Your Giving Options

We understand that the financial needs of you and your family come first. With our gift planning options, everyone benefits, because The University Foundation, CSU, Chico, (acting as the trustee) provides for your needs now, and your gift provides for the University later.

Working with your attorney and tax professional, we can help you create a plan that suits your personal circumstances and blends your philanthropic giving with your financial and tax planning goals.

We encourage you to explore the possibilities and opportunities for creative gift planning that will fit your objectives.

Common Gift-Planning Strategies

• Appreciated Investments—real estate, securities, mutual funds, or business interests
• Bequests by Will or Living Trust—designate either a specific dollar amount or a percentage of your estate
• Donor Advised Fund—take advantage of a flexible opportunity to suggest a variety of uses for your gifts
• Life Income Gifts—receive income and a tax deduction—Examples:
  • Charitable Gift Annuities
  • Charitable Remainder Trusts
  • Charitable Lead Trusts
• Life Insurance—contribute an existing policy or establish a new policy, naming The University Foundation, CSU, Chico, as owner or beneficiary
• Retirement Accounts—name The University Foundation, CSU, Chico, as a beneficiary of your retirement account

Appreciated Investments (Tax-Advantaged Gifts)

Most any asset that has grown in value can result in significant taxation when it is sold. You may have a creative alternative. A contribution of real estate or invested securities( PDF 81 KB ) can enable you to enjoy attractive personal benefits while at the same time supporting your favorite projects.

Your gift of an appreciated asset may provide you with:

1. tax deduction equal to the asset's current fair market value,
2. avoidance of the gains tax upon the sale,
3. increased income with certain gift plans, and
4. reduced or eliminated estate taxes.

What About Your Personal Residence or Farm ?

You may transfer the legal title of your home or farm to The University Foundation, CSU, Chico, and retain the right to live there for life. Still, you'll receive an immediate income tax deduction based upon your age and the value of your home or farm at the time of the gift.

Bequests by Will or Living Trust

A living trust lets you provide for yourself and your family before and after your death. It has built-in flexibility because it allows you to manage your assets.

Living trusts are fully revocable, so you can change or terminate them at any time during your life. With an irrevocable trust, you give up this power, generally in order to save income taxes. But even though you reserve the right to change your mind, the possibility of major estate tax savings remains with a living trust.

Your estate planning advisor can use this sample language( PDF 17 KB ) when creating your bequest gift to CSU, Chico.

Donor Advised Funds

Donor Advised Funds are charitable-giving vehicles that provide a simple and flexible way to manage your charitable giving. You can enjoy immediate and maximum tax advantages, make awards on a flexible time table, build your charitable legacy, and increase your philanthropic funds for future awards.

Please take a moment to review our Donor Advised Fund Program( PDF 42 KB ) to see if this option is right for you.

Life Income Gifts

Charitable Gift Annuity—enables you to enjoy a fixed annuity for life, some of which may be tax-free, and to receive an immediate charitable deduction.

Charitable Remainder Trust—allows you to receive income for life or a fixed term of years, receive an immediate income tax deduction, pay no capital gains tax, and reduce your estate tax.

Charitable Lead Trust—lets you transfer an asset to a trust during life or at death which pays a stipulated income to The University Foundation, CSU, Chico, for a fixed number of years or a lifetime. At the end of the trust term, the asset is returned either to you or to another beneficiary, such as your spouse or child.

Life Insurance

If you're thinking about a contribution to the CSU, Chico University Foundation, a gift of your life insurance could be a sensible as well as generous course of action:

• You save taxes this year through a charitable deduction when you name us the beneficiary and assign us ownership of the cash value.
• You may increase spendable income when you no longer have to pay policy premiums. Or make the gift and continue paying the premiums; then you can claim the premium amount as an annual tax deduction.
• You reduce estate taxes because the proceeds are completely removed from your taxable estate so long as you do not retain any incidents of ownership.

Retirement Accounts

Did you know that your retirement plan assets are facing double taxation?

If you leave the assets to your heirs, you'll generate a tax liability for them known as “income in respect of a decedent.” This is basically an income tax for your heirs, in addition to any estate taxation.

Therefore, the value which your family receives can be reduced by estate taxes, and the beneficiary's income taxation.

Your decision of who should receive the remainder depends on your family's circumstances; their needs come first. However, if you can make suitable provisions for them, there's a better option for your retirement plan assets—a charitable gift, because a charity will receive the full value with no taxes.