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Planning Your Legacy

Lawrence University's liberal arts & sciences college and Conservatory of Music is committed to providing an environment for our students to pursue passions, spark change, and shine more brilliantly than they ever imagined. Your desire to make a difference and leave a lasting legacy helps strengthen Lawrence's mission. Consider making an impact for students and faculty through a planned gift. These types of charitable arrangements may provide tax and other benefits to you while supporting Lawrence.

Our Mission

Planning Your Legacy

Your desire to make a difference and leave a lasting legacy helps strengthen Lawrence's mission. Consider making an impact for students and faculty through a planned gift. These types of charitable arrangements may provide tax and other benefits to you while supporting Lawrence.

Our Mission
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Make a Future Gift of Retirement Assets

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Thank you for considering a IRA gift to us. A sample letter is available to send to your DAF provider. You may save and print the PDF of your letter. If you have email contact information for your DAF provider, you may send a PDF copy of your DAF letter or you may copy and paste the text into an email. You will need to enter the amount of your recommended grant and your DAF account number on the letter before mailing. If you would like to notify us of your generous gift, please complete the Notify us of your DAF Gift section.

Beneficiary Designation Gifts

Make a Future Gift of Retirement Assets

Donating part or all of your unused retirement assets, such as your IRA, 401(k), 403(b), pension or other tax-deferred plan, is an excellent way to make a gift to Lawrence University.

If you are like most people, you probably will not use all of your retirement assets during your lifetime. You can make a gift of your unused retirement assets to help further our mission.

Flowchart: Donor executes designation form with account custodian to designate LU as beneficiary of a retirement, investment or bank account.

Benefits of gifts of retirement assets

  • Simplify your planning
  • Support the causes that you care about
  • Continue to use your account as long as you need to
  • Heirs can instead receive tax-advantaged assets from the estate
  • Receive potential estate tax savings from an estate tax deduction

How to make a gift of retirement assets

To leave your retirement assets to Lawrence University, you will need to complete a beneficiary designation form provided by your retirement plan custodian. If you designate Lawrence University as beneficiary, we will benefit from the full value of your gift because your retirement assets will not be taxed at your death. Your estate will benefit from an estate tax charitable deduction for the gift.

Future gifts from your retirement assets

Did you know that 40%-60% of your retirement assets may be taxed if you leave them to your heirs at your death? Another option is to leave your heirs assets that receive a step up in basis, such as real estate and stock, and give the retirement assets to Lawrence University. As a charity, we are not taxed upon receiving an IRA or other retirement plan assets. You can use the "Make a Future Gift of Retirement Assets" tool to contact your retirement plan custodian and designate a future gift to Lawrence University.

Contact us

If you have any questions about gifts of retirement assets, please contact us. We would be happy to assist you and answer any questions that you have.

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Lawrence-Downer Legacy Circle

The Lawrence-Downer Legacy Circle recognizes alumni, parents and friends who remember Lawrence through a planned gift. We are grateful to the more than 1,090 members of Legacy Circle.