Ways to Give

There are many ways to give and many options for your philanthropic support at SIU Medicine. 

Learn how to make a gift that provides tax benefits and even life income. Giving to our cause can be done directly or through a gift model that can provide tax benefits and even income. Please review our SIU Foundation web page to explore the different options of giving. You will see how you can receive your next tax benefit through bequests, IRA rollovers, charitable gift annuities and many more. 

Cash

Cash is the easiest way to give support to the University. Your gift makes an immediate impact on our mission today and you benefit from a charitable income tax deduction. The SIU Foundation also accepts cash donations using VISA, Master Card, Discover and EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer).

You can donate using our online giving site to quickly and safely make your contribution on our secure server. Please let us know if you want your gift used for a specific purpose, by indicating that purpose either in the memo line or in a letter to us.

A great way to increase the benefit of your contribution without any additional cost is for you to ask your company's personnel or community relations department if your company has a Matching Gift Program. Many corporations will match the contribution of their employees and, in some instances, spouses or retired employees. Check to see if your employer offers matching gifts.

Securities

Stocks, mutual funds, bonds and other publicly traded securities is an easy and tax-effective way for you to make a gift to the Southern Illinois University Foundation. There are various ways of transferring these gifts such as a transfer of securities from the donor's brokerage account or delivery of the actual certificate to the Foundation. Your benefits for gifts of stocks and bonds are avoid paying capital gains tax on the sale of appreciated stock, receive a charitable income tax deduction, further our mission today. You can make your gift of stocks by electronic transfer - Please contact us for instructions on how you can transfer stock or bonds from your brokerage or investment account to the Southern Illinois University Foundation, or by certified mail - If you hold securities in certificate form, you will need to mail two envelopes separately to complete your gift. In the first envelope, place the unsigned stock certificate(s). In the other envelope, include a signed stock power for each certificate. You may obtain this power from your broker or bank. Please remember to use certified mail.

There are special rules for valuing a gift of stock. The value of a charitable gift of stock is determined by taking the mean between the high and low stock price on the date of the gift. Mutual fund shares are valued using the closing price for the fund on the date of the gift. If you have any questions about gifts of stocks and bonds, please contact us. We would be happy to assist you and answer any questions that you have.

Real and Personal Property

The SIU Foundation reviews for accepting gifts of real or personal property that enhance the mission of the University. Donating appreciated real estate, such as a home, vacation property, undeveloped land, farmland, ranch or commercial property can make a great gift to the Southern Illinois University Foundation. Your benefits for gifts of real estate: avoid paying capital gains tax on the sale of the real estate, receive a charitable income tax deduction based on the value of the gift,  and leave a lasting legacy to the Southern Illinois University Foundation. Your real property may be given to the Southern Illinois University Foundation by executing or signing a deed transferring ownership. You may deed part or all of your real property to the Southern Illinois University Foundation. Your gift will generally be based on the property's fair market value, which must be established by an independent appraisal.Plus or minus icon

Gifts of Retirement Assets

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. If you are like most people, you probably will not use all of your retirement assets during your lifetime. You can make a gift of your unused retirement assets to help further our mission. Your benefits of a gift of retirement asset is you avoid potential estate tax on retirement assets, your heirs would avoid income tax on any retirement assets funded on a pre-tax basis, and you receive potential estate tax savings from an estate tax deduction. To leave your retirement assets to the Southern Illinois University Foundation, you will need to complete a beneficiary designation form provided by your retirement plan custodian. If you designate the Southern Illinois University Foundation as beneficiary, we will benefit from the full value of your gift because your IRA assets will not be taxed at your death. Your estate will benefit from an estate tax charitable deduction for the gift.

Did you know that 60%-70% of your retirement assets may be taxed if you leave them to your heirs at your death? Another option is to leave your heirs assets that receive a step up in basis, such as real estate and stock, and give the retirement assets to the Southern Illinois University Foundation. As a charity, we are not taxed upon receiving an IRA or other retirement plan assets. If you have any questions about gifts of retirement assets, please contact us. We would be happy to assist you and answer any questions that you have. Please let us know if you have already included the Southern Illinois University Foundation as a beneficiary of your retirement assets. We would like to thank you and recognize you for your gift.

Gifts of Insurance

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. The benefits of gifts of life insurance are you:

  • Receive a charitable income tax deduction
  • If the Southern Illinois University Foundation retains the policy to maturity, you can receive additional tax deductions by making annual gifts so that we can pay the premiums
  • If the Southern Illinois University Foundation cashes in the policy, you will be able to see firsthand how your gift supports our charitable work
  • If we retain the policy to maturity, or you name us as a beneficiary, once the policy matures, the proceeds of your policy will be paid to our organization so that we can use the proceeds to further our charitable work

To make a gift of life insurance, please contact your life insurance provider, request a beneficiary designation form from the insurer, and include the Southern Illinois University Foundation as the beneficiary of your policy. You can also designate the Southern Illinois University Foundation as a partial, full or contingent beneficiary of your life insurance policy. You will continue to own and can make use of the policy during your lifetime. Your estate may benefit from an estate tax charitable deduction. Your deduction for the gift of life insurance will depend on whether the policy has increased in value above the premiums and whether the policy is paid up or there are remaining payments to be made. Please let us know if you have already named us as a beneficiary of your life insurance policy. We would like to thank you and recognize you for your gift.

In Honor or Memory of a Loved One

We are happy to acknowledge gifts made in honor or memory of individuals. If you send us a name and address, we would be happy to send an acknowledgment of the gift to the family. No mention of the dollar amount of the gift will be made.

Anatomical Donations

Our forms and policies can be found here