Planned Giving Methods
Will Provision
Without a will, the state will decide how your property is distributed - with no provision for charitable donations. The will you write, in addition to distributing property to heirs and declaring charitable designations, also specifies guardians for children and incapacitated adults and sets up trusts if needed. For these reasons, the will and testament is the most important document in your estate plan.
You are invited to leave your legacy at the School of Theology and Seminary by informing us in writing and including a copy of the page from your will stating the specific provision for Saint John's School of Theology and Seminary. We encourage you to provide your attorney with the following language:
I give $__ to Saint John's University School of Theology and Seminary, an operating division of Saint John's University, a Minnesota corporation.
Revocable Trust Provision
With larger estates, each person can exempt only a fixed amount from estate taxes. Revocable trusts may be used to preserve the exemption of the first spouse to die, while giving the surviving spouse access to the trust's earnings and possibly its assets. A percentage or fixed amount from your revocable trust may be left to charitable institutions while your spouse has use of the rest.
You are invited to leave your legacy at the School of Theology and Seminary by informing us in writing and including a copy of the page from your trust stating the specific provision for Saint John's School of Theology and Seminary. We encourage you to provide your attorney with the following language:
I give $__ to Saint John's University School of Theology and Seminary, an operating division of the Saint John's University, a Minnesota corporation.
Beneficiary Designation
If your estate is the beneficiary of your tax deferred retirement plan, the residual amount in your plan may incur income and estate taxes before being divided under the terms of your will. As an alternative, it may be advantageous to directly designate a charity as your beneficiary, saving both income taxes and estate taxes. It is important to remember that the designation of a charity like Saint John's as a beneficiary of retirement assets, or life insurance, cannot simply be written in your will or trust. Saint John's must be designated and recorded as the beneficiary with the retirement plan or life insurance policy.
You are invited to leave your legacy at the School of Theology and Seminary by informing us in writing and including a copy of the beneficiary page from your retirement plan or insurance policy stating the specific provision for Saint John's School of Theology and Seminary. We encourage you to provide your attorney with the following language:
I give $__ to Saint John's University School of Theology and Seminary, an operating division of the Saint John's University, a Minnesota corporation.
Charitable Gift Annuity
With a minimum gift and a simple Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA) contract, Saint John's agrees to pay you a fixed amount annually for the remainder of your life. This is an especially attractive option if you seek to generate additional income from your donated asset. Not only do you remove the contributed asset from your estate, you also benefit from an immediate a charitable income tax deduction and other tax advantages.
Charitable Remainder Trust
Similar to a charitable gift annuity, a Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) is usually created with amounts of $100,000 or more. This is an especially attractive option if you seek to generate additional income from your donated asset, and the income stream created may be for one or more lifetimes or for a fixed number of years. Not only do you remove the contributed asset from your estate, you also benefit from an immediate a charitable income tax deduction and all long-term capital gains tax liability is forgiven with this gift.