Planned and memorial giving
Create a legacy
Anyone with the sincere desire to help others can leave a legacy. Through planned giving, your generosity can create a lasting impact with endless possibilities. By transforming programs, providing scholarships or naming professorships and chairs, planned gifts make an incredible difference across the ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø.
A planned gift can be any gift made through a donor's estate planning instrument, such as a will, trust or IRA designation. Planned giving allows the donor to provide meaningful support in the manner they choose, in addition to possible financial and tax benefits to themselves and their family.
Cornerstone Legacy Society
On July 4, 1915, Judge James Wickersham placed a cornerstone where the University of Alaska ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø came to be. That cornerstone now stands as a symbol for those dedicated to the university and its mission of enriching lives and engaging our communities, state, nation and world through our teaching, research and service work.
Members of the Cornerstone Legacy Society continue this mission by creating a legacy that will inspire for many more years to come. This society recognizes donors who have made provisions to include UAF in their estate plans at any amount.
Benefits
As part of the Cornerstone Legacy Society, you are creating an impact for a cause that is most important to you. You’ll also receive the annual Cornerstone Legacy Society newsletter, recognition in UAF Development publications (unless your prefer to remain anonymous) and special invitations to UAF programs and events.
Planned giving
Anyone can make a planned gift, and there is no minimum amount. Some gifts may require legal documents drafted by an attorney, while others can be done by the donor. Planned gifts should be part of an overall estate plan. The following are brief descriptions of some options for planned giving opportunities. Donors are encouraged to always seek legal advice when making their estate plans.​
Perhaps the easiest deferred gift to make is through a will or living trust, written such that upon the donor’s death, a gift is made from the trust or estate to the university. A simple sentence or two added to an existing will or trust can serve to make the bequest. In addition, the donor may change the bequest at any time by changing the wording in the will or trust. Specific bequests restricted to support a single campus or program are also possible. For information about wording your bequest, please see the .
- Charitable gift annuity — This is the simplest and easiest form of such gifts. A lump sum is provided to
the UA Foundation. The foundation in return makes payments in set amounts to the annuitant
for a term of years or for life. A simple contract is all that is needed to create
such a gift.
- Charitable remainder trust — The donor establishes a formal trust that provides income payments to the donor for life. Upon death, the amount remaining in the trust is distributed to the university.
- Homes or personal residences — Individuals can donate homes or personal residences to the university and retain
the right to continue living in the facility until their death. The donor pays all
the expenses of owning the property (taxes, maintenance, etc.) but receives a charitable
tax deduction in the year the gift is made.
- Charitable lead trust — The donor establishes a formal trust that provides income to the university during the donor’s lifetime (or a term of years). Upon death, the trust is distributed to heirs free of estate tax. Donors with the potential of high estate tax liabilities may be interested in this type of trust.
Insurance policies and retirement plans allow you to name one or more beneficiaries to receive the assets upon your death. A life insurance policy may also be given outright as a gift to the university.
Memorial giving
A memorial gift offers donors a thoughtful way to remember a loved one and makes a lasting contribution to ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø' vital mission and its students.
There is no limit to the number of donors who can contribute to a memorial fund. To extend the opportunity to make a contribution in memory of a loved one to their family and friends, you can offer giving in lieu of flowers and/or reach out explaining an opportunity to support a scholarship fund.
Contact us
Letting UAF know of your plans does not obligate you in any way, but it does allow us to strategically plan for the future. Knowing about your future support goes a long way in encouraging UAF to reach for and achieve new levels of excellence.
If you have already made estate provisions for UAF, we hope that you will share those plans with us and we can ensure that your intentions will be met. In this way, we are able to be the best possible steward and guardian of your eventual gift.
If you would like more information, we are happy to discuss gift planning options
to match your wishes. We can also work with your financial advisor and/or attorney
and your family members. Please call us at 907-474-2619 or email us at uaf-giving@alaska.edu to schedule a confidential conversation about gift planning with one of our team members.