial institution for a change-of-beneficiary form.
  • Decide what percentage (1 to 100) you would like Routt to receive and name Routt, along with the percentage you chose, on the beneficiary form.
  • Return the completed form to your plan administrator, insurance company, bank or financial institution.

Benefits to you:

Your bequest or trust designation may be eligible for a tax deduction by your estate. You make a significant gift to Routt.

The information presented is not intended as legal, financial or tax advice. Please consult your professional advisor to discuss your specific situation.

TRIBUTE GIFTS (MEMORIALS)

Gifts in your loved one’s name that support faith-based education

Please consider giving friends and family opportunity to make a gift to Routt as a way of honoring your loved one. Memorial gifts to Routt support tuition assistance and access to technology and experienced faculty who teach our young people how to build lives of purpose. What better legacy than one that promotes the spiritual and intellectual growth of tomorrow’s leaders.

Acknowledgment will be made to the person being honored or to the family of the deceased.

GIFTS IN KIND

Routt welcomes donations such as computers, software, office furniture, classroom supplies, landscape material, library books, athletic equipment, tickets to cultural events, artwork and various other items related to the educational program. The Development Office will be happy to help you determine if your gift would be appropriate for the school.

SCHOLARSHIPS

The Routt Education Foundation Scholarships are established a few ways:

  • Funds come from estates and memorial gifts. These funds are invested and the interest provides an additional stream of income to Routt. A perpetual scholarship begins with a donation of a minimum of $5,000. This money is deposited into our Foundation account, and is invested into stocks, so it generally increases on average 6 percent each year. This principal amount is what we award to a student each year. For example, if the fund stays at $5,000, we award $300 to a student for that particular scholarship.
  • A donor may also form an annual scholarship fund. The donor gives a specific amount each year (for example, $500) and the funding goes to a specific student named by the school.

Named scholarships through the Foundation contain directives agreed upon by the donor and the school. Directives give the school guidance on how or who to select to receive the scholarship. Typically, donors meet with the development director to establish the type of scholarship and the scholarship directives. Typical criteria includes above average GPA, active in extra-curricular activities, etc. Donors may also ask that applicants for their scholarship write an essay or complete a specific application. Scholarships may be designated as need-based, merit or essay-based. Once the directive is established, it is approved by the Routt Education Foundation Board, and the scholarship can be awarded.

Others types of scholarships help fund Routt’s music program, faculty salaries, and the general tuition assistance fund. Undesignated gifts to the Routt Education Foundation are also welcome and allow the Foundation Board to use the funds as they feel the school would most benefit.

Click here to view a full list of scholarships

The 2022-2023 Annual Report honors the generosity of our Routt community. Thank you to our alumni, current parents, past parents, grandparents, faculty, staff and friends who contributed to the 2022-2023 Annual Fund. Thank you also to the dedicated volunteers who helped us to achieve these results. Your participation and support are invaluable and enable Routt to give our students the education they need to build lives of purpose.

If you would like to receive communications from Routt, please fill out the inquiry form.