Letter Brings in Additional Planned Gifts

Hampden-Sydney College has increased the number of planned gifts it receives at year’s end by sending an individually tailored letter to donors who have already made such contributions.

For the past two years, the college has sent the letter to nearly 200 donors who have set up gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, and other planned gifts. Such gifts provide donors with tax breaks and income, usually in exchange for appreciated assets such as stock or real estate.

The letter points out that another planned gift — an annuity or an addition to an existing trust — could provide donors with greater benefits than their original gift did.

The letter is sent along with the regular year-end payment that donors receive from the planned gift that they have already made. In the letter, the colleges provides calculations of the financial benefits that a subsequent gift would provide, based on such characteristics as the donor’s age and the current interest rates for particular types of gifts.

Last year, eight donors who received the letter created gift annuities worth $160,000. Two other donors added $15,000 each to their trusts.

With the recent ups and downs in the stock market, Michael Degenhart, associate director of capital programs, says he hopes for an even better response this year. “People will want to lock in their gains and make some shifts,” he says.

For more information, contact Hampden-Sydney College, P.O. Box 637, Hampden-Sydney, Va. 23943; (804) 223-6864.