Strategies for Legacy and Philanthropic Planning

The Education You Valued. The Future You Can Shape.

A planned gift to the University of Rochester is one of the most powerful ways to ensure that what you value most continues to thrive for generations. These gifts provide the lasting foundation that allows us to pursue bold ideas, support exceptional students and faculty, and advance groundbreaking research and care—long into the future.

By including the University in your estate plan through a planned gift, you become a member of the Wilson Society and join a community of visionary supporters who are shaping the University's future.

Your commitment will lay the foundation for our most ambitious progress plan as part of For Ever Better: The Campaign for the University of Rochester to make the world ever better for brilliant minds, for boundless opportunities, for thriving communities, and for next-generation spaces.

 

Ways to Give

(W)=Denotes gifts which qualify for Wilson Society membership.

Including the University of Rochester in your will (W) Beneficiary designation of life insurance or retirement assets (W) Charitable Remainder Unitrust: Variable Income for Life (W) Charitable Gift Annuity: Fixed income for life (W)

Qualified Charitable Distributions: Tax-free gifts from retirement accounts IRA Funded Charitable Gift Annuity (W) Stocks and appreciated securities New for 2026: Charitable deduction for non-itemizers

Meet Our Donors

William Feaster ’76M (MD) & Sandi Feaster

Over the course of the last 50 years, William "Bill" Feaster '76M (MD) has transitioned from medical student to accomplished physician to generous philanthropist, a series of events set in motion by the very place it all began: the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Michael Goldman ’76 & Sally Pasion

Growth is precisely what Michael Goldman ’76 and his wife, Sally Pasion, hope to sustain through a provision in their wills to create the Michael A. Goldman and Sally G. Pasion Faculty Research Endowment Fund.

Gerry Gitner ’68S (MBA)

“Making a connection with the next generation is the best way—and the right way—to give back.”

Gerry Gitner ’68S (MBA) established an endowed lectureship and scholarship, as well as a prize for teaching excellence. He combined outright gifts with life-income gifts and included the Simon Business School in his estate plan.

Susan Flow ’81N

To honor her student experience—and pay her gratitude forward in a meaningful way—Susan Flow ’81N committed to establishing the Susan A. Flow ‘81 Nursing Endowed Scholarship Fund with a bequest intention in 2011—naming the University in her estate plans as a beneficiary of her will.

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Structuring your gift

You can think about making a reunion gift in many ways. One suggestion we offer is to think about blended gifts that combine assets, methods, and timing, as illustrated in this chart.

 

1. Your annual support, whether through an outright gift, a qualified charitable distribution, or gift of appreciated securities, provides critical ongoing support year in and year out to the University.

2. Your reunion may be the right time for you to consider an outright gift of securities or a qualified charitable distribution. You may wish to create a scholarship or support a program of special interest or to fund a life-income plan that pays you or a family member lifetime income.

3. You may have thought about or already included the University in your estate plan. A bequest in your will or a beneficiary designation on an insurance policy or retirement fund are ways to provide future support while retaining access to your assets during your lifetime. If you inform the University of your plans, your commitment will be included in the total amount reported for your class gift.

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Already made a commitment?

We encourage you to confidentially inform us when you have named the University as a beneficiary of your estate so we can confirm the details of your generous future gift and acknowledge your commitment.

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