Gifts of cash, check or credit card are always accepted. However, did you know there are other ways you might want to consider? Your gift shapes the future of the college by supporting students, programs and services. Giving offers you the opportunity to strengthen a vital community resource while receiving a tax deduction. A well-planned gift can help you achieve your financial and charitable objectives as well as realize personal goals.
Choosing the right way to give depends on your personal situation. Here are some options to consider. Further discussion with our Foundation staff may help you find the option that is right for you. Fergus Area College Foundation staff members are available to meet with you, your family and your financial and legal advisers to discuss the gift option that suits your needs. Contact us for assistance at 218-736-1514 or facf@minnesota.edu.
Annual Gifts
Annual gifts provide funding for student scholarships, special projects, student activities and ongoing operating support. Your annual gift to the Foundation assures that we can provide continued assistance to future endeavors at the Fergus Falls campus of M State.
Gifts can also be made as a memorial or as a tribute to an individual, a very fitting way to honor a person who believed in and supported public education.
Endowments
You are invited to consider establishing a named endowment of your own. A gift of $30,000 will establish an endowment in your name, a family member’s name or another designation you select. The investment can be pledged over a designated period and, when the fund has generated enough income, a scholarship is awarded. Scholarship awards are made from the interest earned; the principal establishing the fund remains intact forever.
Corporate Matching Gift
We encourage you to check with your employer about opportunities to match employee gifts to nonprofit organizations such as Fergus Area College Foundation.
Under corporate matching gift programs, gifts made by a company’s eligible employee to a nonprofit organization meeting the company’s guidelines are matched with company or corporate funds. Usually a donor completes the company’s matching gift form and sends it along with his or her donation to Fergus Area College Foundation.
To learn more about your company’s employee matching gift program, please check with your company’s human resources department.
Securities
Securities can be one of the most advantageous ways to make a gift. The value of the donation for tax purposes will be determined on the date of the transfer to FACF. You avoid federal capital gains tax that would otherwise be due on the sale of the assets.
Real Estate and Personal Property
Tangible personal property such as art, books or equipment related to the mission of Minnesota State Community and Technical College – Fergus Falls is tax deductible (at fair market value).
Consider donating property to the Fergus Area College Foundation. You’ll avoid capital gains tax and realize a charitable deduction for the full fair market value.
Gifts Made Through Your Will
A bequest in your will naming Fergus Area College Foundation as a recipient of a portion of your estate may produce sizable savings to heirs in income and estate taxes.
Insurance
Life insurance is a potential gift. For a policy that is paid up, your charitable contribution is the cash value of the policy. Other policies can be given while you continue to pay the premiums, resulting in income tax deductions when Fergus Area College Foundation is named both owner and fiduciary. Also, a new policy on your life naming Fergus Area College Foundation as beneficiary guarantees a future gift as well.