Support Bowdoin

Bequests are among the most popular types of planned gifts for Bowdoin alumni and friends. Large or small, bequests have provided support for important College initiatives like student financial aid, capital improvements, and departmental support. With a bequest, you:

• retain the use of assets for your full lifetime and then designate their use after your life;
• receive a deduction for estate tax purposes;
• may lower your marginal estate tax bracket as a result of the bequest; and
• may support the general purposes of the College with an unrestricted bequest or direct your gift to a specific College priority.

There are ways to support the College that will pay income to you for life — with a remainder interest coming to the College to support your particular area of interest. These gifts are referred to as life income gifts.

Charitable gift annuities

Charitable gift annuities are simple, one-page contracts under which you make a gift to the College and the College pays to you an annual sum for the remainder of your life. The minimum gift is $10,000. With a charitable gift annuity, you:

• lock in a high fixed rate of return;
• receive annual payments for life;
• benefit from a healthy charitable deduction;
• reduce your capital gains, if you make a gift of appreciated securities; and
• make a difference for Bowdoin.

Since 1998, Bowdoin has offered charitable gifts annuities as a gift vehicle for alumni and friends of the College. The program has grown from seven new gifts in 1998 to a total of 149 gift annuities under management in 2005. We currently oversee a gift annuity pool of almost $13 million.

Charitable trusts

To establish a charitable remainder trust, you irrevocably transfer assets into a trust and receive income for a term of years or for life. At the termination of the trust, the remainder comes to Bowdoin or to Bowdoin and other charities you have named. The minimum gift is $100,000. With a charitable trust, you:

• receive income for a term of years or for life;
• benefit from favorable capital gains treatment on appreciated assets;
• benefit from professional asset management;
• receive a charitable income tax deduction in the year of the gift; and
• provide valuable support for Bowdoin.

Pooled income funds

Bowdoin's pooled income funds work like mutual funds overseen by the College. The donor contributes cash or securities and receives "shares" or units in the pool. In return, the donor receives variable annual income for life. The minimum gift is $10,000. With a pooled income fund gift, you:

• receive variable annual income for life;
• choose between professionally managed funds with different investment goals;
• benefit from an income tax deduction in the year of the gift;
• may avoid some capital gains tax on appreciated securities; and
• provide valuable support for Bowdoin.