General Information

There are numerous ways to make your gift in support of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University. Donors may make outright or planned gifts, and may designate their support towards a specific department or program. Donors may also choose to make their gift to the Agriculture and Life Sciences Development Fund, which provides discretionary funding for the Dean to use when responding to unforeseen expenses.

Gifts to support the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences are made through the ISU Foundation, and will qualify for any applicable deductions on income, gift or estate tax returns. The ISU Foundation encourages donors to consult with their financial and legal advisors about the tax implications of their gifts.

An excellent way to leverage your gift to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at ISU is to ask your human resources department if your employer will match your gift through their matching gift program. By following the guidelines established by your employer, your gift could be increased by a factor of two or more. This benefit is often available to the spouse of the employee as well as to retirees and board members. Gift credit is given to both the donor and the company when a matching gift is received.

Depending on the amount and method of giving, donors may qualify for membership in one or more of the ISU Foundation’s gift clubs: the Order of the Knoll and the Keystone Society. Matching gifts may also be calculated in your giving totals towards membership in these gift clubs.

To learn more about the Foundation’s policies for accepting gifts, please refer to our Gift Acceptance Policy.

Types of Gifts

Gifts of Cash

Gifts of cash are the easiest and most direct way to make a gift. Cash gifts may be made by check payable to the ISU Foundation. Donors may also use your credit card to make a gift. Donors can make their gift now through the Foundations electronic pledge form.

Gifts of Securities

Using appreciated securities (stocks and bonds) is a popular method of making a gift to our College. A gift of appreciated securities provides a double tax savings – in addition to the applicable charitable gift deduction, donors who use appreciated securities to make their commitment can avoid capital gains on the appreciation.

More and more donors are transferring publicly traded shares electronically. Mutual funds are also transferable, but it may take much longer to complete a gift because transfer requirements vary significantly from fund to fund. For more information on how to transfer securities, please contact the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences development office at 515-294-7677 or by e-mail at agalumni@iastate.edu.

Gifts-in-Kind

Gifts of property such as research/laboratory equipment, computer hardware or software, livestock, patents and other intellectual property, farm machinery, art objects and collectibles, etc. may be donated to the ISU Foundation for the benefit of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Gifts-in-kind will entitle the donor to a tax deduction, but the deduction will vary based on several factors. Some gifts-in-kind will require review by the ISU Foundation’s Gift Acceptance Committee. To learn more about donating gifts-in-kind, please contact the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences development office at 515-294-7677 or by e-mail at agalumni@iastate.edu.

Gifts of Real Estate

A gift of real estate may include a gift of a principal or vacation residence, farm, timberland, commercial buildings or unimproved land and may be for the entire property or a fractional interest. Appreciated real property is an excellent asset to use when establishing a charitable remainder trust, and can also be used to make a gift of a remainder interest in your property instead of an outright gift. (See planned gifts, below) The value of your gift of real property is based on an independent, qualified appraisal provided by the donor. The ISU Foundation’s Gift Acceptance Committee will also carefully review an environmental questionnaire completed by the donor as well as a marketability study performed by a Foundation representative when considering their ability to accept a gift of real estate.

We encourage donors (or their advisors) who are considering a gift of real property to contact the College development office to discuss such a transfer by calling 515-294-7677 or by e-mail at agalumni@iastate.edu.

Planned Gifts

A planned gift requires the Donor’s careful consideration of their financial, personal and charitable objectives, and should involve input from their financial and legal advisors. Many planned gifts are outright gifts. Other planned gifts are deferred, where the donor retains some level of control over the assets for either one or more lifetimes or a term of years. A life income gift, such as a charitable gift annuity or a charitable remainder trust, pays income to the named beneficiary for life or a term of years. Only after the life income terminates are the funds available to our College for the purpose designated by the donor. The reverse of the life income gift is the charitable lead trust, which provides income to the charity for a period of time and then the trust assets revert to the donor or other beneficiary. Each of these gift options provides the donor with various advantages depending on the type of gift and the assets used to fund the gift. Donors may designate how the gift will be used, and will receive membership in the Keystone Society and possible membership in the Order of the Knoll as a result of sharing their commitment with the ISU Foundation.Donors who make planned gifts also may qualify for tax relief, including possible income tax reduction or avoidance, the potential for preferential capital gains tax treatment, and/or a reduction in estate and gift taxes.

To learn more about ways you can make a planned gift through the ISU Foundation to benefit the College of Agriculture of Life Sciences, please refer to the ISU Foundation website or contact Lynda Jacobson at (515) 294-4049 or lynda.jacobson@foundation.iastate.edu.