The Great Oaks Society

The Great Oaks Society recognizes individuals who have included Stevenson University in their estate plans or established a gift through a planned giving instrument. There are a number of ways to join the Great Oaks Society of Stevenson University and ensure the assets you acquire over your lifetime will go to the people and purpose you intend. Here are some of the ways you can create a legacy gift for Stevenson University and make certain your charitable intentions are known and followed.

Charitable Bequest

Have you made a will?  In many ways, it is the most important document you will ever sign. Only a well-prepared will can ensure any assets acquired over a lifetime will go to the people and purposes intended.  In that regard, a will provides unique ways to be philanthropic. For example, you may leave many types of gifts to a charity - from a percentage of your estate to a specific dollar amount or personal property, such as real estate - by making a charitable bequest.

The major benefits of a charitable bequest are as follows:

  • Leave a legacy: Through a bequest you can have an impact on the future.  While you are living, you may decide what your legacy will be – to establish a scholarship, enhance an academic or athletic program or make an unrestricted gift, providing the University with the flexibility to use it for its more urgent needs.
  • Memorialize a loved one: A bequest provides the opportunity to honor or memorialize a special person.
  • Enhance the value of your estate: With good planning, federal and state estate taxes can be reduced or avoided. Stevenson University encourages donors to consult legal counsel for advice.

Charitable Gift Annuity

With a charitable gift annuity, you make a gift to Stevenson University and, in return, receive a guaranteed fixed amount of income per year for life. The amount you receive, called the payout, is based on your age when you establish the annuity, and whether it includes payments just for you or a spouse as well. The latter is called a joint and survivor annuity, in which payments are made to both parties for their lifetime.

Gift annuities also provide you with significant tax benefits:

  • A charitable deduction taken on your tax return the year you make the gift.
  • Tax savings on the income you receive from the annuity.
  • If your annuity is funded with appreciated stock, you avoid capital gains tax on part of the gain, and spread out the remaining capital gains tax over your life expectancy.*

A charitable gift annuity is easy to establish. There is no need to change your will or establish a trust. A gift annuity lets you fulfill your philanthropic intentions, while providing financially for yourself. Let us bring it to life with a customized gift illustration showing how it all works. Contact Frances Flannery Gunshol '67, CFRE, at (443) 334-2063 for more information. *Tax benefits vary by income and circumstances. Please consult your accountant to maximize tax savings.

About the Great Oaks Society

The Great Oaks Society gets its name from the land where Stevenson University began. In 1947, the Notre Dame de Namur order of religious sisters came in possession of a piece of land known as "Seven Oaks." The sisters renamed the property Villa Julie after the order's founder, Julie Billiart. There they established an infirmary for sisters plus a medical secretarial school for women. Through a series of major transformations, the school eventually became Stevenson University.

The seven oaks, after which the land was first named, were located between what is now Knott Hall and the former infirmary. The spot may actually be a burial ground, for it is said Native Americans in the area marked the burial sites of their chiefs by planting seven oak trees, three on each side of the grave and one at the head.

The Great Oaks Society is named after these white oaks known for their magnificent stature and long life. These namesakes not only connect the Great Oaks Society to the land on which the University stands, but they also symbolize the strength and stability philanthropic gifts provide to the University as it continues to carry on its mission. Contact Frances Flannery Gunshol '67, CFRE, at (443) 334-2063 for more information.

     
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