Ways to Give


Faculty & Staff Payroll Deduction
Arkansas Tech University faculty and staff have the opportunity to make payroll deductions to the Tech Foundation.  Faculty and staff may designate where their contribution is used. When you make a contribution to the Tech Foundation through payroll deduction, it is tax-deductible if you itemize your taxes.

Gift of Cash
A gift of cash is appealing to those who want the satisfaction of seeing their gift available to the University for immediate use.  In most cases, gifts are fully deductible if  itemized on federal income taxes. Donors may deduct up to 50% of their adjusted gross income in any one year, with any remainder carried forward for up to five additional years.

Gifts by Credit Card
The Arkansas Tech University Foundation accepts gifts via Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover Card through our secure Online donation page by clicking on this link.  Please call (479) 968-0400 or toll free at 1-888-275-8321 for assistance. In some instances, frequent flyer miles could be accumulated by making a gift with a credit card. You would need to check with your credit card company to find out if this applies to your card.

Corporate Matching Gifts
You may be able to double or even triple your gift if the company your work for is a matching gift company.  Some will match the gifts of employee spouses, retired employees, and directors as well. Please click this link to determine if your company participates in corporate matching.  It is necessary in all cases for the donor to secure the proper matching gift forms from the corporation and to submit them to the Arkansas Tech University Foundation in order for Tech to receive the matching gifts.

Gifts in Kind
Gift in kind description forms are provided to the donor by the department head receiving the gift.  The form may also be obtained through the Development Office.  The donor is responsible for substantiating the value of the non-cash gift.  And, the department head approves the form and verifies that nothing was given in exchange for the gift.

The Foundation will not indicate the value of gifts of property, nor is value to be included in acknowledgment letters that are sent by the Foundation to the donor to thank them for the gift.

Charitable Gift Annuities
A charitable gift annuity is a contractual agreement between one or two donors and a charitable organization, such as the Arkansas Tech University Foundation, that issues gift annuities, but it is not a trust. Those donating through gift annuity contracts do two things: 1) purchase the right to receive the stated annuity, and 2) make a charitable gift to the issuer.  This gift portion is valued according to government tables.  For those who itemize deductions on their tax returns, savings from the charitable deduction reduce the net cost of the contract.   Benefits for the donor include: guaranteed income for life, or a period of years, and the Foundation receives a gift of whatever principal remains after making the required payments; tax savings from a current income tax deduction for part of the value transferred; a guaranteed flow of payments without management responsibilities or market risk; a reduction of the estate tax when the gift reduces the value of a taxable estate; and the satisfaction of assisting the future effectiveness of Arkansas Tech University.

Stocks and Other Securities
Making a charitable gift of stock to the Arkansas Tech University Foundation is both economical and easy.  For small annual gifts or large gifts made to satisfy a pledge for a capital campaign, stock is often the asset that makes the most sense for donors.  Anyone considering a significant charitable gift should look first to his/her stock portfolio.  Often stocks have appreciated in value by so much that potential donors do not realize how much they have.  Tax laws today allow a person to deduct the entire market value of the stock, including the capital appreciation.  Dividends from stock are often low.   This often means that in addition to making an efficient gift, one that cost far less than the value donated, the donor is not sacrificing much income to make the gift.   Clearly, making the same gift with cash would cost the donor much more.

When the stock is held by the donor's stockbroker, please make sure the stockbroker understands that the stock must be transferred to the Foundation's account as opposed to selling the stock first and then transferring the proceeds.  Otherwise, the donor will incur a tax on the appreciation.

NOTE:  If the stocks are held physically by the donor, and the gift is sent by mail, the donor should sign a stock power for each certificate, and then send the stock power and the stock separately. This is to insure against fraud if the envelope is lost.

Even if a donor does not wish to make an outright gift of stock, charitably-minded people can still help the Arkansas Tech University Foundation by establishing a gift that will pay them an income for the rest of their lives.  Often the income from the gift is more than what the stock provides through dividends.  All of this is accomplished through a life-income gift, which pays the donor an income, either for a term of years or for their lifetime and/or the lifetime of another beneficiary.  All of this can be accomplished through a Charitable Remainder Trust or a Charitable Gift Annuity, which pays income for a term of years or for the lifetime of the donor and/or another beneficiary.

Gifts of Real Estate
Real estate, such as a piece of land, a house, or a farm, may be given outright, in which case the Foundation will sell the property and use the proceeds immediately. It is also possible for real estate to be used to fund a trust and provide the donor (or another person) with lifetime income.

A donor can also donate a house to the Arkansas Tech University Foundation and retain the right to live in it during their lifetime. This type of gift provides the donor with an immediate charitable deduction.

Wills and Bequests
An individual may include the Tech Foundation in his/her will by leaving a percentage of his/her estate, a specific dollar amount, securities, or by naming the Arkansas Tech University Foundation as the residual beneficiary. 

Bequests provide for a future gift while the donor retains control of the property during their lifetime.

Trusts
Charitable remainder trusts are individually managed and invested to meet a donor's particular needs and wishes. They may be established to provide either fixed or variable rates of return.  They can also be structured to run for a certain number of years or for a lifetime. In this way a child can be a designated income beneficiary.

Life Insurance
A life insurance policy with the Foundation named as beneficiary is a practical way of providing for the future of Arkansas Tech University.  Planned gifts through life insurance can be a way to give if or when a person's needs and family situation change.  The proceeds of any whole life or term policy may be paid directly to the Foundation, or if tax on the estate is a concern, to the estate with a bequest to Tech of an equivalent amount.  The value of the gift is eligible for donor recognition in perpetuity.

A donor may also make a planned gift through life insurance by purchasing a policy and naming the Tech Foundation as the beneficiary. This type of giving is suited for those donors who have an older insurance policy that is no longer needed or who want to make a large gift but have limited resources.  The donor pays the annual premiums and receives a tax receipt for their value plus the cash value of the policy when it is paid in full.

Funds from Private Foundations, Corporations, and Businesses
Private Foundations, Corporations, or Businesses can contribute to the Arkansas Tech University Foundation in all the ways listed as well as gifts-in-kind such as supplies and services.



This information is not intended as legal advice. We recommend that you consult your attorney or financial advisor as you make plans to give to the Arkansas Tech University Foundation. Gifts are tax deductible as allowable by law.