Bequests | Life Income Gifts and Trusts
Planning Giving Contact | GiftLaw Newsletter

Planned Giving

Thank you for your interest in providing a gift for the future of Defiance College. We are pleased to offer assistance with this process.

Why make a gift?
There are many different reasons that might move you to make a charitable gift:

• The desire to help others
  
• To perpetuate one's beliefs, values or ideals
  
• To "give back" to an organization that has had an impact on your life
  

Whatever your reason, the US tax law is designed to encourage this type of giving

Do you have a will?
If not, the government essentially writes one for you – distributing your property to heirs according to a set pattern, without regard to your actual wishes. This is why it is essential for everyone to draft a will and keep it updated to reflect your specific intentions. A will allows you to leave the kind of legacy that celebrates your life and ideals.

Bequests
Many alumni and friends have included Defiance College in their estate plans through a bequest. A bequest allows you to support DC in many ways. For instance, you may choose to continue a pattern of unrestricted giving that you maintained during your lifetime, or you may create an endowment to provide scholarships or to support a specific academic program. The possibilities are endless. We encourage you to meet with an estate-planning attorney to discuss ways to include a bequest to Defiance College in your will.

Our development staff is ready to assist you as well. We will work with your advisor(s), offering sample language and providing specific information on College programs that you might choose to support.

Life Income Gifts and Trusts
Defiance College has a rich tradition of providing alumni and friends with opportunities to support the College while receiving an income from their gifts.

A gift annuity is a very simple, easy-to-understand arrangement between an individual and Defiance College. Once a gift is made the College promises to pay an income to the donor, or whomever he or she designates, for the life of that person.

Individuals have used Trusts for centuries to provide care for loved ones, manage investments, insure privacy, obtain tax advantages and support charitable organizations, like Defiance College. Charitable trusts are very flexible instruments. They allow for specific tailoring to meet the income and investment needs of the donor while providing for a charitable gift.

A popular life income option is a charitable remainder trust. Like a gift annuity, charitable trusts provide an individual with a stream of income. The trust can be tailored to fit the individual’s unique circumstances by adjusting the percentage payout rate, the term of payment and even the investment “mix” of the trust. This type of trust allows an individual to make a gift to charity, avoid some tax liability and obtain a tax deduction.

Two specific types of charitable trusts are: the annuity trust and the unitrust.

• Annuity trusts pay a fixed annual amount of income to the donor, or her/his designated beneficiary for life or a term of years.
  
• The unitrust pays a percentage of the trust's value to an income beneficiary for life or a specified number of years.
• With either of these options, at the conclusion of the trust's term, the balance of the trust funds are transferred to a charitable organization, such as Defiance College
  
  

At Defiance College, we offer a complete range of charitable trust planning and administrative services including trust management at little or no cost. We provide assistance to estate planning attorneys, financial planners, and other members of your "team" of advisors to fashion a charitable trust plan that meet your objectives and help you create a meaningful gift to Defiance College.

If you would like to know more about life income plans to benefit you and Defiance College, please contact Cindy Shaffer, Director of Planned Giving, directly at (419) 783-2306 or by email at cshaffer@defiance.edu. You may also use our toll free number 1-800-520-4632. Ask for Cindy.