INDIVIDUAL GIVING

Ways to Give

Thank you for supporting our student musicians!

Donate by mail:
Please send checks to:
San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory
1650 El Prado #207A
San Diego, CA 92101

Donate by phone:
(619) 233-3232 x160

San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory is 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public benefit corporation.
All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.
Federal Tax ID # 23-7380943

THE ENCORE FUND

Designed to Promote Student Success

For nearly 80 years, San Diego Youth Symphony (SDYS) has invested in the future of thousands of young people through the study and performance of music. Through our Youth Orchestra program in historic Balboa Park, community outreach programs across San Diego County, and early childhood music curriculum, we are San Diego’s most comprehensive provider of cradle-to-college music education. At SDYS, we serve thousands of student musicians and their families every year, using music as a vehicle to give young people the social, emotional, and academic skills that prepare them to enter a 21st-century workforce. No qualified student is ever turned away for financial reasons: families who cannot afford to pay are given comprehensive support through The Encore Fund.

Give to the Encore Fund

WHAT IS THE ENCORE FUND?

The Encore Fund goes even further by providing more comprehensive assistance designed to promote student success.

 In addition to direct tuition assistance, your investment in the Encore Fund provides:

  • Group or private lessons free of charge
  • Instrument loans to students who need them
  • Free instrumental supplies, cases and repairs
  • Performance clothing to students who don’t have formal wear
  • Free concert tickets to scholarship families
  • Parent engagement programs and a parent liaison position
  • Community-based programs that bring music into our schools

How does this help?

  • Students who receive assistance through the Encore Fund have a better chance
    of advancing through our program at the same or similar rate as their peers.
  • It makes SDYS more reflective of the communities we serve and builds bridges
    between our programs.

For more information, contact SDYS Individual Giving Manager Terry Williams, at twilliams@sdys.org or call 619-233-3232 x116.

Invest Today

LEGACY GIVING

Planned Giving is your way to provide lasting support
for San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory.

By starting the planning process now, you can make a gift that will impact generations of young people through scholarship support, instrument loans, private lessons, conservatory classes, and other special opportunities. You may direct your gift to support any area you like—from conservatory programs to community efforts to early childhood classes.

Join the Legacy Circle at SDYS by making a bequest as part of your estate planning.

Making a Planned Gift to SDYS

Consider Your Assets
Assets like cash, stocks, life insurance policies, bonds, real estate, vehicles, art, and more can be donated to SDYS, and may even provide estate tax benefits.

Ask a Financial Advisor
Please consult with your financial advisor for professional advice on estate planning. If you do not have a financial advisor, we are happy to provide a recommendation.

Leave a Gift in Your Will
Ensure your final wishes are respected by including a gift to SDYS in your will. You may leave a specific dollar amount or a percentage of your assets.

Make a Memorial Gift
Honor a loved one with a memorial gift or endowed scholarship to SDYS.

“I am passionate about SDYS because of a student who told me that playing cello changed his life. I’ve been privileged to sponsor this young musician and others. Now, through my legacy gift, I know I can provide the gift of music education to generations of future music students at SDYS.”

Eric Cohen
Legacy Circle Donor

“Why make a legacy gift? That’s easy, because I love music and the young musicians of the SDYS are its future. But, for me, the key is ‘how.’ SDYS is the beneficiary of an IRA and these funds will pass, tax free, to SDYS. Whether it be legacy giving or my ‘regular’ donations, I can transfer appreciated assets without creating a tax event.”

Phyllis Yates
Legacy Circle Donor

Legacy Circle

James Algert* Daniel and Joy Meyer
Marion Allen Matthew Midgett
William Beamish June D. Moeser*
Mark Bennett Larry Norquist*
Eric Cohen & William Coltellaro Robert Peterson
Dr. Irma Gigli William Powell 
Cohen and Koberly Family Fund Georgia and Blair Sadler
Catharina Graves* Cory Norlund & Larry Scott
Sue Greenway Dorothy & Joel Sollender*
Charmaine and Maurice Kaplan Bonnie and Henry Steele
Maurice Kawashima Molli Wagner
Joan Kroc* Elsie Weston*
Diane Law Phyllis Yates
Reinette and Marvin* Levine 

*In Memoriam

APPRECIATED STOCK

If you have appreciated securities you have held for over one year,
you can donate them to San Diego Youth Symphony.

Consult your financial advisor or tax professional for specifics, but in most cases you are not taxed on gains from these securities when donating them to an approved 501c3 organization like San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory.

We have a policy of selling gifts of stock immediately on receipt so our musicians, families and community benefits immediately from your gift while you realize tax advantages when you file your year-end return.

Transferring stock is a simple process:

  1. Select a particular stock and number of shares from your portfolio.
  2. Call SDYS Development Coordinator Terry Williams, at (619) 233-3232 ext 160 to get our account number and instructions to transfer stock to our account at Morgan Stanley in La Jolla.
  3. Contact your broker and pass along routing instructions we provide.

CORPORATE MATCHES

Your gift could go twice as far and impact twice as many young musicians!

Many employers invest alongside their employees in organizations and programs that benefit the community and are close to their employee’s hearts. You may be eligible to double the impact of your gift through your employer’s matching gift program. Many companies match their employees’ and retirees’ donations to non-profit organizations. Check below to get started with a matching gift.

Matching Gift and Volunteer Grant information provided by
Powered by Double the Donation

Thank you to these companies for their matching gift donations:

Apple, Inc. Illumina
AT&T Johnson & Johnson
Callaway Golf Qualcomm
Cisco Systems Sony Interactive Entertainment
Gates Foundation Vortex Pharmaceuticals

For more information, please contact SDYS Individual Giving Manager Terry Williams, at twilliams@sdys.org or call 619-233-3232 x160.

Instrument Donations and In-Kind Giving

Give new life to your old instrument!
Donate it to SDYS and give a young musician the gift of an instrument.

Pictured above are just a few of the hundreds of students who receive instruments from SDYS to help with their music education.
You can help a young person unlock their passion for music by donating your used instrument today.

What instruments do we need?

An instrument or accessories of any condition of will be considered, however, we prefer that instruments be in a playable condition with minimal need for repairs. Our students are in need of the following instruments:

  • Violin
  • Viola
  • Cello
  • Double Bass
  • Flute
  • Oboe
  • Clarinet
  • Bassoon
  • French Horn
  • Trumpet
  • Trombone
  • Bass Trombone
  • Tuba
  • Various Percussion Instruments

If you are interested in donating an instrument, please contact Instrument Librarian Ruben Hernandez at rhernandez@sdys.org or (619)233-3232 x114.

Or fill out our online donation form and bring your donation to our Balboa Park office. Please call 619-233-3232 for hours.