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Ways to Give

A. OUTRIGHT GIFTS

The primary focus of Notre Dame’s $12 million campaign is to raise funds for new buildings and campus improvements and for endowment. Therefore, outright gifts are the kinds of gifts most valuable to Notre Dame at this time, because they can be applied directly to the campaign.

Cash
Gifts of cash are fully deductible for federal income tax purposes.

Securities
Please alert the Advancement Office at Notre Dame of your interest in making a gift of securities by calling 610-971-4919 before you make your gift.

Appreciated securities (held longer than a year and a day) are deductible for their fair market value at the time of the gift and incur no capital gains tax.
You may either
  • deliver stock certificates directly to Notre Dame and endorse the necessary stock powers, or
  • send unendorsed stock certificates by registered mail and send the executed stock powers with a letter of instruction under separate cover to Notre Dame, or
  • deposit the securities with a bank or broker so the intermediary advises Notre Dame of the gift and executes the transfer electronically. Please have your bank or broker call the Advancement Office at 610-971-4919 for detailed transfer instructions.

Depreciated securities should be sold by you to take advantage of the deductible loss and then the proceeds are contributed to Notre Dame as a cash gift.

Gifts-in-Kind
You may also give Notre Dame valuable items or a partial interest in those items. Such items might include real estate, art, antiques, a coin collection or jewelry. They might also include such things as computer equipment, employee time or printing services.

B. PLANNED GIFTS

These gifts will be important in building Notre Dame’s endowment for the future. They should be considered when an outright gift is not possible or in addition to an outright gift. We encourage you to seek the counsel of your attorney or other financial advisor when considering any of these options.

Bequest
You leave NDA a specific amount, a specific percentage of your full estate, or your entire estate. A residuary bequest means that you leave NDA the residue of the estate after all other specific bequests are made. A contingent bequest means that you make the gift dependent on certain events, such as your heirs predeceasing you.

Retirement Funds
Unlike most other assets in you estate, which are subject to only an estate tax, retirement assets, such as an IRA, defined contribution pension plan, 401(k), and profit sharing plan that are not left to your spouse or charity, are subject to two taxes -- the estate tax and the income tax. In some cases this double taxation can exceed 80%. Instead of possibly more than 80% of your retirement funds going to the government, you can leave your retirement funds to Notre Dame and be assured that 100% of those funds will be put to good use supporting the Academy.

Charitable Gift Annuity
A charitable gift annuity is a simple contract between you and Academy of Notre Dame. In exchange for an irrevocable gift of cash or securities, Notre Dame agrees to pay you a fixed sum of money each year for life, usually not exceeding 6 percent of the gift's value. Gift annuities are created for gifts of $10,000 or more.

Charitable Annuity Trust or Unitrust
When creating a charitable annuity trust or unitrust to support Notre Dame, you irrevocably transfer assets, usually cash or securities, to a trustee of your choice, such as the Academy of Notre Dame or a bank trust department. The trustee then invests the trust's assets without paying any capital gains or other income taxes. Each year, the trustee provides a fixed dollar amount to you and other beneficiaries, such as a spouse; the amount is equal to at least 5 percent of the trust's initial value (annuity trust) or a fixed percentage of at least 5 percent of the trust's annual valuation (unitrust). Payments may be made annually, semiannually, or quarterly out of the trust's income or principal, if income is not adequate. Typically, charitable remainder trusts supporting Notre Dame are created with gifts of cash or appreciated securities ranging in value from $100,000 to $1 million or more. Real estate may be used to fund certain types of trusts as well. Charitable remainder unitrusts also can be a vehicle that will provide you with additional income for your retirement while growing tax deferred until your retirement.

Charitable Lead Trust
This is a reversionary trust. You give NDA a specified amount that is placed in a trust for a specific period. During that time, NDA receives the income, and when the trust ends, the principal reverts to you. Usually, you are not taxed on the income that goes to NDA during the life of the trust.

Charitable Remainder Trusts
You give a specific amount that is placed in a trust managed by a financial institution. You give up control of the funds but retain a life income interest in the funds. Once you and your beneficiaries die, the remainder of the funds comes to NDA. These trusts may take effect while you are still living (inter vivos charitable trust) or may be treated by your will (testamentary charitable trust).

Life Insurance
If a life insurance policy is no longer needed for its original purpose, you may name NDA as one of the beneficiaries or the sole beneficiary of your policy. You may also transfer ownership of a policy to NDA. In the case of ownership transfer and/or sole beneficiary status, the policy’s face value is removed from your taxable estate. Also, future premiums paid on the policy by you can be treated as charitable gifts, and if the policy has a cash value, you can take an immediate tax deduction.

Questions? Please Call the Academy of Notre Dame Advancement Office at 610-971-4919.

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