Beneficiary Designation Gifts

A beneficiary designation gift is a simple and affordable way to make a gift to support Howard University. You can designate us as a beneficiary of a retirement, investment or bank account or your life insurance policy.

Donor

Designation Form

Account Custodian

Property
(IRA/Investment)

Benefits of a beneficiary designation gift

Support the causes that you care about
Continue to use your account as long as you need to
Simplify your planning and avoid expensive legal fees
Reduce the burden of taxes on your family
Receive an estate tax charitable deduction

How a beneficiary designation gift works

To make your gift, contact the person who helps you with your account or insurance policy, such as your broker, banker or insurance agent.
Ask them to send you a new beneficiary designation form.
Complete the form, sign it and mail it back to your broker, banker or agent.
When you pass away, your account or insurance policy will be paid or transferred to Howard University, consistent with the beneficiary designation.

Important considerations for your future

If you are interested in making a gift but are also concerned about your future needs, keep in mind that beneficiary designation gifts are among the most flexible of all charitable gifts. Even after you complete the beneficiary designation form, you can take distributions or withdrawals from your retirement, investment or bank account and continue to freely use your account. You can also change your mind at any time in the future for any reason, including if you have a loved one who needs your financial help.

Contact us

If you have any questions about leaving a beneficiary designation gift to us, please contact us. We would be happy to assist you.

If you have already designated us as a beneficiary of an asset or as part of your estate plan, please let us know. We would like to recognize you and your family for your gift.

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Flexibility—Most beneficiary designation forms are very flexible. You can name Howard University as a "full" or "partial" beneficiary of your account or life insurance policy. You can also name Howard University as a "primary" or "contingent" beneficiary.

Family Considerations—Beneficiary designation gifts allow you to provide for family and support the causes that matter most to you. With a designation form you could, for example, name your spouse as the "primary" beneficiary and each of your children and Howard University as "partial contingent" beneficiaries. With this arrangement, if your spouse survives you, he or she would receive the account. If not, the account or policy would be paid out to your children and Howard University in whatever shares (or percentages) that you chose on the designation form.

Terminology—Beneficiary designation gifts are simple and straightforward. Common terminology includes "beneficiary designation" but also includes "payable on death" or "transfer on death." The term "beneficiary designation" is most commonly used when naming beneficiaries of retirement plans or life insurance policies. The term payable on death (or "POD") typically involves the designation of a beneficiary of a checking account, savings account or certificates of deposit, and transfer on death (or "TOD") often involves the designation of a beneficiary of stocks, bonds or mutual funds.

Additional Materials
To download a brochure and learn more about Beneficiary Designation gifts, click here.
To download a brochure and learn more about TOD gifts, click here.
To download a brochure and learn more about POD gifts, click here.

Beneficiary Designations and Real Estate—Some states even allow "beneficiary designation deeds" or "transfer on death deeds," which would allow you to name Howard University as the survivor beneficiary of your home, farm or other real estate. As with other beneficiary designation gifts, these gifts are revocable by filing a revocation or new beneficiary designation deed.

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Beneficiary Designation Gifts

Benefits of a beneficiary designation gift

How a beneficiary designation gift works

Important considerations for your future

Contact us

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