Giving
All gifts should be made to the MSU Foundation, Inc. Gifts can be made with cash, check or credit card, or can be made with real estate, tangible items or insurance proceeds (including IRAs). Planned gifts are also welcome, and we have attorneys on staff at the university to assist your counselors at no charge.
How to Give
Once you decide where to make your gift, you can choose to make a recurring, monthly gift. If your company or spouse’s company offers matching gifts, be sure to include that information as well—matching gifts can double, triple, or quadruple your gift.
A gift of cash is a simple and easy way for you to make a gift.
The gift can be paid with annual installments over a period of time. A pledge may enable a more significant gift than would be otherwise possible.
Donating appreciated securities, including stocks or bonds, is an easy and tax-effective way for you to make a gift to our organization.
Donating appreciated real estate, such as a home, vacation property, undeveloped land, farmland, ranch or commercial property can make a great gift to our organization.
Donating part or all of your unused retirement assets such as a gift from your IRA, 401(k), 403(b), pension or other tax-deferred plan is an excellent way to make a gift to our organization.
A gift of your life insurance policy is an excellent way to make a gift to charity. If you have a life insurance policy that has outlasted its original purpose, consider making a gift of your insurance policy. For example, you may have purchased a policy to provide for minor children and they are now financially independent adults.
You designate our organization as the beneficiary of your asset by will, trust or beneficiary designation form.
Congress has enacted a permanent IRA charitable rollover. As a result you can make an IRA rollover gift this year and in future years.
You can designate us as a beneficiary of a retirement, investment or bank account or your life insurance policy.
You transfer your cash or appreciated property to our organization in exchange for our promise to pay you fixed payments (with rates based on your age) for the rest of your life.
You transfer your cash or appreciated property to fund a charitable remainder unitrust. The trust sells your property tax free and provides you with income for life or a term of years.
You fund a trust that makes gifts to us for a number of years. Your family receives the trust remainder at substantial tax savings.
You give a portion of your property to us to fund a charitable remainder trust, when the property sells you receive cash and income for life.
We purchase your property for less than fair market value. You receive cash and a charitable deduction for the difference between the market value and purchase price.
You provide your children with a stream of income while making a gift to charity.
You give your property to our organization, but retain the right to use the property during your life.
Endowments
Endowment gifts start at $10,000 for our general-use pooled endowment and $25,000 for a named endowment. Many bequests are simply made to the college and are unrestricted as to purpose, recognizing that needs change over time. Alternatively, endowments can support students, faculty, the hospital, or specific programs.
Bequests
Bequests are very simply accomplished. Your will should state: "I give ____ to the Mississippi State University Foundation, Inc., Mississippi State, Mississippi, on behalf of Mississippi State University. This bequest shall be used to support the _________ Fund Agreement in the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine." This then refers administrators back to your one page agreement. (With gifts of $10,000 or more, we will prepare a one-page Fund Agreement to guide future administrators in regard to your wishes.) An advantage of this approach is simplicity and that it allows you the opportunity to change the Fund Agreement later if you wish without having to go back and change your estate documents.