Wills and living trusts

Establish a gift in your will or living trust

This impactful giving option costs you nothing today

Are you looking for a simple way to support Indiana University and establish your legacy? With just a sentence or two, you can add a flexible gift to a new or existing will. You can change the gift if your goals or circumstances change. Even better, there is no immediate out-of-pocket cost, potentially allowing you to provide more substantial support for IU than would otherwise be possible.

You can make a will or living trust gift of:

See it in action

When Chris Conner, BA’06, MA’10, studied sociology at the IU Indianapolis School of Liberal Arts, the faculty were invaluable to his success. “They gradually pulled me into the life of the university and helped me get jobs,” he said. “They helped me go from feeling like an outsider to feeling like I belonged in the department and in this field.” When Chris lost his mother and father within the span of a few years, his professors were there to help him finish his master’s degree.

While settling his parents’ estate, the lawyer encouraged him to create a will. Having no spouse or children, he chose to establish a gift for his nephew and direct a percentage of his estate to IU Indy Sociology—a gift designed to help students complete their master’s degrees.

“I feel really good about the decision,” Chris emphasized. “I know how important it is for alumni to give back to the university to help the next generation of students, and this is a way I can do that now.”

Your will controls most property, but not all

Keep in mind that not all property passes under your will. For example, a life insurance policy, IRA, or other retirement or financial accounts pass directly to named beneficiaries. Read about how to donate those assets to IU using a simple beneficiary designation.