Each fall, we ask each family to contribute the amount that is meaningful to you–whether that is $20, $200, or $2000–to help support our annual fundraising goal. As always, our goal is 100% participation, not a specific dollar amount per family. This campaign will run through Monday, October 3. Our parent Fundraising Committee will cheer you on via the weekly newsletter and room parent communications.

Why do we fundraise?  At Yu Ming, we believe that every child should have access to a world-class education that prepares them for the future and includes art, music, STEM, physical education and social-emotional learning. What’s more, we believe in delivering this enriched education in a Mandarin immersion environment that multiplies opportunities for our students. But, as a public charter school in California, the funding we receive simply does not cover everything we do at Yu Ming. An additional $1,200 per student is needed to support our full program, which we aim to raise through our three major annual fundraisers:

  • Fall Giving
  • Read-A-Thon (November)
  • Auction & Benefit (spring)
Over the years, we have been fortunate to close this budget gap thanks to the tremendous generosity of our Yu Ming community. As we work to return to 100% in-person school and community events this year, we continue to navigate the challenges of the pandemic and to maintain and invest in new strategies to deliver our award-winning program while keeping each and every one of our community members safe.Your support will help us:

  • Ensure every Yu Ming student and teacher has the necessary technology to continue learning and teaching this year, regardless of circumstances or learning model, including Chromebooks or tablets, wifi access, document cameras, laptops, and more.
  • Continue to build out our teams supporting the well-being of our students, and to strengthen our approach to anti-bias education by creating additional positions, such as our Dean of Students and Culture Specialists, and securing the most impactful curriculum and resources so that all students and staff have a strong sense of self and our community’s rich identities, cultures, and histories.
  • Fund enrichment teachers and instructional staff to maintain Yu Ming’s music, art, design lab and physical education program, and continue to accelerate learning through small group instruction. With our Chinese and English teaching team, Yu Ming’s instructional staff to student ratio is 13 to 1.
  • Overall ensure that our students have the environment and support that will empower them to unlock their unique potential. Our most recent SBAC state test results show that our students have kept learning at exceptionally high levels in 2022, despite the challenges of the past couple of years: 90% of our students met or exceeded standards in English (88% in 2021), and 95% in Math (90% in 2021).
Ready to give? You have several easy options:

  • Make a credit card payment online.
  • Submit this form along with a check payable to Yu Ming Charter School to the school office.
  • Donate to Yu Ming Charter School in the form of stock.
  • 5 extra hours of volunteer time may also count toward our participation goal if you would like to donate but are unable to give financially. Email donations@yumingschool.org with your volunteer information.

We’ll be tracking our progress against our 100% participation goal, so look for updates on this in the weeks to come! You can also use the Fall Giving Campaign to submit all your back-to-school donations, including contributions to our teacher appreciation fund, as well as our field trip fund. These back-to-school donations are strictly optional–but they will count toward our Fall Campaign participation goal.

And remember that:

  • YU MING IS A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization; therefore, your contribution is tax-deductible.
  • Your donation may also qualify for corporate matching. Please inquire with your company and reach out to donations@yumingschool.org if you have questions.
Yu Ming is a tuition-free, public school, and every student will benefit equally from the programs we are able to fund with these dollars. We are incredibly thankful for each and every contribution in whatever form it comes.