Destiny: Delivered Giving
Planning Your Gift TO THE CAMPAIGN

Multi-Year Pledges

Most donors to each phase of the campaign will choose to make a commitment that is completed over three to five years. These pledges can provide greater flexibility to the donor and can maximize allowable tax deductions. Campaign commitments are typically custom-designed with the assistance of a gift officer and completed with a campaign pledge form or a letter of intent.

Creative Ways To Support the Campaign

We recognize that commitments to the campaign require important decisions by our donors. Gifts to the campaign may be designed to meet each donor’s needs and preferences and be beneficial to Birmingham-Southern College. Gifts may take the form of cash or cash equivalents, be fulfilled through a wide variety of planned or deferred instruments, or be in the form of real estate or personal property.

Below we have highlighted some of the more common methods that may be utilized, but this information is meant only as a guide. Donors are encouraged to contact the Office of Institutional Advancement for detailed assistance from one of the gift officers. Further, your own attorney and financial advisor should be consulted in order to incorporate gifts to the campaign into a personal and family financial plan.

---

WAYS OF GIVING

Cash

Donors can make cash gifts and pledge payments in the form of a check made payable to Birmingham-Southern College or by using VISA, MasterCard or Discover. The college will also help the donor facilitate regular gifts and pledge payments through electronic funds transfer.

Securities

Many donors fulfill commitments by gifting stock or securities to the college. BSC will credit securities to the donor at the mean value between the high and low on the date the donor relinquishes dominion and control of the assets to BSC. Neither losses nor gains realized by the college after delivery of securities will affect the value credited to the donor. Donors and their brokers should take care to inform the college that a stock transfer is imminent to ensure that the transaction is completed in a timely way. Donors with appreciated securities should strongly consider gifting the stock to BSC prior to a sale in order to reduce capital gains liability.

Real Estate or Personal Property

Gifts of real estate or other personal property must be reviewed in advance by the college and may require approval by the Board of Trustees. Donors considering such a gift should contact a gift officer for assistance. BSC will credit major gifts of real estate or personal property (typically art, jewelry or furniture) at the full fair-market value placed upon them by an independent appraiser, usually contracted and paid for by the donor. Should real estate be sold, losses or gains will not affect the gift value credited upon receipt of the property. The college will not furnish an appraisal for IRS purposes, regardless of the gift value.

Insurance Policies

BSC must be both the beneficiary and owner of an insurance policy before the policy can be counted as a campaign gift. The college will determine the gift amount of an insurance vehicle at its cash surrender value as the amount of the gift. Fully paid-up, or otherwise vested, life insurance policies may be counted in one of two ways:

• The cash surrender value, counted as a current outright gift; or,
• The death benefit value, counted at both the face value and the discounted present value.

Bequests

Bequests received during the campaign will be counted at full value. BSC will include bequest intentions toward the campaign goals under the following circumstances:

• The donor is at least 65 years of age;
• The commitment is for a single life, or if a double life, the second donor also meets the above age limitations;
• The will states a specified amount or percentage of the estate, based on a credible estimate of the future value of the estate; and,
• A copy of the relevant portion of the instrument accompanies the commitment.

Bequest expectancies are accepted and counted at a discounted amount for ages 40 to 64 years.

Life Income Gifts

BSC will accept charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder unitrusts, deferred payment charitable gift annuities and similar life income agreements at the full market value at the time the assets are transferred to the college.

Trusts Administered by Others

Where the college is the irrevocable beneficiary of a trust administered by another fiduciary, the campaign credit will be for the full market value and the net present value of the principal at the time the trust is established.

Charitable Lead Trusts

BSC will count the income received from the trust during the campaign period at the full face value in combination with the net present value of the remainder of the income that exceeds the life of the campaign.

Corporate Matching Gifts

All matching gifts will follow the donor’s gift designation—unless corporate policy indicates otherwise—and be included toward the donor’s gift commitment and recognition.