Make a Gift
June Challenge: Contribute to the President's Fund for Racial Justice
While there's no "class gift" per se (we've encouraged you to give to Swarthmore according to your own interests-see below), the committee is calling for donations to the President's Fund for Racial Justice as an appropriate way to commemorate this milestone reunion.
The goal: $15,000
The deadline: June 30, 2021
We hit that goal: $16,275 to the President's Fund for Racial Justice during June 2021. Thanks, everyone!
Planned gifts (ones where you add Swarthmore as a beneficiary in your will or on your retirement account), pledges (you promise to make a gift, but as long as you make the promise by June 30, the gift can be made after that, perhaps in installments), as well as outright gifts of cash and securities "count".
The committee hopes you will help us meet this goal!
Do think about a QCD
If you have appreciated assets in your retirement account, you may find that your Required Minimum Distributions are more (maybe much more) than you expected or need. Talk with your adviser about the benefits of taking a Qualified Charitable Distribution, where the withdrawal from your account
- counts towards your required minimum,
- does NOT count in your adjusted gross income,
- and is sent directly to the qualifying nonprofit organization.
A QCD isn't "deductible" -- but since it didn't increase your inome, that makes sense.
Contact your fund administrator and find out how to have them send the money straight to the charity of your choice. This can be a simple way to satisfy your RMD without adding to your taxable income, and you may avoid income-based limitations on your other deductions.
Remember that you can "designate" where you'd like Swarthmore to put the money
Unlike some of the charities we support, Swarthmore really tries to give donors choices in where their funds will be spent. Not many of us will give enough that we'll see a building on campus erected with the funds, but there are many other options to match your dollars and passions with the needs of Swarthmore and its students.
Here are the College's current priorities, and you may also be interested in the funds that our classmates have supported in the last ten years:
Endowment Funds -- gifts are invested
- Endowed Scholarship: Bradley, Thompson
- Endowed Scholarship: Hankin, H. and M '71
- Endowed Scholarship: Holland Family Scholarship
- Endowed Scholarship: Inouye, William '44 Memorial
- Endowed Scholarship: Page-Pixton for Foreign Study
- Fossil Fuel Free Fund
- Lifelong Learning Program Endowed, Rose
- Morgan, Kathryn L. Prize
Gifts to these are used for current expenses:
- 50th Reunion Class of 1968 gift: Green Revolving Fund*
- Associates of Scott Arboretum
- Chester Children's Chorus
- Current Schol: General
- Film and Media Studies Current
- Men's Basketball
- Men's Lacrosse
- President's Fund for Racial Justice - current
- President's Sustainability Research Fellowship (current)
- SBAN (Swarthmore Black Alumni Network) Lang Opportunity Summer Internships
- Scott Arboretum Year End
- Student Emergency Fund - current
- Summer Scholars Program
- Textbook Affordability Program (TAP)
- The Swarthmore Fund
Planned Gifts
There was also an email from Renée Atkinson in early 2021 about planned giving and the 50th Reunion Legacy Challenge. While the challenge is over, if you have any questions about including Swarthmore in your will, making the College a beneficiary of a retirement account, or any other issue related to making a gift to Swarthmore, Renée is a great contact. You can reach her at 610-328-8323 or ratkins1@swarthmore.edu.
See also the March 12 letter with more information on specifics of making a gift.