Gifts of Property

While many of the gifts that come to Bowdoin are made with cash or appreciated publicly-traded securities, other forms of property –real estate, personal property and intellectual property—often make wonderful gifts as well.

Window on gray stone building

Property can be given to the College outright or, in some cases, used to fund a life income gift or can be given to the College through a will or living trust.

If you are wondering whether your property might make a good gift to Bowdoin, please contact us early in your deliberative process so that we can ensure that it can be used by the College in the manner you intend. 

Promised Gifts Tangible Personal Property

Property That Might Make a Good Gift

  • A primary residence, seasonal home, timber lot or other undeveloped real estate, or, in some circumstances, commercial property
  • Works of art and other collectibles such as rare books or antiques
  • Publication royalties, copyrights, patent and mineral rights
  • Privately held securities and interests in limited liability partnerships
Irma and William Thalheimer
Donor Story
Learn about Bill ’27 and Irma Thalheimer’s retained life estate agreement.
Elroy LaCasce
Donor Story
Learn about Professor Roy LaCasce ’44 and his bequest of his home and summer cottage.

Ways to Give Property

Gifts of property start with a conversation with the College to determine if the property can be accepted and what the timing of the gift might be. Gifts of property can be made in the following ways:

  • An outright gift of property during your lifetime.
  • A bequest of property after your lifetime through a bequest provision in a will or living trust.
  • A retained life estate in real property, where a home or farm is transferred to the College, but you retain the use for your lifetime.
  • A transfer of property into a charitable remainder trust in exchange for an income stream for life or a term up to 20 years.
  • A transfer of income-producing property into a charitable lead trust to fund a your philanthropic plans for a term of years, allowing the property to appreciate over the term and revert back to the you or pass to the next generation or transfer into another CLT or to a charitable remainder trust.
  • An irrevocable promised gift of your personal property to be made at some time in the future that is binding on your estate.

Each way to give property—whether real estate or personal property—has certain benefits including tax benefits. In many, but not all circumstances, a gift of property may generate an available federal charitable deduction for income tax purposes but requires a qualified appraisal per IRS regulations.

Bowdoin Pines Society

When you make a gift of property to the Bowdoin through a gift planning arrangement (bequest, CRT, or promised gift), you will be welcomed into the Bowdoin Pines Society.

Interested in making a gift of property?

If you are interested in making a gift of property, you should consult with your financial or legal advisors and then contact Nancy Milam or Liz Armstrong to discuss your plans to support Bowdoin. We are happy to assist your attorney and other advisors in designing the most suitable gift plan for you.
Please note that we are prohibited from giving legal or financial advice and none of the information above should be interpreted as such. We encourage you to consult with your own legal counsel or financial advisor before deciding whether or not to proceed with a gift.