BSM’s annual Day of Giving is a day for families in the community to donate to BSM; this year it is on May 17. The donations from this fundraiser are set up to help out the students and their BSM experience. The goal for this year is for BSM to receive $870,000 in donations, and BSM is on track to reach that goal.

The Day of Giving was started by Associate Director of Alumni Relations & Community Events Ms. Rachel Kuzma Olson and Director of Admissions Mr. Ted Freese. This was put in place to raise money in the form of donations from all other individuals around BSM and the BSM community. The Day of Giving started in 2014 and allows BSM to continue working the way it is.

Leading up to the Day of Giving, the advancement office along with the annual funds director Ms. Mary Lenker sent out emails to previous donors and alumni. Other ways of getting the word out about donating includes marketing, mailings, and social media, all of which help spread the word and has shown a significant impact towards donations.

Anyone can donate to BSM to help out the school. The Day of Giving runs on the school year calendar which means that BSM has to raise all of the money within this school year. This sets high expectations for BSM to raise a lot of money in a relatively quick matter, but the goal can be reached from all of the generous donors in the community. “Our community is incredibly generous,” Lenker said.

BSM hopes to reach around 470 donors for this year in order to bring in the goal amount of money. Most of these donors are alumni and parents of the students here at BSM. BSM encourages the community to talk to friends and family about donating to the school to feel more involved in the community. “People want to be a part of something big and fun for their community. It’s hard to engage alumni, but BSM is such a great place to be, and alumni love what it felt like to be here. They want BSM to be maintained,” Lenker said.