Sample Testamentary Language

The following suggested language may be used to make a gift to Oberlin College through your will. If you choose to make a bequest to Oberlin College, we suggest that you work with the Office of Gift Planning to ensure that the maximum benefits of your gift are achieved, including your designation of how you wish Oberlin to use your gift.

• A general bequest: “I give (a specific asset) or ($__ dollars) or (__ percent of the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate) to Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio, for its general purposes."
• A bequest for a specific purpose: "I give (a specific asset) or ($__ dollars) or (__ percent of the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate) to Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio, to be used for the following purpose: (state the purpose, e.g., to establish a scholarship fund, to establish a professorship, to name a space in a building, or to support any other specific Oberlin activity or program).”
• Oberlin requests that donors or their attorneys contact the Office of Development to discuss possibilities for specific purposes. Oberlin’s educational activities and programs change over time, and the needs of this generation of students may not be the same as those of the next. Therefore, whenever you indicate a particular purpose for your bequest, it is advisable to grant Oberlin the authority to respond to changing needs. You may do this by including the following language with your bequest: “If at any time in the judgment of the Oberlin College Trustees, it is impossible or impracticable to carry out exactly the designated purpose, the Oberlin College Trustees shall determine an alternative purpose as near as possible to the designated purpose.”

Taking the next step:

< Back