Giving

Your annual gifts empower our students to overcome challenges, pursue their passions, and achieve their dreams. Whether it’s providing financial assistance, supporting innovative programs, or enhancing campus facilities, your contribution makes a tangible difference.

Learn more about Annual Giving.

The President’s Circle offers a unique opportunity for alumni, friends, business and community leaders to join a special group of donors at either an individual or a corporate level to help raise unrestricted funds for the college’s areas of greatest need.

Learn more about President’s Circle and the benefits of membership.

You can establish an endowment fund to benefit Sierra College. A minimum of $25,000 is required for endowed funds.

How does an endowment work?

• Funds are treated as principal and are permanently invested.
• Earnings from the investments are distributed each year.
• Endowment provides a solid base for annual funding to support student success, program enhancement and community enrichment.
• All investments are managed professionally in a diversified portfolio.
• The donor may designate the endowment name and its purpose.
• Endowment is an on-going means of support for higher education in Placer and Nevada Counties.

What are the benefits of being an endowment donor?

• Prominent honor for donor and their family, company or organization.
• Community recognition through Sierra College Foundation’s Circle of Honor and publications.
• Quality of life contribution to the future of the college and the community.
• Savings in estate, capital gains and income taxes.
• Leadership example for others to follow. 

How does an endowment benefit Sierra College and the community?

• Reduces financial barriers to attending college.
• Provides greater opportunities for life and career enhancement.
• Enriches classroom experience.
• Provides high quality instruction to students.
• Allows for state-of-the-art technology and equipment.
• Reflects confidence in the college’s mission and role.

With a minimum donation of $5,000, you can make an impact through our Preferred Partner Program. There are several levels to choose from and the benefits associated with each level are customizable. Please contact the Foundation for more information.

Annual Preferred Partner Program Perks

Leave a lasting legacy with a gift that makes a difference. Visit our planned giving site to learn more and find out how you can become a member of our Sierra Legacy Society.

What is Planned Giving?

Legacy giving is also referred to as planned giving or gift planning. It enables philanthropic individuals to make larger gifts to Sierra College Foundation than they could make from ordinary income. Sierra College Foundation can assist you and your advisors in developing an estate gift plan that serves you and Sierra College.

Planned Gifts that Pay Income

Learn about the tax and potential income benefits of the following planned giving options:

• Charitable Gift Annuity: The donor makes an irrevocable gift to the Foundation in exchange for a fixed income for life. The payout rate is determined by the age(s) of the individual(s) receiving the income. The donor receives an immediate income tax deduction (in some cases, a portion of the annuity income is tax-free), and the assets are removed from the donor’s estate.
• Charity Lead Trust: The donor transfers money or property to a trustee who makes payments to the Foundation for a specified number of years, after which the principal is returned to a designated non-charitable beneficiary, usually a family member. The income to the charitable beneficiary can be variable (unitrust) or fixed (annuity trust). The lead trust may provide the donor with a current income tax deduction and can assist in avoiding or reducing generation-skipping estate taxes.
• Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust: The donor transfers cash, securities or other assets to a trustee in exchange for the trustee’s agreement to pay named beneficiaries a fixed sum of money – at least five percent of the initial fair market value of the trust assets. Once established, the annual amount never changes. Payments are made to the donor/beneficiary or to anyone designated for life or a period of time not to exceed 20 years. At the death of the last beneficiary or the expiration of the term of years, the trust will terminate, and the assets will be distributed to the Foundation. An immediate income tax charitable deduction is allowed for the remainder value.
• Charitable Remainder Unitrust: The donor transfers cash, securities or other assets to a trustee in exchange for the trustee’s agreement to pay an income to the donor that is equal to at least five percent or more of the net fair market value of the trust assets as determined annually. The trust will terminate at the death of the last of the beneficiaries, or a term of not more than 20 years, and the corpus and accrued income will be distributed to the Foundation. An immediate income tax charitable deduction is allowed for the remainder value.
• Deferred Payment Annuities: The donor makes an irrevocable transfer of assets to the Foundation now in exchange for a fixed income to begin at a specified date in the future. The longer the deferral of the income, the higher the payout rate and the tax deduction.
• Pooled Income Fund: The donor makes an irrevocable transfer of money or securities (except those that are tax-free) to (NAME OF TRUSTEE) as trustee for a professionally managed pooled investment fund. Income beneficiaries are assigned units in the fund in proportion to the amount contributed, and income is paid to them for life from the actual earnings of the assets under management. Upon the death of the income beneficiary or beneficiaries, Foundation receives the remainder value of the units in the fund.

We accept cash, check or credit cards payable to Sierra College Foundation. Donate now.

This includes corporations, partnerships and forms of business organization. The tax deduction is based on the appraised, fair market value. Common partnership gifts include those involving real estate, oil and gas properties or equipment leases.

Under special circumstances, a partnership interest may also be used to fund a charitable lead trust. Another option is a family limited partnership, which is used to arrange for the orderly transfer of stock to the next generation and to receive substantial estate and gift tax savings.

The inclusion of the Foundation as one of the limited partners results in favorable tax treatment for you and the successors in the partnership.

Corporations encourage employees and retirees to make charitable gifts by agreeing to match personal donations with an equal or greater corporate contribution.

To initiate a matching gift, please complete your employer’s matching gift form (either through your company’s matching gift online system or by completing a hard copy form) and send it, along with your gift, to Sierra College Foundation.

Please use the following information to fill out the form:

• Organization: Sierra College Foundation
• Website: www.sierracollege.edu/foundation
• Email: foundation@sierracollege.edu
• Phone: (916) 660-7020
• Tax ID#: 23-7241877

Once we receive your form, we will complete the form, certifying that we have received your gift and that it is an eligible match. We will send the form to your employer (or verify online, if applicable), who sends the matching funds to Sierra College Foundation.

Upon receipt of the matching gift, we will notify you in writing.

There are many types of life insurance gifts. The most common is assignment of an existing policy that is currently in force and paid up. The donor names the Foundation owner and beneficiary. The benefits to you are in both gift and estate tax considerations.

In a gift of a policy that is not paid up, later premium payments are also deductible for tax purposes. Federal tax regulations indicate that the gift value of an insurance policy is the cash value of the policy at the time of transfer of ownership. Life insurance arrangements might take one of the following forms:

• Making the Foundation owner and beneficiary of an existing policy
• Purchasing a new policy for the Foundation
• Replacing charitable gifts in one’s estate

Marketable securities make excellent gifts for many donors to consider. When you own securities that have a long-term gain and give them to the Foundation, you may be able to take the full fair market value of the securities as a charitable deduction on your income tax returns and also avoid all capital gains taxes.

The quickest and easiest way to transfer securities to the Foundation is to instruct your broker to transfer the securities from your account to one registered to the Foundation at the same brokerage house. If the Foundation does not have an account with the brokerage house, it is a simple matter to set one up, and Foundation officials can facilitate this.

If you choose to deliver stock certificates, they should be sent unendorsed. To transfer the securities, you should execute a stock power, naming “Sierra College Foundation” as the new owner.

If mailed, the unendorsed certificates and the stock power should be sent in separate envelopes. Please note that transferring securities between brokerage houses or through the transfer agent are the least desirable methods as they may delay the transfer by as much as two weeks and make it more difficult for you to control the date of the gift.

As with marketable securities, a gift of mutual fund shares – if held long-term and have experienced appreciation – can enjoy the double advantage of a charitable deduction and capital gains avoidance.

If the shares are kept in “street name” at a brokerage house, the transfer procedure is similar to that for marketable securities. If the shares are held at the mutual fund company, be sure to follow the company’s transfer procedures.

Gifts of tangible personal property related to the mission of the Foundation are welcomed. At its option, the Foundation may retain such items in its permanent collections. You may take an income tax deduction for the appraised fair market value of the objects.

Real estate may be given outright or with you, the donor, retaining a life estate contract. The types of property that might be given include residential, rental, business, or farm real estate. Both fractional and total interests will be accepted. The tax deduction is based on the appraised, fair market value.

If you are or know somone who is 73 years old or older, you can take advantage of a smiple way to benefit Sierra College Foundation and receive tax benefits in return.

• You can give up to $100,000 from your IRA directly to a qualified organization, such as Sierra College Foundation, without having to pay income taxes on the money.
• RMDs are a tax-saving way to help Sierra College Foundation and our students!