A planned or "legacy" gift comes from assets and therefore allows you to make a larger gift than you could from income. While some planned gifts can provide you with a lifetime income, others use tax-smart ways to maximize your gift and/or minimize the tax impact. Most take effect in the future as a final way to create your legacy (and therefore do not affect today’s finances). Learn more about ways to create your planned gift to provide lasting support for the University Catholic Center at austin diocese.myplannedgift.org.

1. After years of faithful support to the University Catholic Center, you may wish to create a planned gift to benefit the University Catholic Center to sustain our mission well into the future. Such a gift will allow you to extend your devotion to the Church for future generations.

2. Planned giving allows you to make a significant impact on the University Catholic Center, likely at no cost to you during your lifetime. Planned gifts typically also provide you or your heirs with tax advantages. Anyone, regardless of income or stage of life, can help secure the University Catholic Center’s future by establishing a planned gift to support our Longhorn students.
Planned gifts can make a substantial impact on the University Catholic Center, creating a legacy for our ministry that lasts for generations.

3. Planned gifts can offer you significant benefits. For example, planned gifts allow you to maintain control of your assets during your lifetime, take advantage of several tax benefits, or perhaps even secure a lifetime income stream for yourself or others.

4. Planned gifts typically come from your assets rather than income. They are perfect for individuals and families of all ages and levels of income who wish to create a planned gift to the Catholic organizations that are important to them. Planned giving can enable anyone to create a legacy for the University Catholic Center. Learn more about how you can support the University Catholic Center for generations to come with a planned gift by contacting Lilian Ninh at 512-476-7351 or [email protected] or Dan Wierzbowski at 512-949-2496 or [email protected].

Stocks - Click here to learn about how you can give the gift of stocks to the UCC.

Gifts in Your Will - A simple and popular way to make a planned gift is through your Will. You specify a percentage of your estate, dollar amount, an item, or asset that you want your beneficiary to receive after your lifetime. You also have the option of naming the University Catholic Center as a beneficiary to your estate. Entrusting the University Catholic Center with a gift from your estate is one of the easiest and most effective ways to support our campus ministry at The University of Texas! 

In as little as one sentence, you can complete your gift. This type of donation to the the University Catholic Center in your will or living trust helps ensure that we continue our mission for years to come. The beneficiaries listed can be easily modified at any time, to meet your changing needs over the course of your life.

The Diocese of Austin and its parishes have partnered with FreeWill to give all our supporters the opportunity to do create or update their will at no cost to you. You can access this free planning tool at freewill.com/austindiocese. As always, we recommend consulting with an estate planning attorney to make sure your wishes are properly formalized.

Beneficiary Designations – You can name our the University Catholic Center as beneficiary of your IRAs, retirement accounts, and life insurance policies. Retirement accounts require separate change-of-beneficiary forms because they are separate from your will. They can be modified at any time by requesting the form from your plan provider or policy administrator. Make your desired changes and return the form to establish your gift.

Giving From Your IRA – For those age 70 ½ and older you can give any amount (up to a maximum of $105,000) per year from your IRA directly to a qualified charity such as the University Catholic Center without having to pay income taxes on the money. Beginning in the year you turn 73, you can use your gift to satisfy all or part of your required minimum distribution (RMD). These tax-smart gifts are commonly called an IRA charitable rollover, but you may also see it referred to as a qualified charitable distribution, or QCD for short.

Take a look at your 401(k), 403(b), IRA, Annuities or Life Insurance policy. If you have not listed a primary and a contingent beneficiary, please prayerfully consider designating the University Catholic Center as such. 

Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA) - A great way you can make a gift to the UCC and receive regular payments for life. You transfer your cash or property to us; we promise to make fixed payments to you for life at a rate based on your age.  The balance is used to support our work. When you create a charitable gift annuity to benefit the University Catholic Center you may receive a variety of tax benefits, including a federal income tax charitable deduction when you itemize.

Create a CGA If you are 70½ or older by making a one-time election up to $53,000 directly from your IRA without being taxed on the distribution. Receive steady income for life and support the mission of the University Catholic Center. Special rules apply, so contact Dan Wierzbowski at 512-949-2496 or [email protected] for details.

Appreciated Securities - For instructions on transferring appreciated securities, please contact Lisa Rosenberger at 512-949-2450 or [email protected].

Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) - These are like charitable checking accounts that give you the flexibility to recommend how often and how much money you want to grant to qualified charities like the University Catholic Center. You can also create a planned gift by naming the University Catholic Center as the beneficiary of the entire account or a percentage of the fund. With a percentage, you can create a family legacy of giving by naming your loved ones as your successors to continue recommending grants to charitable organizations. Contact your fund administrator for a beneficiary form.

Real Estate - Consider making a gift of real estate, such as a personal residence, vacation home, farm, commercial property, or undeveloped land.  You may be eligible for a federal charitable income tax deduction and minimize or eliminate capital gains taxes. You also don’t have to deal with the hassle of selling the real estate if the property is deeded directly to the parish or ask your estate planning attorney to add the appropriate language in your will or trust agreement. Please contact the parish office to discuss the type of property you would like to gift to us so that we can work with you to ensure that your goals can be realized within our gift acceptance policies.

Endowments - Leave a gift to the parish that will sustain our mission by creating or contributing to an existing permanent endowment fund for the benefit of the University Catholic Center held at the Catholic Foundation – Diocese of Austin. An endowment fund provides a permanent and secure source of income, which can help ensure the future of the University Catholic Center.

To leave a gift towards our currently established endowments, click below