Fort Lewis College Annual Reports Summer Issue 2014 | Page 18

T Soaring Hawk Update Jeff Jantz Director of Gift Planning he Soaring Hawk Society continues to grow – there are now 59 individuals and couples who have notified us that Fort Lewis College is in their estate plans! We are grateful for the way their generosity and foresight is building a strong future for the next generations of Fort Lewis College students, and hope you will consider this step if you have not already done so. The Soaring Hawk Society includes all persons who have indicated that Fort Lewis College is a beneficiary of their charitable gift planning. Examples of gifts may be charitable gift annuities, charitable trusts, or naming the Fort Lewis College Foundation as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy. The most popular (and simple) way to make a Soaring Hawk gift continues to be naming the Fort Lewis College Foundation as a beneficiary in a will. A specific dollar amount does not need to be named in a will; a percentage with which the donor is comfortable is a great place to start and will grow with an estate over time. Soaring Hawk gifts will be increasingly important to the overall success of Fort Lewis College in the years ahead. It is no secret that some revenue streams of past years are decreasing and in some cases, completely gone. Soaring Hawk gifts and the stability they provide over time are critical to help even out the peaks and valleys in the natural cycles of other types of funding. Planned gifts are also a great avenue through which to build endowments for the longterm financial strength of Fort Lewis College. Just as with other types of gifts, a planned gift may be designated by the donor for a specific area or cause at the college, or be given to be used where most needed. Consulting with highly-qualified financial planning and legal professionals is of the utmost importance in the planning process, and I encourage you to seek this type of guidance. If you have completed gift plans which include the college, we invite you to share those with us and how they represent your dreams for the future of Fort Lewis College. We always enjoy hearing about how Fort Lewis College has made a difference in your life and the lives of others. The Planned Giving website (via the Foundation website) is a resource always available to you. It is continually updated with recent news and legislation that may affect your plans and the g ift calculator is a fun way to look at a variety of gift plans and compare their benefits for you. From the website you can also request e-brochures in topic areas of interest to you. You are always welcome to contact me ([email protected] or 970-247-7069) if you want to discuss your plans or need more information.