Stanford's Office of Planned Giving can help you make a variety of noncash gifts to benefit the university, including gifts of real estate, retirement plans, life insurance, personal property, or publicly traded securities.

Real Estate Gifts

Real estate assets can be used to create some life income gifts, and they can easily be given to Stanford University through a bequest. You can also give Stanford your home while you are alive, retain the right to live in the home for the rest of your life, and receive a current income-tax charitable deduction for a portion of the value of your home. The Office of Planned Giving staff will be happy to discuss these options with you. For more information, please e-mail the Office of Planned Giving or call (800) 227-8977, ext. 5-4358.

Please note: To substantiate the value of a gift of real estate for income tax purposes (if it is worth more than $5,000), you will need to obtain an independent appraisal from a qualified appraiser.

Retirement Plan Gifts

The best way to make a gift of retirement plan assets is to name Stanford as a primary or secondary beneficiary on your plan's beneficiary designation form. This can be an extremely tax-efficient method of making a gift, because retirement plan assets may be subject to both estate tax and income tax before an individual beneficiary (other than a spouse) can receive them after your death. The combined taxes may reduce the amount to the individual beneficiary by as much as 75 percent.

It is not currently possible to make a charitable gift of retirement plan assets during your lifetime without first taking a distribution of those assets, paying the income tax on that distribution, and then making a charitable gift of those assets. As a result, it is not usually recommended.

For more information, please e-mail the Office of Planned Giving or call (800) 227-8977, ext. 5-4358.

Life Insurance Gifts

You may make Stanford University the beneficiary of a life insurance policy, and your estate will receive a charitable deduction from estate taxes for that gift. You may also, under certain circumstances during your lifetime, make Stanford University the owner of a life insurance policy on your life, and receive an income tax charitable deduction for a portion of the face value of that policy. For more information, please e-mail the Office of Planned Giving or call (800) 227-8977, ext. 5-4358.

Gifts of Personal Property

Stanford University welcomes gifts of many kinds of personal property that may be used in the mission of the university. The Office of Planned Giving staff will be happy to help determine whether the university can make use of any offered gift. For more information, please e-mail the Office of Planned Giving or call (800) 227-8977, ext. 5-4358.

Please note: To substantiate the value of the gift for income tax purposes (if it is worth more than $5,000), you will need to obtain an independent appraisal from a qualified appraiser.

Publicly Traded Securities

Publicly traded securities can be used to make any type of charitable gift: lifetime outright gifts, life income gifts, or bequests. In making such gifts, you may defer or avoid altogether the recognition of long-term capital gain in those securities, depending on the type of gift made. You may also receive a charitable deduction from your income or estate taxes for the full fair market value of those securities.

Publicly traded securities held in a brokerage account may be transferred electronically to Stanford University. Please use our online giving application. To ensure that your gift is properly credited, please notify a member of the staff in the Office of Planned Giving that you intend to make the gift, including the corporate name/ticker symbol and number of shares you intend to give to Stanford.

For more information, please e-mail the Office of Planned Giving or call (800) 227-8977, ext. 5-4358.

Closely Held Stock, Partnerships, and Other Investment Assets

Stanford University welcomes gifts of many kinds of investment assets that may be used in the mission of the university. The Office of Planned Giving staff will be happy to help determine whether the university can make use of any offered gift. For more information, please e-mail the Office of Planned Giving or call (800) 227-8977, ext. 5-4358.