The Pegasus School I Support I Giving

Welcome and thank you for your interest in giving to The Pegasus School!

Fundraising is an established practice in successful independent schools. At Pegasus, it has been critical to our continued excellence.

Donations delivered us from three classrooms to a 14-acre campus complete with a Science and Technology Center, gym, state-of-the-art theater, art studio, and multiple outdoor play spaces.
Our fundraising galas have grown from simple spaghetti dinners in the quad (grossing $5K) to off-campus affairs netting $400,000.
And it was charitable parents who had the foresight to secure the future of our school with an endowment…now valued at $5 million.

We give (on top of tuition) to allow Pegasus to evolve.

List of 7 items.

Annual Fund

The Annual Fund is the most important philanthropic priority of our school, and it offers donors the flexibility to direct their gifts to the budgeted need they choose to support. This means that your generosity assists Pegasus in developing the great programs, great people, and great places that are most important to your family.

We ask that each school family participate in Give to Great, The Pegasus School’s Annual Fund.
Capital Campaign

To realize goals identified in the school’s Strategic Plan, the Board of Trustees will, when needed, initiate a capital campaign in order to meet facilities, program and endowment needs that the school cannot pay for out of tuition funds. A Capital Campaign supports major projects such as new campus construction and renovations to maintain state-of-the-art facilities. Capital campaign gifts are significantly larger than annual fund contributions and therefore can be pledges paid over a multi-year period.
Endowment

Our Legacy of Excellence endowment means that this vibrant academic community is grounded in a solid foundation. Although endowment principal is untouched, a percentage of its investment return supports three of our critical funds: Vision, FIT and Bright Stars.
Gala

Each Spring, volunteers from The Pegasus School community host a fabulous fundraising Gala, with the support of The Advancement Office. All school families are encouraged to participate, be it through helping secure event sponsorships or auction donations, as well as by attending the event.
Major Gifts

Major gifts help Pegasus fulfill the strategic initiatives of the Board of Trustees. These donations, made in addition to Annual Fund and Gala contributions, are donor-directed and designed around closely-held values.
Shop to Support

AmazonSmile
AmazonSmile is an easy way to support our students! AmazonSmile works just like Amazon.com, except that for every eligible item you buy, Pegasus receives a portion of that purchase. All you need is an Amazon.com account. Sign into your Amazon account at http://smile.amazon.com/, select The Pegasus School, as your designated recipient, and start shopping!
Support through Foundations and Corporations
The Office of Advancement works with corporate and foundation donors to help achieve the strategic goals of the School.
Specific objectives include:
- Identify in-kind and targeted program requests for funding
- Link foundation and business objectives with Pegasus requests
- Identify foundation and corporate board members
- Identify and research collaboration opportunities
If you believe that your company may present a partnership opportunity, or if you are interested in learning more about partnership opportunities at The Pegasus School, please contact the Advancement Office.

We Appreciate You

Thank you for giving to Pegasus. The Pegasus School is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization. All donations made to the school are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Please consult your tax advisor to determine the deductibility of your gift.

Our tax identification number is 33-0162184

If you have any questions or need assistance with your gift, please contact Jen DeGrave in the Advancement Office.

Advancement Team

List of 5 members.

Jennifer DeGrave

Director of Advancement

Bio
Jen brings a broad range of experience in private and public school education, as a leader and educator. She began her path in education as a district science trainer and GATE teacher (Grades 4-6) at Orange Unified School District for three years, after which time she worked as a science specialist at St. Cecilia School in Tustin for two years. While at St. Cecilia, Jen’s leadership was recognized and she soon was offered the position of director of advancement, which she held for two years. It is within this position that Jen exemplified her strength in annual giving, increasing financial support funds by 150% in less than one academic year. Jen moved on to work at Rosary Academy in Fullerton, where she served as assistant principal and then, head of school.

Jen holds a B.A. in Communication and a B.A. in Psychology from UC Santa Barbara. She earned an M.A. in Catholic School Administration from Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, as well as an M.A. in Education from University of Phoenix, Costa Mesa. Additionally, she holds a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential.

On her free time, Jen enjoys hiking and cooking.
Shelbe Christoffersen

Major Gifts Officer

Bio
Before joining the Advancement Department at Pegasus, Shelbe served as the Associate Event Producer at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. Prior to working at USC, she was the Development Manager for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Shelbe holds a B.S. in Journalism and Broadcasting from Oklahoma State University and an M.A. in Communication Management from USC. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Stephen, and son, Owen, biking down to the beach or a local park, as well as traveling and exploring new cities as the ‘locals’ would.
Wendy Sugi

Assoc. Director of Advancement, Donor Relations

Bio
Wendy serves as the associate director of advancement in donor relations. She joined Pegasus in 2009.

She has worked as a special events coordinator for a full service event planning company in Los Angeles, managed the commissary operations and catering services at Twentieth Century Fox Studios in Century City, and helped manage one of the top grossing restaurants in Southern California.

Wendy obtained a B.A. in Industrial Organizational Psychology from Pepperdine University.
Shalini Mattina

Communications, Design and Website Specialist

Bio
Shalini joined Pegasus in 2004 after a change in her career path from marketing communications/advertising to education. She began at Pegasus working as a teaching assistant in the Lower School science class for a year before she joined the Advancement team. Prior to Pegasus, she worked as an art director and senior graphic designer for a variety of design studios, marketing communication agencies, multimedia and clothing companies. She has also worked as an independent contractor assisting businesses with print and web design, and editing needs. Shalini earned a BFA in Communication Design and Illustration from the Otis Art Institute of Design in Los Angeles. She has two boys, Vito, a US Marine, and alumnus, Kai ‘16.

Shalini enjoys spending time with family and friends, roller skating at the beach, Bikram hot yoga, learning new tech skills, hiking and traveling.
Alexandra Vrabeck

Associate Director of Advancement — Events and Alumni

Bio
Alex (‘09) returns to Pegasus and is thrilled to become a part of the Advancement team! Previously, Alex was the development coordinator for Goodwill of Southern California. She has also served as a development intern with both the Orange County United Way and Make-A-Wish foundations in Orange County and the Inland Empire. Alex holds a B.S. in Political Science from Texas Christian University and a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from the University of Southern California, Sol Price School of Public Policy. In her spare time, Alex enjoys baking and cooking for her family, friends and a shelter in Laguna Beach. She loves to travel, be outdoors and read whenever she can.