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 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. Details for gifts of marketable securities.

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.