Creating a Legacy
Alumnae and friends of Cedar Crest College play a vitally important role in shaping Cedar Crest's future. Through their generosity, programs and facilities are maintained and developed, opportunities are provided for students and faculty, and the College's future is secured.
Many alumnae and friends have wanted to create a legacy through gifts from their estate. There are many ways to do this, and we have created this website to answer basic questions about planned giving and to offer specific examples of how donors have designed their gifts to best suit their own financial situation.
What is a Planned Gift?
A “planned gift” is a charitable gift, current or deferred, that is planned — usually with professional advice — to optimize a donor’s financial, tax, and estate plans while helping to secure the long-term financial strength of one or more recipient charities
Importance of Planned Giving to Cedar Crest and the Donor
Your planned gift establishes a legacy at Cedar Crest College for generations to come. It can also offer you and your family substantial financial benefits and tax savings.
More than 300 alumnae, parents, faculty, and friends of Cedar Crest who informed the college that these, have currently included the College in their estate plans via bequests, gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts, pooled income funds, and other forms of planned giving. . A planned gift enrolls you as a proud member of the Legion of Loyalty. The Legion of Loyalty gratefully recognizes donors that financially support the College through planned gifts.
By making a planned gift, you will join many others who made gifts to the College while planning their own futures. The gift plans they use to create their legacies are tax-wise tools that yield significant, immediate and long-term benefits. No matter how your gift is structured, you can direct your contribution to the College or specific program of your choice.
We are happy to help you and your advisors design a giving plan that will best benefit you as well as the College. To learn more about including Cedar Crest College in your estate planning, contact the Office of Institutional Advancement at (610) 606-4609 or cccdev@cedarcrest.edu.
A Bequest
Since the most common way to leave an estate gift is through a bequest, we outline information about it below. There are two types of bequests—unrestricted and restricted. An unrestricted bequest is the most beneficial way to keep Cedar Crest strong, because it can be used at the discretion of the President and the Board for the most urgent needs of the College. A restricted bequest allows you to specify how you would like the funds to be allocated. If you decide to make a restricted bequest, please contact the College before you finalize your estate plans, so that we can assist you will language that will allow us to fulfill your wishes.
n order for your wishes to be carried out you should . . .
- Make A Will
- Consult An Attorney
- Update Your Will Regularly
- Name An Executor
- Choose Your Beneficiaries
- Tell Us Your Plans
- Note Our Legal Name
Make A Will
Many people talk about leaving gifts to educational institutions or other nonprofit organizations, but unless they leave a properly executed will, their assets will simply be divided among their relatives. A letter of intent or verbal promise does not ensure that a person's wishes will be carried out. A legal will is essential.
Consult An Attorney
To make a proper will, it's best to first seek the advice of an attorney skilled in estate planning. Even the simplest wishes regarding the most modest estate must be written in proper legal language. In general, the cost of a legal will is modest, particularly compared to what a homemade will might cost your estate later. Your attorney should suggest ways for you and your heirs to save money by reducing estate taxes and minimizing probate costs and other legal expenses.
Update Your Will Regularly
An out-of-date will may be no better than no will at all. By reviewing your will annually or whenever a major life event occurs, you can ensure that your will is accurate. Your will should reflect any change in your family through marriage, divorce, birth or death; changes in state and federal laws; changes in the nature and value of your property or changes in your residency. Moving to another state may affect the validity of your will.
Name An Executor
In your will, you will need to specify someone to be your executor to see that your will is properly executed. It is wise to name alternate executors in case your chosen executor predeceases you, moves away, is ill, or for some other reason cannot handle the details of your estate. Choosing someone who is knowledgeable in business matters or has had some experience with managing finances is a good idea.
You may also consider choosing a corporate executor like a bank trust department rather than a family member or friend. A corporate executor has experience and access to experts in probate, real estate, taxes, and investment instruments.
Choose Your Beneficiaries
You may want your estate divided among several beneficiaries, for example, your family and loved ones, Cedar Crest College, and others. Since your assets change during the course of your lifetime, you may want to leave each of your beneficiaries a percentage of your estate. The percentage idea is a flexible way of giving. Another flexible technique is to name a final beneficiary, like Cedar Crest College, to receive any unclaimed bequests.
Tell Us Your Plans
As you consider your options, please keep us informed. We may be able to suggest an idea for a memorial that would suit both your needs and the changing needs of the College. We would be happy to talk with you about how you can best achieve your charitable objectives through a gift to the College. We are also available to review draft bequest language with your attorney.
If you include us in your will, please tell us. We would much prefer to say "Thanks for the bequest" to you rather than to your executor. We'll keep the information you share with us confidential. Also, if you prefer your gifts to remain anonymous, we will honor your request.
Note Our Legal Name
Your attorney will need to know that bequests should be made to Cedar Crest College. The Internal Revenue Service recognizes the College as a 501(c)(3) organization with tax identification number 23-1365-953. Contributions are deductible as provided in Section 170 of the Internal Revenue Code.
Other Planned Gift Vehicles
There are other vehicles available that allow donors to make an outright gift, enjoy an immediate tax advantage, generate income annually and leave the residual amount to the College upon the death of the beneficiaries. Please contact the College to learn about charitable gift annuities, the pooled income fund, charitable remainder trusts and charitable lead trusts.
For more information, please contact:
The Office of Institutional Advancement
Cedar Crest College
100 College Drive
Allentown, PA 18104
Telephone: 610-606-4609
Fax: 610-740-3764
E-mail: cccdev@cedarcrest.edu
100 College Drive 
