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The 2025-26 school year is off to a great start, full of the excitement of new beginnings. Our youngest TK and Kindergarten students are just starting their educational journeys, while our high school seniors are beginning to look ahead to their next steps: college, post-high school opportunities, and beyond. At every stage, Orinda’s schools continue to shape futures that strengthen our community.
At ONE, we believe what sets Orinda apart is the unique partnership between our schools and our community. Strong schools don’t just benefit students; they enrich our city, attract families, and sustain property values. This shared investment has created something rare in Orinda: a true culture of philanthropy where school families, residents, empty-nesters, and local businesses come together to ensure every student has access to an exceptional education.
Public funding alone does not cover the programs that define an Orinda education. While our schools rank in the top 1% academically statewide, we remain in the bottom 1% for state funding. Your donations to ONE bridge this critical gap and make possible the art, music, libraries, technology, electives, and more that inspire curiosity, creativity, and a lifelong love of learning. Walk into any Orinda school and you’ll see this impact in art that inspires, electives that spark curiosity, and wellness programs that help students thrive.
This year, ONE has set a goal of raising $5.7 million to sustain these opportunities for all Orinda students. Every gift, no matter the size, helps preserve the tradition of excellence that defines Orinda schools and strengthens our community as a whole.
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If you’ve already given this school year, thank you for your generosity. If not, we invite you to join us in supporting this vital work. To learn more or make a gift, please visit oneorinda.org/ways-to-give.
Great schools make great communities. Thank you for helping keep Orinda strong.
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Emily Allen
Executive Director
Orinda Network for Education
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Donating online by credit card is a quick, efficient, and easy way to show your support for Orinda schools. It also isn’t the only way! Here are all the other ways ONE can accept your generous contribution:
Direct Deposit: Using our online donation forms, select this option to provide the routing and account numbers for your bank account.
Personal Check: Checks are a great way to send in your donation, particularly if you are a School Family looking to make your ONE - ASK contribution to multiple schools at the same time. Just let us know how you’d like to allocate your gift, and we’ll do the rest!
Donor-Advised Funds: A donor-advised fund is an account at a sponsoring organization (e.g. Fidelity, Schwab, Vanguard, East Bay Community Foundation) that allows you to make a charitable gift, receive an immediate tax benefit, and recommend grants to nonprofits over time. ONE is an eligible recipient of distributions from both donor-advised funds and private family foundations.
Stock: Gifts of appreciated securities can have significant tax benefits to you as a donor! ONE makes the process easy by using this form - which helps us identify your gift when it arrives and also generates a PDF with all the information your broker needs to initiate the transfer.
Employee Portals: Many businesses encourage philanthropy among staff by offering a third-party portal (e.g. Benevity, Your Cause, Cybergrants) through which to give. These portals typically allow both one-time gifts via credit card, as well as recurring gifts that can be deducted from an employee’s payroll. Some organizations even allow employees to earn user rewards by submitting activities like volunteering to their employee portal for disbursement.
Corporate Match: Many employers will match your donation - sometimes even tripling it - significantly increasing your impact on Orinda schools. Retired employees can often participate as well. Some companies match gifts directly through an employee portal, while others accept a receipt (“offline match”). Check your employer’s policy here.
IRA Contributions: ONE is an eligible non-profit qualified to receive gifts from your IRA! If your age necessitates Required Minimum Distributions, a donation to ONE fulfills this requirement and is a great way to both comply with tax law and benefit your local community.
Donate a Vehicle: ONE partners with Car Donations Services, Inc. (CDS) to provide you with an easy way to donate your car, truck, boat, RV, or motorcycle for a great cause. CDS uses multiple methods to sell vehicles - whether running or not - to maximize the value of your gift.
Learn more about all the ways you can support Orinda schools here. oneorinda.org/ways-to-give
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BUSINESS & REALTOR
PARTNER PROGRAM
| | CELEBRATING OUR PARTNERS IN BUSINESS | Last week, ONE hosted our first Business Partner Appreciation Lunch. It was a chance to gather, connect, and thank the local businesses whose generosity helps keep Orinda schools thriving. Their support not only strengthens our schools but also enriches the entire Orinda community, and we’re so grateful for their partnership. | | JOIN ONE TO SUPPORT ORINDA SCHOOLS! | |
We’re committed to keeping our schools thriving through strong financial stewardship and community engagement. Want to give back?
ONE is hiring a part-time Finance Officer (20-25 hours/week, remote-friendly) to oversee the finances. It’s a great opportunity for someone with bookkeeping and finance experience who wants to make a meaningful impact in our schools.
We’re also looking for ONE Event Committee Volunteers to help plan and support our Spring Fundraiser.
For more information, please click here.
| | SHOP TEA COLLECTION
& SUPPORT ONE | |
For a limited time from Monday, 9/22 through Saturday, 10/11, you can save 20% on your Tea Collection order and help raise funds for our six Orinda schools.
Simply enter our unique promo code - SDF25ORINDA - at checkout. You’ll enjoy the discount, and Tea Collection will donate 15% of your order back to ONE!
Don’t miss this opportunity to shop and give back to Orinda schools.
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MATS NATION WELCOMES
VILLAGE ASSOCIATES AS
EXCLUSIVE REAL ESTATE PARTNER
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MatsNation, the official Alumni Association of Miramonte, proudly introduces Village Associates Real Estate as its exclusive real estate partner for the 2025-2026 academic year.
As Orinda’s homegrown real estate firm, Village Associates is deeply rooted in the Miramonte community. More than 20 of its agents are Miramonte alumni, parents of alumni, or parents of current students—making this partnership a natural and meaningful collaboration.
“We are thrilled to partner with a local business that shares the connections and our deep commitment to the Miramonte community,” said Emily Allen, ONE Executive Director.
Through this partnership, Village Associates will support MatsNation’s mission to engage and connect Miramonte alumni, including sponsoring MatsNation’s Alumni Tailgate event at the Homecoming game on October 24th.
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TAILGATE TO CELEBRATE!
From pre-game tailgate festivities to the big Homecoming football game and a new twist on the traditional float parade, this will be a night filled with school spirit, nostalgia, and community pride.
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Miramonte High School is turning 70 - and you’re invited to the celebration! Founded in 1955, Miramonte has been a pillar of the Orinda community for generations. To mark this milestone, Miramonte administrators, teachers, alumni, coaches, Parents’ Club leaders, and students together are hosting a special 70th Anniversary Celebration and MatsNation Alumni Tailgate during Homecoming 2025 on Friday, October 24th.
Whether you’re an alumnus, parent, student, coach, teacher, or longtime supporter, this is your chance to reconnect, reminisce, and show your Mats pride. Join the entire Miramonte and Orinda community for one unforgettable evening. Wear your green & celebrate 70 Years of Miramonte excellence!
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MIRAMONTE ALUMNI 1955 FUND
Are you a Miramonte alumni? Honor Miramonte’s founding year by making a donation to Miramonte’s 1955 Fund, a legacy fund that supports the school’s greatest and most immediate needs. Your donation ensures that Miramonte continues to thrive for the next 70 years and beyond.
| | ABOUT ORINDA NETWORK FOR EDUCATION | | Orinda Network for Education (ONE) is an educational foundation that bridges the funding gap between California state funding and the actual cost to preserve and enhance every student’s educational experience at Orinda’s six public schools. To learn more, visit oneorinda.org. | | WHY DID I RECEIVE THIS MESSAGE? | | |
You have received this message because at some point in the last 20 years, you have had a student in an Orinda public school or have supported Orinda schools in the past. We’d like to stay in touch with you.
ONE sends three types of communications throughout the year - quarterly newsletters, school family announcements, and community announcements. This message is a quarterly newsletter.
If you’d like to hear from us less, please don’t Unsubscribe. Instead, take a moment to click “Update Profile” at the bottom of this message and be sure we are sending you just the communications that you would like to receive.
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