An Investment for the Future
When you include a gift to Georgia College & State University in your overall estate plan, you open up a world of opportunity for future Georgia College students, giving them the tools they need to achieve great things. Through a legacy gift, you can ensure that Georgia College will continue to provide a liberal arts education to a new generation of students. By making a legacy gift during your lifetime, you will help Georgia College sustain and grow our programs for decades to come. Beyond the benefits your legacy gift will provide to Georgia College, it can also provide real benefits to you, including substantial tax advantages.
Popular types of Legacy Gifts
Gift in Your Will or Living Trusts
By including a bequest to the GCSU Foundation in your will or living trust, you are ensuring that we can continue our mission for years to come. We can provide you with sample language for any of the following bequest options:
- Specific Gift in Your Will. A specific Gift in Your Will involves making a gift of a specific asset such as real estate, a car, other property or a gift for a specific dollar amount. For example, you may wish to leave your home or $25,000 to the Georgia College & State University Foundation.
- Percentage Gift in Your Will. Another kind of specific Gift in Your Will involves leaving a specific percentage of your overall estate to charity. For example, you may wish to leave 10% of your estate to the Georgia College & State University Foundation.
- Residual Gift in Your Will. A residual Gift in Your Will is made from the balance of an estate after the will or trust has given away each of the specific Gifts in Your Will. A common residual Gift in Your Will involves leaving a percentage of the residue of the estate to charity. For example, you may wish to leave 30% of the residue of your estate to the Georgia College & State University Foundation.
- Contingent Gift in Your Will. A contingent Gift in Your Will is made to charity only if the purpose of the primary Gift in Your Will cannot be met. For example, you could leave specific property, such as a vacation home, to a relative, but the Gift in Your Will language could provide that if the relative is not alive at the time of your death, the vacation home will go to the Georgia College & State University Foundation
Beneficiary Designations
Name the GCSU Foundation as a beneficiary to receive assets such as retirement plans and life insurance policies. You simply fill out a form that is entirely separate from your will—which makes this approach an easy way to give. The most popular examples of these types of gifts are:
- IRA and retirement plans (401(k), 403(b),
- Life insurance policies
- Commercial annuities
Gifts that pay you income
When you are looking for ways to support Georgia College, you shouldn't feel like you are choosing between your philanthropic goals and financial security. We can help you establish these simple charitable giving vehicles that will provide for you and help Georgia College plan for the future:
- Charitable Gift Annuities
- Charitable Remainder Trusts
Corinthian Society
Members of the Corinthian Society have expressed their commitment to Georgia College through a very special and important form of financial support. These individuals have named the Georgia College & State University Foundation as a beneficiary of a legacy gift. Once you finish your estate plans, please let us know. We would like to thank you for your generosity by including you in the Corinthian Society!
Membership involves no dues, obligations, or solicitations, but it does allow us to thank you and recognize you for the plans you have made, and it may inspire generosity in others. Benefits of membership in the Corinthian Society also include an annual recognition event with the university president and invitations to other special events on campus, as well as quarterly news updates on the school.
The most important benefit you will receive from joining the Corinthian Society is the satisfaction derived from making a lasting contribution to our long-term success.
As you consider your options, please consult with your attorney or tax professional to discuss which type of legacy gift would be most advantageous for you. Click here for more information on Legacy Giving or call Dan Lavery at 478-445-1236.