Whether you call it planned giving or estate planning, you can leave a charitable gift to the Phi Gamma Delta Educational Foundation. There are several ways to give and options as to what your gift will fund.

If you have questions, contact the Foundation Executive Director Ben Robinson or call him at 859-255-1848.

[Note: The material presented on this website is not offered as legal or tax advice.]

What You Should Know About Planned Giving

The Phi Gamma Delta Educational Foundation is a 501(c)3 charity, which allows you to make tax-deductible gifts to support the educational work of the Foundation and Fraternity. Our federal tax ID number is 52-6036185.

Questions to Ask Yourself Once You’ve Decided to Give

  1. What giving vehicle is right for me?
  2. What do I want my gift to support?
  3. How much or what do I want to give?

Making a gift through your estate can be as simple as creating a codicil in your will. See the attached wording to do so. It may require you to communicate with your attorney to do this, but the cost is normally minimal. A codicil directs your estate to give something specific to the Foundation without rewriting your entire will, like:

To leave a gift in your will, here is the suggested wording to share with your attorney: “I live and bequeath unto Phi Gamma Delta Educational Foundation, Inc., the sum of $____ or _____ percentage of my estate (or specific securities or other property). Said Foundation is a nonprofit 501 (c) 3 corporation (Federal ID number is 52-6036185), organized under the laws of the commonwealth of Kentucky, with administrative offices at 1201 Red Mile Road, PO Box 4599, Lexington, KY 40544-4599. This gift is unrestricted for general foundation purposes.”

Or, you can use securities or property as the donation.

Looking for a Lifetime Income Stream?

There are options for you to make a gift to the Foundation and receive regular payments during your lifetime or your lifetime and your spouse’s lifetime. Charitable gift annuities, offer an immediate tax deduction and pay you income. An annuity can be helpful to you if you have appreciated securities or low or non-income producing securities or property. These simple contracts usually do not require an attorney. Learn more.

Endowment Gifts

If your gift is larger than $25,000 you may create an endowment, which means that the Foundation will use the appreciation & income from your original gift to fund awards and keep the principal in perpetuity.

Your Attorney’s Role

Your estate or tax attorney can assist you in creating an estate plan that best utilizes all tax and estate planning vehicles to minimize tax, maximize income and support Phi Gamma Delta.

The Foundation’s Role

The Foundation’s role is two fold. Our job is to make sure your gift is carried forward to benefit Phi Gamma Delta and its members as you intended and to publicly recognize brothers who have the foresight to make these extremely important gifts.

If you would like to speak with a brother about your wishes and plans, contact Ben Robinson, Executive Director of the Foundation at 859-255-1848 ext 133 or email him.

More Information

How to Accomplish Your Goal

What Would You Like to Do for Phi Gamma Delta?

An estate gift can make a big impact in the lives of our undergraduate brothers. But, what would you like your gift to accomplish? Here is a list of ways that your gift can help impact the lives of our members. Your gift restricted to one of these programs will be used to support the Fraternity’s educational programs, such as:

Leadership Training: The Fraternity has 4 leadership training programs developed by Ken Blanchard (Cornell 1961), co-author of the “One Minute Manger” and dozens of other leadership books.

Alcohol Education: Phi Gamma Delta uses 3 basic alcohol education programs to teach responsible use of alcohol to our members.

Scholarships: The use of scholarships to help maintain Phi Gamma Delta’s strong academic GPA is key to our success in building chapters that support the University’s mission and support the academic lives of our members.

Unrestricted Gift: You are helping to maintain the Foundation’s operation including funding the educational grant to the Fraternity and scholarships while allowing the Foundation to use your gift where it is the most needed at the time.

Chapter Restricted Gift: You may want to restrict your gift to support a specific chapter’s educational programs. These programs most frequently include chapter scholarships and chapter housing funds for educational use in the house.

Leave a Gift in Your Will: To leave a gift in your will, here is suggested wording to share with your attorney:

“I live and bequeath unto Phi Gamma Delta Educational Foundation, Inc., the sum of $____ or _____ percentage of my estate (or specific securities or other property). Said Foundation is a nonprofit 501 (c) 3 corporation (Federal ID number is 52-6036185), organized under the laws of the commonwealth of Kentucky, with administrative offices at 1201 Red Mile Road, PO Box 4599, Lexington, KY 40544-4599. This gift is unrestricted for general foundation purposes.”

If you have questions, email Ben Robinson Ben Robinson or call him at 859-255-1848.

Legal Side of Planned Giving

Everyone’s estate planning is different. We encourage you to seek advice from qualified estate planning professionals. As you prepare your estate plans there are some basic facts that can assist you in your work. Your estate or tax attorney should be involved in any plans and we are happy to provide you with assistance documenting your planned gifts to the Educational Foundation.

Here are definitions and examples of some of the most frequently used estate planning vehicles:

A Will: A testator’s direction in writing, controlling the disposition of their property at death.

To leave a gift in your will, here is suggested wording to share with your attorney: “I leave and bequeath unto Phi Gamma Delta Educational Foundation, Inc., the sum of $____ or _____ percentage of my estate (or specific securities or other property). Said Foundation is a nonprofit 501 (c) 3 corporation (Federal ID number is 52-6036185), organized under the laws of the commonwealth of Kentucky, with administrative offices at 1201 Red Mile Road, PO Box 4599, Lexington, KY 40544-4599. This gift is unrestricted for general foundation purposes.”

Codicil: An amendment to a will. A codicil can let part of a will stand and modify or eliminate others parts. Because a codicil is considered an amendment to a will, it must be executed with the same formality as an original will and comply with all rules.

Charitable Gift Annuity: A charitable gift annuity is a transaction in which an individual transfers cash or property to a charitable organization in exchange for the charity’s promise (contract) to make fixed annuity payments to one or two life annuitants.

Example 1: Mr. Jones, age 70, transfers $100,000 on January 1, 2008, to a charitable organization in exchange for a single life immediate charitable gift annuity. The suggested ACGA annuity rate corresponding to his age is 6.5%. Mr. Jones will receive $6,500 per year.

Example 2: Mr. and Mrs. Jones, both age 70, transfer $100,000 on January 1, 2008, to a charitable organization in exchange of a joint and survivor life immediate payment charitable gift annuity. The annuity rate corresponding their ages is 5.9%. Mr. and Mrs. Jones will receive $5,900 per year as long as at least one of them survives.

Charitable Remainder Trust: A charitable remainder trust that provides for a specified distribution, at least annually, to at least one non-charitable income recipient (you) for a period specified in the trust instrument, with the remainder interest paid to at least one charitable beneficiary (the Foundation).

IRAs: Qualified retirement plans and individual retirement accounts are trusts or custodial accounts that hold a person’s tax deferred retirement assets. Their principal tax advantage is income tax deferral. They include IRC Sec. 401(a) Qualified Retirement Plans (profit sharing, ESOP, 401 (K) and Keogh plans); Sec. 408 (IRAs, SEPs and SIMPLE Plans) and Sec. 403(b) (tax sheltered annuities and custodial accounts).

Life Insurance: May be gifted to the Foundation by assigning the Foundation as beneficiary of the policy.

If you are interested in these or any other planned gift vehicles, email Ben Robinson or call 859-255-1848.

Testimonials

Paul Woods (Memphis 1993)

As I look back on my time in the chapter, I am certain that the great friendships I have today, the insurance career I have been able to forge, and the wife I love are because of what the Fraternity did for me. The university played a part, but Phi Gamma Delta truly molded me and taught me how to be successful. There is no way to look back and not have complete clarity around why I am still so proud to be a Fiji.

Phi Gamma Delta instills a tremendous value system in our newest brothers, as it did for me more than 20 years ago. My hope is that the Fraternity continues to select sharp pledges and mold them into great brothers by teaching them the values that have been present with our Fraternity since 1848.

My ability to give back helps me continue to feel a part of an organization that gave me so much. As I connect with Fijis that I come across in social or business settings, it immediately provides a significant level of respect and opens the door to easy conversations. As a Fiji, I served as corresponding secretary and chapter president. The life lessons involved in leadership at the undergraduate chapter level stay with you for a lifetime. Your chapter brothers will keep you humble.

My wife, Christine, and I are proud to be Greek. Our choice in planning to give through our estate to the Foundation was driven by our desire to help Phi Gamma Delta remain a positive experience for future brothers. Mighty proud to be a Fiji. Perge!

Edward B. Matthews (Pennsylvania 1949)

Edward made generous bequests to both his Beta chapter and the Phi Gamma Delta Educational Foundation. As an undergraduate, Brother Matthews was active in the historic musical comedy group at Penn, Mask & Wig. He was a veteran of WWII, attending the university after his service. He lived in Goffstown, New Hampshire and worked for many years for Northern Telecom. As a regular donor and correspondent of the Foundation, he indicated his belief in Phi Gamma Delta’s values and ethical excellence. His gift of $3.4 million will help support those values into the future.

Spencer Flournoy (Johns Hopkins 1941)

Brother Flournoy served the Fraternity as chapter president, section chief, Archon Vice President, Archon Secretary and Councillor. Spencer retired as Vice President of Occidental Petroleum in 1982, after also serving as President of Occidental Engineering Co. After his retirement, Gov. George Deukmejian appointed him to the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board. Spencer included the Phi Gamma Delta in his estate plans by giving a portion of his IRAs to the Foundation.

Madge Erf

Madge contributed to the Foundation for years. Her father, Herbert A. Erf (Wittenberg 1924); brothers Herbert Jr. (Amherst 1951) and Robert (Michigan 1953); and nephew R. Keith (MIT 1978) – all Fijis- were special to her. Upon her passing in 2002, Madge’s estate created the Robert K. Erf Scholarship Fund in honor of her brother with a gift of $30,000. Now, her father and both brothers have scholarship funds in their names with the Foundation. Madge always enjoyed reading the thank-you letters she received from the scholarship recipients.

Marshall D. Conrad (William Jewell 1945)

Brother Conrad’s (pictured left) influence on Phi Gamma Delta went beyond his financial support of the Foundation. He also sired three Fiji sons, all attending William Jewell College. Marshall spent his lifetime as a veterinarian serving Missouri and received numerous recognition awards for this quality of care and service to the community. Back in the 1990s, Marshall handwrote the following note to the Foundation’s office: “I am going to Zeta Phi’s Pig Dinner tomorrow and taking three others with me.” He included the Foundation in his estate plans and fondly remembered, “I was in school with some great guys, whom I stayed in touch with over the years.”

James W. Grantman (Arizona 1948)

Brother Grantman always looked for an opportunity to help. He had the ability to do so and usually did it with no strings attached. He had a big smile, a powerful handshake and was considered by all to be a gentleman. Jim gave generously during his life to Phi Gamma Delta and many others.

Jim was a Red Wing, Minnesota, anchor. He owned and ran the local Coca-Cola distributor. Soon after his passing, the city of Red Wing passed a proclamation honoring his loyalty and generosity to the city.

There were three times that Jim was asked to give to Phi Gamma Delta – annually to the Perge! Society, to the Foundation’s campaign in 2002 and in his estate. Each time, he responded with an immediate, “Yes!” You see, Jim believed in what the Fraternity can do for young men – the experiences and the growth during formative years of their lives. He also completely understood that young men can and will make mistakes. “That is how they learn,” he once said.

He always ended his calls or letters with, “Keep up the good work.” To Jim, we say, “We will, and thank you for being such a good friend to Phi Gamma Delta.”

Russell G. Williams II (Kentucky 1974)

Russ could barely afford school and fraternity dues, and he had to scrape together the money by working a couple of different jobs. The memory was so vivid for him, even after 30 years, that when he put together his last will and testament after suffering a heart attack in 2006, he donated his life insurance policy to the Foundation. The proceeds from the insurance policy would fund scholarships for brothers at the University of Kentucky Upsilon Kappa chapter. Russ didn’t mince words. “I want the money to go for scholarships. I hate to see these young brothers struggle financially and go into debt to go to school. I want to help them and I can.”
Russ didn’t want a scholarship named for him. Instead, he directed the insurance funds be placed in an existing scholarship fund. Russ’s gift tripled the size of the scholarship and will allow the Foundation to award bigger scholarships to more undergraduate brothers.

When Russ communicated his desire to make this planned gift, he knew that he could do something really special without having to write an immediate check. He identified a term life insurance policy provided by his employer that had grown over the years. So, when Russ lost his battle with cancer in 2009, over $160,000 was gifted into the scholarship fund for his chapter. The income from the fund will be used for scholarships, just like Russ wanted.

At the time of Russ’s passing, he was serving as the Purple Legionnaire for Upsilon Kappa and also serving a 4th consecutive term as staff representative on the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees. He was employed at UK as senior training specialist for Human Resources.

Arthur G. Portz (Wittenberg 1938)

Arthur named the Foundation as a beneficiary in his estate plans by designating $15,000 as an unrestricted gift to the Foundation. Art was active in the Cleveland area Phi Gamma Delta Graduate Chapter and was a Perge! Society member. He worked in the metals manufacturing business in Cleveland.

Gordon T. Speckman (Denison 1947)

Gordon established a trust to create the Gordon Taylor Speckman Memorial Scholarship for brothers studying advertising and journalism. Brother Speckman spent his entire career in marketing and sales, serving as director for advertising sales for the School Lunch Journal, a professional trade publication. He served as section chief in the 1960s. As an undergraduate, he served Lambda Deuteron as chapter president and recording secretary. He resided in Littleton, Colo., and enjoyed the Denver Graduate Chapter meetings as a way to stay connected to the Fraternity.

William T. Morris (Penn State 1949)

Brother Morris stablished two funds in 1966, one to benefit his Gamma Phi Chapter and one to benefit the Phi Gamma Delta Educational Foundation. After his death in 1988, the trusts began paying income, which is used to fund scholarship, alcohol education and leadership training. Bill was a lawyer from Carlisle, PA, who worked as a bank examiner for the commonwealth of Pennsylvannia. He remained committed to Phi Gamma Delta as a graduate brother, serving as a Section Chief and attending every Ekklesia between 1947 and 1978. He received the prestigious Distinguished Fiji Award in 1967. Thanks to his gift, Brother Morris has left a lasting legacy in Phi Gamma Delta.

Mary & Paul Blass (Illinois Wesleyan 1937)

Phi Gamma Delta meant a great deal to my father, Paul F. Blass (Illinois Wesleyan 1937). For as long as I can remember, my mother, Mary, shared his feelings. They looked forward to homecoming at Illinois Wesleyan University and visits to the Fiji house, where brothers always warmly received them.

My father felt a special bond of friendship with his fraternity brothers. He recalled with laughter and fondness his memories of college and fraternity life, particularly when he was with his lifelong friend and fraternity brother, Martin A. Tayman (Illinois Wesleyan 1938) from Dixon, IL. It was a good time to be with the two of them together, and I always enjoyed hearing their stories.

Dad felt invigorated when he returned to the college campus and renewed old acquaintances or made new ones. This was never so evident to me than when he returned to Bloomington, Ill., for the last time in 1991 to attend the Norris Pig Dinner. It was a special occasion because my brother, David C. Blass (Illinois Wesleyan 1964), was the keynote speaker and David’s son, Guy E. Blass (Illinois Wesleyan 1994), was a new brother of the Alpha Deuteron Chapter. Dad was determined to attend that dinner, even though he could only speak in a whisper due to Parkinson’s disease. Plus, he was weak and in constant pain from bone cancer. His enthusiasm for the event was not dampened a bit. I was especially touched as he spoke with his longtime friend and fraternity brother Jack Horenberger (Illinois Wesleyan 1936). The strength that Dad showed that evening was really astonishing and proved to me, beyond any doubt, that Phi Gamma Delta had a special place in his heart.

Our parents felt proud to support the Phi Gamma Delta Educational Foundation with their planned gift of several thousand dollars. Dave and I really so feel honored by their act of generosity.

Byron Toot (Iowa State 1959)

Byron said that his experience at Alpha Iota was so positive that he wanted to do something that would benefit the chapter. He decided to create an educational fund for the Iowa State chapter that could make grants to the chapter and house corporation for scholarships, study rooms, leadership programs and alcohol education. His bequest to the Foundation of more than $250,000 created the Byron V. Toot Chapter Educational Account. Byron was a medical doctor and served several years as Purple Legionnaire for the California at Irvine Chapter.

William S. Walsh (DePauw 1943)

William passed ad astra in 1993. The trust he created provided for his surviving spouse, Virginia. After her death, the trust provided for relatives, other charities and the Foundation. Brother Walsh’s vision of providing for Phi Gamma Delta was not realized in his lifetime, but 20 years later, he generously donated to the Fraternity he loved. His unrestricted gift will be used to help fund scholarships, leadership and alcohol/risk management programming.