Charitable Bequests

Make a Gift in Your Will to Support Future Tommies

A gift in your will is a great way to reflect your values and make a lasting impact in the lives of St. Thomas students.

A charitable bequest is one of the simplest and most flexible ways to give. With your advisor's help, you can include St. Thomas in your will or trust, reducing potential estate taxes while supporting students for generations.

With the help of a trusted adviser, you can include language in your will specifying that a gift be made in one of several ways:

Specific amount: Name a dollar amount for St. Thomas.
Percentage of your estate: Allocate a portion of your estate.
Residue of your estate. Leave the remainder of your estate after other gifts and expenses.
Specific asset. Donate an investment, retirement account, or other asset (requires a beneficiary form from your account or plan administrator).

By including St. Thomas in your estate plans, you help ensure the university's mission continues for years to come.

Don't Overlook Beneficiary Designations

Don't forget, certain types of assets – such as retirement accounts, investment accounts, various bank accounts, and life insurance policies – pass outside of a will and require that you name a beneficiary. These forms take precedence over what you may have outlined in your will. Thus, you will want to make sure that your beneficiary designation forms are up-to-date and consistent with your overall estate plans.

To name St. Thomas as a beneficiary, simply request a beneficiary designation form from your financial institution or plan/policy administrator. (You will need our legal name and tax ID: University of St. Thomas – Minnesota; Federal Tax ID Number 41-0693970.)

Naming St. Thomas as a beneficiary? Let us know!

When you name St. Thomas in your will, you are eligible to become a member of our Finn Legacy Society. By letting us know, we can ensure that we understand how you would like your gift to be used.

Thank you for considering a gift to support future Tommies!

Sample Bequest Language for Your Will or Trust

Unrestricted

I give, devise and bequeath to the University of St. Thomas, a Minnesota nonprofit corporation,________ (insert written amount, percentage of the residue of estate or description of the property) for the unrestricted use and purposes of the university as determined by the Board of Trustees of the University of St. Thomas.

Restricted

I give, devise and bequeath to the University of St. Thomas, a Minnesota nonprofit corporation,________ (insert written amount, percentage of the residue of estate or description of the property) for the following purpose and use by the university: ________ (to provide for a named scholarship, to be placed in endowment, etc.).

If you intend to make a restricted gift, please contact the Office of Legacy and Estate Gifts to ensure that the university can honor your giving intent.

All the rest, residue and remainder of my estate, both real and personal, of every kind and description, wherever situated and whether now owned or hereafter acquired, including any property with respect to which I may have a power of appointment, I give, devise and bequeath to the University of St. Thomas, a Minnesota nonprofit corporation.

In case of a failure or lapse of any legacy or devise herein, such that the property so bequeathed or devised would pass by intestacy, I (we) direct that, in lieu thereof, such property shall pass to the University of St. Thomas, a Minnesota nonprofit corporation.