What is a Planned Gift?
A planned gift is a bequest, trust, or other deferred gift that advances Dartmouth’s mission for future generations. You can direct your planned gift to support a specific program or one of Dartmouth’s schools.
Planned Giving Options
Bargain Sale
Sell your property to Dartmouth for below its fair market value, and you receive cash while also making a charitable gift.
Beneficiary Designation
One of the easiest and most effective ways to support Dartmouth is to name the College as a beneficiary of your retirement plan.
Charitable Lead Trust
Reduce the cost of passing assets to your heirs while supporting a Dartmouth program that is particularly meaningful to you.
Charitable Remainder Trust
A charitable remainder trust provides income with growth potential for life or a specified period of time.
Dartmouth Donor Advised Fund
A DDAF can be considered a low-cost alternative to starting a family foundation. You create the fund and take an immediate tax deduction for the full amount. Dartmouth invests your gift alongside the endowment for long-term growth.
IRA Distribution
Directing a portion of your required minimum distribution to a nonprofit organization such as Dartmouth reduces your taxable income—and you can direct your gift to a Dartmouth program that’s particularly meaningful to you.
Pooled Income Funds
Enjoy immediate and long-term tax benefits, establish an income stream for life for you or beneficiaries, and support future students and faculty.
Retained Life Estate
A retained life estate gift allows you to live out your years in your home, while knowing your property will someday significantly benefit Dartmouth.
Giving Societies
Bartlett Tower Society
The Bartlett Tower Society celebrates alumni, parents, and friends who are remembering Dartmouth in their estate plans.
Thayer Legacy Society
A gift to Thayer School’s endowment is an enduring investment in its academic mission to prepare engineers for “the most responsible positions and most difficult service.”
Geisel School of Medicine Pinnacle Society
Join this group of committed donors to Dartmouth Health and Geisel School of Medicine with a planned gift to contribute to a healthier life for now and future generations.
Tuck Hall Society
Support the Tuck School of Business mission of developing wise, decisive leaders who better the world through business.
Planned Giving Stories
Reasons for making a planned gift to Dartmouth are as varied as our alumni. Read some of their stories.
Helping Keep Dartmouth Affordable for Future Generations
A retired gift planning professional and longtime Dartmouth volunteer leader, Stefanie Valar ’76 shares how a simple legacy gift can help keep Dartmouth affordable for future generations.
“Planned Giving is Such an Easy Way for Young People to Engage in Philanthropy”
Patrick Bedard GR’19 is vice president and director of administration at First Bank of the Lake. He joined the Bartlett Tower Society in 2025 by naming Dartmouth as an IRA beneficiary.
“This Feels Like a Gift with More Emotional Meaning.”
For Karen Hung Raghavan ’99 and Sharat Raghavan ’98, a planned gift to Dartmouth is a meaningful way to honor their experience and create opportunities for future generations.
Charitable Gift Annuity: The Gift that Keeps on Giving Back
The fundamentals of Charitable Gift Annuities and how they can enhance your charitable giving plans.
Contact Us
We invite you to contact individual members of our staff by phone or email, or by visiting our office. Not sure who to contact? Email us at gift.planning@dartmouth.edu and we'll direct your question to the right person.
Susan Hanifin
