Planned Giving Options
Charitable Bequest - Any charitable gift that
comes from someone's estate either through their will or other trust
document. This could include a fixed dollar amount, a percentage
of the estate, or the remainder of the estate after other specific
gifts have been completed. We recommend that you work directly with
an attorney that you know and trust when establishing a charitable
bequest. We can provide some resources and assistance to you during
this process. For more information, please contact the EMU Development
office or request a copy of our booklet entitled "A Guide to
Planned Giving" at the bottom of this page.
Gift Annuities - A simple contract that provides
a fixed payment to you for the rest your life in exchange for a
gift to EMU/EMS. The payment rate is somewhat dependent upon your
age. In most cases, a portion of the income you receive is tax-free.
Older donors can find this to be a very attractive option to consider
because it provides a high level of current income to the donor.
For more information, please request additional information at the
bottom of this page.
Charitable Remainder Trusts - A trust that provides
income back to the donor(s) for a period of years or their lifetime.
The balance remaining in the trust after the income beneficiaries
have passed away is distributed to the charities of your choice.
These trusts are often funded with real estate or appreciated stock.
The income payments may be either fixed or variable depending upon
the wishes of the donor(s). More details are provided in "A
Guide for Planned Giving" which is available below.
Gifts of Stock - Appreciated securities provide
an excellent way for donors to make charitable gifts and avoid being
taxed on the capital gain. They still receive the tax deduction
for their gift but experience relief from capital gains taxation.
For more information concerning gifts of stock, please contact the
EMU Development office or request our planned giving booklet below.
Gifts of Real Estate - When an individual or couple
sells a piece of real estate (other than their personal residence)
that they have owned for many years, they are often faced with significant
capital gains on which to pay taxes. It can sometimes be helpful
to make a charitable gift of a fractional undivided interest in
the property prior to its sale. There is additional information
about gifts of real estate in "A Guide to Planned Giving"
available below.
Gifts of Retirement Plans - The best asset to contribute
to charity through your estate is often the remainder left in your
retirement account after your lifetime. This asset will be subject
to both income and estate taxes and therefore will be the most heavily
taxed asset that is part of your estate. Individuals can choose
to give part or all of the remainder in their retirement plan. More
information about this way to contribute to EMU is available by
requesting the planned giving booklet below.
Gifts of Life Insurance - Under certain circumstances
the best way to contribute may be through a life insurance policy
with EMU/EMS as the beneficiary. If we are the owner of the policy
then your premium payments are also deductible as a charitable gift.
Existing life insurance policies that are no longer needed can be
an excellent asset to give. For more information contact the EMU
Development Office or request the booklet entitled "A Guide
to Planned Giving" below.
Charitable Lead Trust - An estate planning tool
that allows you to transfer the income from an asset to charity
but have the asset itself revert to your family after a period of
years. This can be an excellent planning tool for those individuals
and couples that are most concerned about the effects of estate
taxes upon their heirs. Request additional information below if
you are interested.
Eastern Mennonite University and Eastern Mennonite Seminary work
closely with the Mennonite Foundation to offer some of the charitable
gift plans listed above. They provide excellent resources to us
in the area of planned giving. (Please review the Donor Bill of
Rights.)
For more information you can receive our new booklet entitled "A
Guide to Planned Giving" by request at devoffice@emu.edu or
call 1-800-368-3383.
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