Charitable Bequest
A charitable bequest involves leaving a gift to Messiah through your will or living trust. It is one of the most straightforward and impactful ways to support Messiah and can be achieved through provisions in your will or by designating the university as a beneficiary of your retirement account, or through life insurance policies.
Benefits of a bequest
- Receive an estate tax charitable deduction
- Reduce the burden of taxes on your family
- Leave a lasting legacy to charity
How a bequest works
A bequest is one of the easiest gifts to make. With the help of an attorney, you can include language in your will or trust specifying a gift to be made to family, friends or Messiah University as part of your estate plan, or you can make a bequest using a beneficiary designation form.
Here are some of the ways to leave a bequest to Messiah University
- Include a bequest to Messiah University in your will or revocable trust
- Designate Messiah University as a full, partial or contingent beneficiary of your retirement account (IRA, 401(k), 403(b) or pension)
- Name Messiah University as a beneficiary of your life insurance policy
A bequest may be made in several ways
- Percentage bequest - make a gift of a percentage of your estate
- Specific bequest - make a gift of a specific dollar amount or a specific asset
- Residual bequest - make a gift from the balance or residue of your estate
Contact us
If you have any questions about leaving a bequest to us, please contact us. We would be happy to assist you. If you have been so generous as to include a bequest to Messiah University as part of your estate plan, please take the time to let us know. We would like to recognize you and your family for your generosity.