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.