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Planned Giving

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Donor Stories

 

Bequests

Shepard sistersPrivate, Humble Lives: Alumnae Quietly Create Groundbreaking Gift
Devoted, humble, and private—this is how Doug and Connie Holy describe their friend, neighbor, and son’s godparent, the late Mary Hopkinson Shepard, CCAS BA ’64, and her twin sister, the late Josephine Ross Shepard, CCAS BA ’65.

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Mary H. GrantSupporting Those Who Serve
Through a planned gift, Mary H. Grant, CCAS MPhil, PhD, established the "Grant-Ahart Navy ROTC Prize," an endowed prize awarded annually to an undergraduate Navy ROTC student, with a preference for those interested in international affairs.

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Keith GreeneGW Alumnus Makes Giving Back a Priority
For 40 years, Keith Greene has given his time to the George Washington University, so it only makes sense that he's also leaving a financial legacy to his alma mater.

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Diane LuckmannFurthering a Legacy With a Future Gift
From the classroom to the emergency room to the ballroom, Diane Luckmann, School of Medicine and Health Sciences MD '59, has always loved to learn — and been inspired to lead.

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A Volunteer’s Legacy


Char Beales, BA’73, CCAS, and her husband, Howard, a professor in the GW School of Business, share why their involvement at GW has been so meaningful to them and how that led them to establish the Char Beales Endowed Professorship of Accountability in Journalism in GW’s School of Media and Public Affairs.

 

CoresAlumni Say Thanks Through a Planned Gift to GW
For alumni Jim and Wendy Core, that place is the Elliott School of International Affairs. The school helped launch their careers, introduced them to lifelong friends, and connected them to their future spouses—each other.

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Our Legacy: A Perfect Fit


GW Psychology Professor Carol Sigelman shares why she and her late husband, former GW Professor Lee Sigelman, established bequests to support the areas of GW that mean the most to them.

Fifty Years of GW Memories


Les, BA ’63, JD ’68, MBA ’80, and Kathy Megyeri, MA ’69, MA 82, share how they met at GW, their first date, and how their connection to their alma mater has grown stronger since supporting the university in their estate plan.

A Legacy in the Arts at GW


Marc Albert, board co-chair for the GW Museum, discusses what led to his decision to support the arts at GW through his estate plan.

 

Marie SansoneGiving to Make the World a Better Place
As an environmental lawyer, pioneering public health professional, and former head of Washington, D.C.’s disease prevention and treatment agency, Marie Sansone, BA ’78, has built an impressive career helping those in need.  Read More

 

HarlanBuzzing With Discovery: Harlan Bequest Supports New Generation of Scientists
Student researchers in GW’s Department of Biological Sciences are tackling some of the world’s greatest scientific mysteries thanks to a gift from 1935 alumnus Wilbur V. Harlan.  Read More

 

KennedyProfessor Roger Kennedy: Telling the American Story
Former GW professor of American Studies Roger G. Kennedy held many important responsibilities during his long and successful career: he served six U.S. presidents, brought Dorothy's ruby slippers to the Smithsonian Institution, and opened doors to a GW education.   Read More

BeckSpheres of Influence: Sylven Beck and the Impact of a Life
Sylven Beck has made a career of influencing others. But not in the way one might expect in the nation's capital: For the last 30 years, Beck has been a professor of elementary education at the George Washington University.   Read More

 

WeissAlumna's Bequest Will Benefit Distance-Learning Students, Memorialize Aunt
Annetta Weiss, BA '65 always knew she wanted to give back, but the where, why, and how of philanthropy was intimidating. Read More

 

MegyeriA Donor's Perspective: The Gift of Giving to GW, By Kathy and Les Megyeri
GW supporters Les and Kathy Megyeri share why they are inspired to give.   Read More

 

Beneficiary Designations

CurtisAlumnus Tom Curtis: Giving Back, Looking Forward
GW looks much different from when Tom Curtis attended in the 1960s, but he believes the heart of the university remains unchanged: students and faculty who want to make a difference in the world.   Read More

 

CGAs

Bill SnowEconomics Informs Artist's Creative Gift to GW
You don't need a PhD in economics to understand the benefits of making a planned gift. Just ask Bill Snow, an accomplished painter who also has three degrees, including a doctorate in economics, from GW.

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ReynoldsDo As Much Good As You Can
Mildred Reynolds, Ed.D. '78, credits her family for the spirit of philanthropy that has inspired her to give back to the people and institutions that have influenced her life, especially the George Washington University.  Read More

 

CRTs

Jay Baraff'GW Man' Takes Pride in Supporting Future Students
"My father was a newspaper deliveryman. He was the guy the kids delivering papers worked for," Baraff said. "My father was the hardest working man I knew. My parents did everything they could for me — but I didn't look to them for help with college." Read More

 

William OakleyGift Provides 'Meaningful Education'
To hear William "Bill" Oakley, MS GWSB '71, tell it, his time at GW helped put rugs under his feet and a roof over his head — so he's giving it all back and then some.  Read More

 

Real Estate

BergThirty Years and Counting 
David Berg, BS '68 has supported George Washington University for over 30 years. His gift of real estate opens doors at GW to students like Amzaray Ahmed, BS '14: "It's nice to know there's someone out there who cares. It's a real person out there who wants to help," says Amzaray Ahmed, BS '14.  Read More

 

Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs)

Julianne Thomas and Richard SalernoGW Alumni Donors Answer the Call
In 1988, Dr. Julianne Thomas, CCAS BA '67, received a call from GW's annual fund asking for a pledge. The former zoology major turned pediatrician said she would give, but only to an endowed scholarship for students in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. Read More

 

Impact of Gifts

Thomas MallonProfessor Thomas Mallon: Bringing the Arts to Life
Professor of English Thomas Mallon reflects on how one gift has enormously impacted GW's Creative Writing Program.   Read More

 

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Information contained herein was accurate at the time of posting. The information on this website is not intended as legal or tax advice. For such advice, please consult an attorney or tax advisor. Figures cited in any examples are for illustrative purposes only. References to tax rates include federal taxes only and are subject to change. State law may further impact your individual results. Annuities are subject to regulation by the State of California. Payments under such agreements, however, are not protected or otherwise guaranteed by any government agency or the California Life and Health Insurance Guarantee Association. A charitable gift annuity is not regulated by the Oklahoma Insurance Department and is not protected by a guaranty association affiliated with the Oklahoma Insurance Department. Charitable gift annuities are not regulated by and are not under the jurisdiction of the South Dakota Division of Insurance.

A charitable bequest is one or two sentences in your will or living trust that leave to the George Washington University a specific item, an amount of money, a gift contingent upon certain events or a percentage of your estate.

an individual or organization designated to receive benefits or funds under a will or other contract, such as an insurance policy, trust or retirement plan

"I give to the George Washington University, a nonprofit corporation currently located at 1922 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20052, or its successor thereto, ______________ [written amount or percentage of the estate or description of property] for its unrestricted use and purpose."

able to be changed or cancelled

A revocable living trust is set up during your lifetime and can be revoked at any time before death. They allow assets held in the trust to pass directly to beneficiaries without probate court proceedings and can also reduce federal estate taxes.

cannot be changed or cancelled

tax on gifts generally paid by the person making the gift rather than the recipient

the original value of an asset, such as stock, before its appreciation or depreciation

the growth in value of an asset like stock or real estate since the original purchase

the price a willing buyer and willing seller can agree on

The person receiving the gift annuity payments.

the part of an estate left after debts, taxes and specific bequests have been paid

a written and properly witnessed legal change to a will

the person named in a will to manage the estate, collect the property, pay any debt, and distribute property according to the will

A donor advised fund is an account that you set up but which is managed by a nonprofit organization. You contribute to the account, which grows tax-free. You can recommend how much (and how often) you want to distribute money from that fund to GW or other charities. You cannot direct the gifts.

An endowed gift can create a new endowment or add to an existing endowment. The principal of the endowment is invested and a portion of the principal’s earnings are used each year to support our mission.

Tax on the growth in value of an asset—such as real estate or stock—since its original purchase.

Securities, real estate, or any other property having a fair market value greater than its original purchase price.

Real estate can be a personal residence, vacation home, timeshare property, farm, commercial property, or undeveloped land.

A charitable remainder trust provides you or other named individuals income each year for life or a period not exceeding 20 years from assets you give to the trust you create.

You give assets to a trust that pays our organization set payments for a number of years, which you choose. The longer the length of time, the better the potential tax savings to you. When the term is up, the remaining trust assets go to you, your family or other beneficiaries you select. This is an excellent way to transfer property to family members at a minimal cost.

You fund this type of trust with cash or appreciated assets—and may qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction when you itemize. You can also make additional gifts; each one also qualifies for a tax deduction. The trust pays you, each year, a variable amount based on a fixed percentage of the fair market value of the trust assets. When the trust terminates, the remaining principal goes to GW as a lump sum.

You fund this trust with cash or appreciated assets—and may qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction when you itemize. Each year the trust pays you or another named individual the same dollar amount you choose at the start. When the trust terminates, the remaining principal goes to GW as a lump sum.

A beneficiary designation clearly identifies how specific assets will be distributed after your death.

A charitable gift annuity involves a simple contract between you and GW where you agree to make a gift to GW and we, in return, agree to pay you (and someone else, if you choose) a fixed amount each year for the rest of your life.
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