Giving to the College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences

Private giving supports and strengthens the college's world-renowned teaching, research and outreach programs. Gifts for general or unrestricted uses are very valuable because they give us flexibility to respond to areas of need. Donors also may choose to support any purpose or program in the college with gifts for current use or for endowments. Current-use gifts provide the immediate ability to strengthen programs, while endowments are intended to provide a base for long-term support. Only the income generated by the endowment is used for direct program support.

Perhaps the most important piece of your decision to give to our college is your gift designation. In other words, what CA&ES program or department do you want your gift to help develop and advance? Among our 18 departments and numerous centers and institutes (http://caes.ucdavis.edu/Departments), examples of popular gift designations include undergraduate and graduate student scholarships, faculty research support, special outreach programs and teaching and research facilities.

I.          Gift Designations

1. Current use funds, generally for scholarships or research
2. Endowed scholarships or endowed research funds
3. Endowed chairs which are permanently-funded faculty positions (see our list of endowed chairs at: http://caes.ucdavis.edu/alumfriends/development/endchairs)
4. Building funds for renovation or new construction, grounds, equipment and furnishings
5. Special purpose funds to organize and host programs such as symposia, conferences, student activities, to provide for international outreach and to underwrite the activities of our centers and institutes (one example is the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science http://robertmondaviinstitute.ucdavis.edu/)

II.         Ways to Fund your Gift Plan

Once you have decided which type of gift you wish to give, the estimated amount of your gift and to which program or department you wish to give, there are many options for funding your gift. All offer tax or estate planning advantages that may be attractive to donors. Some donors use only one method of gift funding; others use several in combination to create a more sophisticated gift plan over their lifetime.  Options to fund your gift plan include:

1. Cash
2. Securities
3. Real Estate
4. Life Insurance
5. Personal Property or Equipment
6. Estate Gifts and Bequests
7. Life Income Arrangements

There are essentially two types of gifts: (1) current, where you make a gift to CA&ES now, or (2) deferred, where make provisions for a gift now, but fund it later.  Current gifts make an immediate impact on the university and donors who wish to receive recognition are publicly thanked. Donors who make deferred gifts (also know as planned or estate gifts) may be recognized when they make their formal gift intentions known to us, even if the gift is not fully funded for some time to come. There are numerous ways to monetize both current and deferred gifts. 

Cash
A gift of cash is the most common and easiest way to make a gift. Cash gifts are usable immediately by the CA&ES for the purpose you specify, and the impact of cash is always direct and significant. Meaningful gifts of any size can be made using cash. Gifts features and benefits include an immediate income tax deduction in the amount of your gift as well as the knowledge that your gift is usable by CA&ES now. Cash gifts can be made in several ways, including cash itself, credit cards, checks, money orders, or wire transfers. You can make a cash gift by mail to CA&ES Development Office, One Shields Avenue, Davis CA 95616 or in person at the UC Davis Foundation office.

You may also give on line at https://awc.ucdavis.edu/makeagift.aspx.  If you choose to give to the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences on line, please be sure to designate "Ag and Env Sciences Dean's Fund" in the designation box.

Securities
Many people who own highly appreciated stocks are opting to fund gifts by transferring title of some of their securities to the UC Davis Foundation to benefit the CA&ES. A gift of stock is a tax-advantaged approach to philanthropy because you, the donor, receive a charitable tax deduction at the current market value of the stock, regardless of your original cost basis. It also reduces death taxes in the future by moving the appreciated asset out of your estate during your lifetime.

Real Estate
Gifts of real estate are similar to gifts of securities in that a highly appreciated real property asset accrues you the gift tax deduction at the full market value of the property regardless of your cost basis. In some instances, a charitable trust may be created which names the UC Davis Foundation as the owner of the property; however you retain the right to occupy the residence or farm the land during your lifetime. When the trust matures, the CA&ES program of your choice benefits from the proceeds of the sale of the property.

Life Insurance
Life insurance is a valuable gift option that is often overlooked. Life insurance is frequently purchased early in life as part of an overall financial plan, but as circumstances change over time, the need for this insurance may diminish. A gift of a paid-up life insurance policy can provide tremendous benefits to the CA&ES. Benefits to you, the donor, of this type of gift include an immediate income tax deduction up to 50 percent of your adjusted gross income and added flexibility in achieving your charitable objectives by making the gift of paid up life insurance one component of a larger gift construct.

Personal Property or Equipment
Gifts of equipment, material or vehicles can often make an excellent way to fund your gift. A current valuation of the items you wish to donate to the UC Davis Foundation by your independent appraiser is used to determine the value of the gift. Our staff will work with you to create a deed of gift (or gift agreement) to finalize the transfer of the assets so that you may begin to see the impact of your contribution to CA&ES. 

Estate Gifts and Bequests
Estate gifts are given out of your total assets at the time your estate matures. Many of our donors elect to make a simple bequest to the UC Davis Foundation of either a percentage or a fixed dollar amount of the total estate value. A testamentary bequest or a living trust both can accommodate language to document your intention to make an estate gift to CA&ES. Our staff can provide you with sample language to include in your will that will establish a simple bequest to CA&ES via the UC Davis Foundation.

Life Income Arrangements
For those who wish to receive current income from a charitable gift to CA&ES, several types of remainder and lead trust instruments exist. Another approach to life income through giving is the simple charitable gift annuity which provides you a fixed annual income based on your age and the size of the asset given to fund your annuity. In both cases, the remainder or residual of the trust or annuity will ultimately benefit the CA&ES department or program of your choice.

Donors who make estate gifts, bequests, establish charitable trusts or gift annuities to benefit the UC Davis Foundation are recognized through The Shields Society: http://giving.ucdavis.edu/planned_giving_shields.html

More information on life income arrangements, estate gifts and bequests can be found at: http://giving.ucdavis.edu/planned_giving.html

If you are interested in speaking to a member of our staff about a charitable gift of any size or using any of the methods described above, please contact us directly.

» Contact a member of our staff