Planned Gifts are Transformational for Excelsior University’s Future

 
A planned or legacy gift is a charitable contribution that is designated for a future date and is often part of a formal financial or estate plan. Planned giving offers a variety of ways for donors to structure contributions to Excelsior to maximize benefits for both the donors and the University.

Planned gifts often include special financial, investment, tax, or legal considerations and might involve assets other than cash, such as securities, retirement funds, or life insurance. Creative gifts of assets can provide donors with charitable deductions and can offer additional tax savings as well.

Excelsior’s planned giving options include:

A popular and enduring planned gift is a charitable bequest, which is a gift made through your will. Bequests are popular because they give you the opportunity to leave your legacy. When you make a charitable bequest, you retain full use of your property during life, so there is no disruption of your lifestyle and no immediate out-of-pocket cost.
 
To make a bequest, you will designate a part of your estate that passes directly to Excelsior University. Since a charitable bequest can take many forms, you have flexibility in how you make this designation. For example, you can leave:

  • a specific asset
  • a specific sum of money
  • a percentage of your estate
  • what remains of your estate after you have provided for all of your other beneficiaries.

You can state exactly how you want your bequest to be put to use. Or you can provide an unrestricted bequest that can be used whenever and wherever it’s needed most. Most importantly, you remain in complete control of the planning process.
We recognize donors who have made a provision in their will in our Legacy Society.


You can name Excelsior University as one of the beneficiaries of your retirement account or life insurance policy through a beneficiary designation form. Excelsior can be included as a partial, full or contingent beneficiary. Gifts made by designation pass tax-free to the university and avoid probate. You can also make Excelsior University the owner of a life insurance policy and any premiums paid by you are also tax-deductible. We recognize donors who have made a provision in their will in our Legacy Society.

A donor advised fund (DAF) is a powerful philanthropic vehicle that maximizes the impact of your gift to Excelsior University, as well as gifts to other qualified charitable organizations. By establishing a donor advised fund, you can increase the impact of your charitable giving while eliminating the expense and legal complexity of operating a private fund. You receive a tax deduction for all gifts made to your DAF and then can make gifts in subsequent years.

Reduce your taxes while increasing your impact. If you are 70 ½ years of age or older and have a traditional individual retirement account (IRA), you can make a gift to Excelsior University through an IRA charitable rollover. You can donate up to $100,000 in the calendar year and satisfy part or all of your required minimum distribution. Gifts must be made directly to Excelsior University from your plan administrator. You will not be taxed on the withdrawal but will not be able to deduct your gift from your taxes if using this IRA rollover provision.

Make a gift of publicly traded securities to Excelsior University and potentially save income tax and capital gains tax, too.
The Excelsior team is available to answer your questions and will work with you on each step of the process.

Contact

To begin this important conversation, contact Jamie Hicks-Furgang, Assistant Vice President of Development and Alumni Engagement