With a planned gift, also known as a deferred or estate gift, you make decisions now that benefit St. John’s in the future. The options featured on this page are among the most common, and each offers distinct advantages for both you and the college. Some, such as bequests and beneficiary designations, are relatively simple to arrange and require no money up front. Others call for an initial gift that pays you income for life and ultimately passes to St. John’s.

To discuss the legacy you wish to leave and the best gift for your needs, please email the college’s Advancement Team at development(at)sjc.edu or call us at 505-984-6104. We are happy to help you find the right approach.

If you have already made a planned gift to St. John’s, please take a moment to complete our gift intention form (coming soon) and return it to the college by mail or email. This important step ensures that your wishes are properly recorded and fully understood. It also gives St. John’s the opportunity to say “thank you” through St. John’s Forever: The Legacy Society of St. John’s College.

Including St. John’s in Your Will or Trust

One of the easiest ways to support St. John’s is with a charitable bequest, in which you leave the college a specific amount or percentage of your estate through a will or trust. Because St. John’s receives the gift after your lifetime, your current cash flow is unaffected. And if your plans change, wills and revocable trusts can be modified at any time.

If you do not have a will or trust, our partner, FreeWill, offers a secure online tool that enables you to create legally valid documents in about 20 minutes. It is convenient, free of charge, and can be used alongside an attorney for more complex estate planning needs.

If you already have a will or trust, the process of including St. John’s can be as simple as adding one of the following sentences.

Sample language

To leave a percentage of your estate

“I hereby will, devise, and bequeath to St. John’s College, a nonprofit educational institution located in Annapolis, Maryland, and Santa Fe, New Mexico (“St. John’s”), _______ percent (____%) of the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate to be used for _________________.”

To leave a specific dollar amount

“I hereby will, devise, and bequeath to St. John’s College, a nonprofit educational institution located in Annapolis, Maryland, and Santa Fe, New Mexico (“St. John’s”), the sum of _______ dollars ($__________) to be used for _________________.”

When deciding how your gift will be used, you have the option to keep your support unrestricted or, depending on the size of your gift, to designate it for a specific purpose. To offer unrestricted support, please specify that your gift is for the college’s general purposes. If you are considering a restricted gift, we encourage you to speak first with a member of the Advancement Team to confirm that St. John’s can honor your wishes. Please email at development(at)sjc.edu or call us at 505-984-6104.

Naming St. John’s as the Beneficiary of a Financial Asset

Another simple and flexible way to make a future gift to St. John’s is by naming the college as the beneficiary of a financial asset, such as a retirement plan, bank account, brokerage account, life insurance policy, or commercial annuity.

You retain full control of the assets and can continue to use them as you normally would. After your lifetime, the funds pass directly to St. John’s without going through probate, the sometimes-lengthy legal process required for assets left through a will.

If you plan to leave assets to your family and to St. John’s, a retirement account can be a tax-efficient choice for a charitable gift. When heirs inherit a traditional IRA or 401(k), they owe income tax on the distributions they receive. As a nonprofit, St. John’s pays no income tax on these funds, so the full amount supports the college.

To name St. John’s as the beneficiary of an asset, contact your plan administrator, bank, or insurance company and request a beneficiary designation form. Many institutions will let you make changes online. Beneficiary designation forms typically do not allow you to specify how the gift will be used, so if you have a particular purpose in mind, email the college’s Advancement Team at development(at)sjc.edu or call us at 505-984-6104 so we can document your wishes.

Making a Gift That Pays You Income

Life-income gifts allow you to support St. John’s in the future while receiving a stream of income that may be higher than what you currently earn from your assets. Two popular options are the charitable gift annuity, which guarantees fixed payments, and the charitable remainder trust, which typically provides a variable amount based on the trust’s value each year.

Unlike a bequest or beneficiary designation, a life-income gift involves a transfer of cash or appreciated assets during your lifetime. When the annuity or trust ends, the remaining assets will support the college. Regardless of how you fund your gift, you may qualify for an immediate charitable income tax deduction.

St. John’s Forever: The Legacy Society of St. John’s College

“True love of wisdom is sheltered in her halls.
Seekers of virtue will answer to her call.
Books and a balance are all the tools we need.
St. John’s forever. She will make us free.”

Named for the unofficial fight song of St. John’s College, which was updated in 2011 to better express the aims of the New Program, St. John’s Forever is the college’s way of celebrating those who “answer to her call” through the commitment of a future gift.

If you have already included St. John’s in your estate plans, please let us know by completing our gift intention form (coming soon) and returning it by mail or email.

Letting the college know about your gift allows us to thank you during your lifetime and might inspire other members of the St. John’s community to remember the college in a similar way. Sharing your plans also serves a practical purpose. You will have the chance to clarify any questions now and gain the peace of mind that comes from knowing St. John’s understands your wishes.