Make a Gift

The simplest and most frequent gift to Virginia Tech is cash. Please go to the university’s giving page to make a onetime gift or to set up automatic gift payments.

You can contribute on a personalized schedule by making a pledge, payable over as many as five years. Virginia Tech will use your payment when it is received and you will realize the tax benefits of each payment in the year it is made. The university sends you a receipt for each payment as well as periodic reminders of pledge balances and future payments.

Your gift of appreciated securities – stocks, bonds, or mutual funds – can provide significant tax benefits that reduce the net cost of your gift when compared with an equal gift of cash. Stock not traded publicly may also be donated, although both the donor and the foundation must exercise greater care in making the gift. Before making any outright gift of appreciated securities, contact the Office of Investments and Debt Management at (540) 231-7094. Before transferring any kind of securities to fund a life income gift, contact the Office of Gift Planning at (540) 231-2813 or (800) 533-1144.

If you have held a security or a parcel of real estate for more than one year, donating this appreciated asset in lieu of cash can be a tax-wise decision. Such a gift can bypass the capital gains tax and, in most instances, provide an income tax charitable deduction for its full fair market value, regardless of what you paid. If you wish to bypass the capital gains tax on an appreciated asset, it is critical that you transfer the asset directly to the Virginia Tech Foundation Inc. Do not sell securities, real estate, or other appreciated assets in your name and donate the proceeds, as that would constitute a cash contribution on which you would be subject to applicable capital gains tax.

One way to maximize your gift to Virginia Tech is to check with your employer’s personnel department to see if it is one of the many companies that have a matching gift program. By following your company’s guidelines, the value of your gift may be doubled or tripled. Many companies make this benefit available to employees, employee spouses, retirees, and board members.

Gifts-in-kind are items of tangible personal property such as art, books, computer equipment, and automobiles. They are donated for related educational purposes and are recorded at their fair market value.

Real estate gifts can be a tax-wise way to support Virginia Tech since they can be donated without paying any capital gains taxes. Moreover, if a donor has held the property for more than one year, he or she can claim a tax deduction based on its fair market value — even though it was purchased for only a fraction of that amount. (Property held less than one year also can be donated, qualifying for a deduction typically based on what the donor paid for it.) There are a variety ways in which real estate can be donated. It can be used to make an outright gift, allowing an endowment, capital project, or other needs to be funded right away. It can be used to fund a life income gift, paying the donor, and perhaps others, an income stream for life with the remainder then being used to support Virginia Tech. Donors also can contribute a remainder interest in a residence or a farm; this enables them to make a gift to Virginia Tech today while still living in their house or on their farm for the rest of their lives. While the requirements to make a real estate gift vary, depending on the type of gift being considered, they typically require at least three steps — an appraisal of the property’s value, an assessment of any environmental risks posed by the property, and the preparation of a deed that actually transfers the property.

You can make a gift of life insurance in various ways. A paid-up policy you no longer need for its original purpose can be cashed in to benefit the university immediately, to establish an endowed fund, or to help fund a capital building project or other pressing need. A  current policy (on which premiums are being paid) can be donated as well. For you to receive tax benefits, the ownership of the policy must be transferred to the Virginia Tech Foundation Inc. Premiums you continue to pay after transferring such a policy are also tax deductible. If you wish to retain ownership of your policy, you can designate the Virginia Tech Foundation Inc. as a beneficiary. While there is no immediate tax benefit, your future gift will benefit the university as you direct. You can even create a new policy with a specific purpose in mind for Virginia Tech.

From lab materials to software to scholarships, the day-to-day operations of the university depend on consistent, reliable support from people like you. What’s more, annual giving will play a critical role in The Campaign for Virginia Tech: Invent the Future as dependable giving by our most loyal supporters will help us reach our goals to improve academic excellence, enrich the undergraduate experience, build new research and academic facilities, and reach out to our many constituencies. Annual giving by alumni, faculty, and staff also plays a role in Virginia Tech’s academic rankings and its ability to earn funding from many foundations. Strong levels of annual giving demonstrate the loyalty and support of the whole Virginia Tech community.

Life Income/Planned Gift

A planned gift may enable you to satisfy personal financial planning needs in addition to providing the college with important, long-term support. Some plans may provide income for life (or a term of years), an immediate income tax charitable deduction, avoidance of capital gains tax, and professional asset management (if the University serves as trustee). If a gift is made through your will, you obtain significant estate tax benefits.

Bequests

In writing your will or living trust, you can specify that you would like your estate to benefit the School of Education at Virginia Tech.