Giving
Changing Lives Through Education
Established in 1983, the Ventura College Foundation is one of the most successful community college foundations in California, having raised more than $39.6 million for Ventura College and its students.
Through this support, the Foundation assists the College in facilitating student success and grows the impact and legacy of the College as a vital community asset. Approximately 8,500 students are supported each school year. With your help, we can grow this number even more.
The Foundation is seeking individuals, corporations, and foundations who wish to invest in education. By improving education, we can work together to enhance the quality of life and commerce in our county.
Your gift has an incredible impact!
There are a wide variety of ways to give to Ventura College – and an equal array of opportunities to be honored and celebrated for your generous gifts.
CONSIDER A GIFT TODAY!
Ways to Give
- Cash, Check, Credit Card
- Recurring Gifts
- Stock Gifts
- IRA Rollover
- Donor Advised Funds
- Estate Giving
- Employee Payroll Deduction
- In-Kind Donations
President's Circle
Be at the Center of Something Powerful
To be successful in our mission, we rely on partnerships and cooperation between the college, community, businesses, and other organizations that value quality and excellence in education. The President’s Circle offers an opportunity to join a select group of prominent alumni and friends whose annual support of $1,000 or more makes a crucial difference to our students.
Your membership in the Ventura College President’s Circle will offer unrestricted funds that provide maximum flexibility for the Foundation in applying them to our current priorities and needs. Examples include:
- Student scholarships
- Campus program support
Benefits of Membership
You are playing a significant role in creating a caring, dynamic, and productive learning environment. You will be invited to select events such as the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math), Phoenix Scholarship and Allied Health Awards Ceremonies, campus events, and lectures throughout the year. At these events, you will have access to the College President and the Ventura College Foundation Board of Directors, as well as key faculty members and other College leaders. You will receive public recognition of your support.
How to Join
Your gift of $1,000, $2,500, or $5,000 can be made in a single payment, or in installments throughout the year. Membership is renewed annually, and contributions are tax-deductible. To make your commitment, please select ‘Donate Now’ at the top of the page and choose the ‘President’s Circle’ designation. For further information about participation in the Ventura College President’s Circle, please contact Gerry Pantoja, Director of Major and Planned Giving at the Ventura College Foundation, at 805.289.6158 or by email at gpantoja@vcccd.edu.
Estate Giving
Let Your Legacy Live on Forever
Want your legacy to live on forever? We can help ensure that your name means the world to students at Ventura College, each and every year, long after you have passed on.
There are several ways your generosity can benefit the Ventura College Foundation via your estate.
Estate Gifts
- Bequests (an old policy you no longer need, or a portion of a policy)
- Life insurance (an old policy you no longer need, or a portion of a policy)
- Living trusts, charitable gift annuities, or trusts providing you with tax benefits
For further information about leaving a legacy through an estate gift, please contact Gerry Pantoja, Director of Major and Planned Giving at the Ventura College Foundation, at 805.289.6158 or by email at gpantoja@vcccd.edu.
Ways to Give
Thank you for helping to support Ventura College’s commitment to providing quality education to the residents of Ventura County. We have a number of different means through which you may support the College.
- Fund for Ventura College
- VC Promise
- Funding Scholarships
- Textbook Support
- President’s Circle
- Planned Giving
- Alumni & Friends
Your contributions to the Fund for Ventura College help to support student scholarships, textbooks, and programs and services that do not receive public funding. The Ventura College Foundation is proud to announce that 100% of your donated funds to scholarships, the VC Promise, Veterans Promise and textbook lending support will go directly to students. We deeply appreciate all levels of support.
Matching Gifts: Many employers sponsor matching gift programs and will match any charitable contributions made by their employees. To find out if your company has a matching gift policy, please check with your HR or Finance Department. If your company is eligible, request a matching gift form from your employer and send it to us, completed and signed. We will do the rest.
Fund for Ventura College
Each year, the Foundation asks donors to consider making a gift to the Fund for Ventura College. The unrestricted support of the Fund for Ventura College provides current resources to enable the Foundation to accomplish its goals and expand its services to students and programs .
Your Gifts Changed Lives in 2018-19!
Your Gifts in Action
Students Served
5,823 students were served by the VC Foundation's Programs in 2018-19
Scholarships
More than $600,000 in scholarships were awarded to 232 students in 2018-19.
VC
Promise
1,159 students had their entire first year of enrollment fees PAID through the 2018-19 VC Promise Program.
Textbook Library
1,565 Ventura College students used the semester lending library. 2,843 accessed the reserve collection through the Foundation's David Bianco Textbook Lending Library & Reserve Collection.
Funding Scholarships
The Ventura College Foundation was initially established for the purpose of raising funds for student scholarships. While our focus has expanded over the years, we continue to support our students through our scholarship program. Each year, students complete the Foundation’s scholarship application form, gather recommendations from their instructors and counselors, and write an essay about their hopes and dreams. Each application is carefully read, scored, and ranked by a committee of community members, alumni, VC faculty and staff, as well as members of the Foundation’s Board of Directors. Donors are invited to participate by establishing a scholarship fund or making a donation to support the students of Ventura College through one of the following:
Foundation Scholarships
The Ventura College Foundation works to raise funds for the Ventura College Foundation Scholarship program. Donors may make a contribution of any amount to the Foundation Scholarship Program to benefit students. A gift may also be made in honor of friends or family, or in the memory of a loved one.
Endowed Scholarships
The Ventura College Foundation is proud to be the custodian of more than $2.3 million in endowed scholarships to benefit the students of Ventura College. A new scholarship can be endowed at the Ventura College Foundation for as little as $21,000. These funds are invested, and each year a percentage of the earned interest is given out as a scholarship, while the principal remains intact. For the donor, endowments create a lasting legacy that will benefit students in perpetuity. Donors select a name for the fund, establish the criteria for awarding the scholarship, and the gift is made to create a lasting legacy.
Annual Scholarships
The Ventura College Foundation is honored to work with individuals and organizations to award annual scholarships to the students of Ventura College. Donors may make a donation each year to award a scholarship to a qualified student who meets the donor criteria, including area of study, merit, ethnicity, gender, or interests. The minimum amount for an annual named scholarship is $1,000.
For more information on how to establish a scholarship, please contact Gerry Pantoja, Director of Major and Planned Giving at the Ventura College Foundation, at 805.289.6158 or by email at gpantoja@vcccd.edu.
Planned Giving
George McNeely Legacy Society
A planned gift is a great way to make a charitable gift, while meeting other personal, family or financial needs. The Ventura College Foundation’s George McNeely Legacy Society honors supporters who designate an irrevocable planned gift to Ventura College in their estates. Members of the George McNeely Legacy Society, for example, established gifts in their estates to support Ventura College and its students. Many members in this group established a unique gift that is associated with a campus-named legacy or an endowed scholarship. Their names will be honored in perpetuity at Ventura College, and via tax benefits to their estates.
Dr. George McNeely was one of the Ventura College Foundation’s original board members and one of its most devoted donors. He set a generous example by leaving his own legacy at the College through a charitable gift annuity.
Here are just a few ways you can make a lasting difference at the College:
Outright Gifts:
- Cash
- Stock
- Real Estate
Estate Gifts:
- Bequests (an old policy you no longer need, or a portion of a policy)
- Life insurance (an old policy you no longer need, or a portion of a policy)
- Living trusts, charitable gift annuities, or trusts providing you with tax benefits
If you have any questions, please fill out and submit our contact form.
Give Now!
How to Make Your Gift to Ventura College
Consult with your life insurance agent, your trust attorney, and/or your financial advisor. Then let the Ventura College Foundation help you plan a meaningful legacy.
Please contact Gerry Pantoja, Director of Major and Planned Giving at the Ventura College Foundation, at 805.289.6158 or by email at gpantoja@vcccd.edu.
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