Ways to Give

This is the right gift for you if you:

• Would like to make an outright or life-income gift to Oberlin during your lifetime.
• Wish to benefit from charitable deduction on your income taxes.
• Itemize your deductions on your income taxes.
• Plan to sell securities that have declined in value and then donate these proceeds.

This asset can be used to fund: Outright Gifts, Bequests, Charitable Gift Annuities, Charitable Remainder Trusts, Pooled Income Fund gifts.

This asset can be designated to: Area of Greatest Need, Scholarships, Professorships, Endowment, and the Conservatory of Music.

Many gifts to Oberlin come from current income and are in the form of cash or checks. Cash can be used to make both outright gifts and retained life income gifts. You may make a gift of cash by check, by wire, through our website, or, if you are on campus, by bringing the gift to the Office of Development. If you mail your gift of cash, the date of the gift is the postmark date on the envelope in which it is mailed.

Gifts of $50,000 or more made either in a single payment or pledged over a longer period may be used to create endowed funds for special purposes. Endowed funds earn interest in perpetuity and, once fully funded, this interest is applied to the purpose for which the fund was created.

Take the Next Step

To learn more about making a leadership gift by cash or pledge, please contact the Leadership Giving staff at giving@oberlin.edu or call (440)775-8545 .

Make a gift here on our secure website, or with this form to the address below:

Oberlin College Office of Advancement
P.O. Box 72110
Cleveland, OH 44192-0002

Why should I transfer appreciated stock?

A gift of appreciated stock is a very attractive way to give to Oberlin College. Not only does your gift enhance the educational opportunities we are able to offer our students, but you may also realize a substantial tax savings. This is most advantageous when you have owned the stock for at least one year and the stock has appreciated in value.

Your gift of long-term appreciated stock will entitle you to a charitable deduction equal to the mean market value of the stock on the date of your gift, and you avoid capital gains tax on the stock’s appreciation. Generally speaking, you should not transfer depreciated stock.

How do I transfer appreciated stock?

Your broker can electronically transfer shares of stock to Oberlin College through our brokerage account. Here is the information your broker will require:

Receiving Broker:
Baker & Company Inc.
19111 Detroit Road, Suite 100
Rocky River, OH  44116

The account name is:
Oberlin College
Account # 796-52918
DTC # 0235
Clearinghouse: RBC Capital Markets LLC

Because your name will not be disclosed to Baker & Co. when your stock gift transfers, please advise us directly when you make your gift so that we can properly credit it.

It is also important to note that a gift of stock is not considered complete until it arrives in Baker & Co.’s account, which can take up to 2-3 business days. Please be aware of this if you are making a year-end contribution for tax planning purposes.

Please contact us for instructions if you have physical possession of stock certificates and wish to endorse and send them to Oberlin College directly, or if you wish to fund a life income gift (such as a charitable gift annuity, a charitable lead trust, a charitable remainder trust, or a pooled income fund) with appreciated stock.

Take the Next Step

Thank you for your interest and investment in Oberlin College. Your support is sincerely appreciated! Contact us at stock.gifts@oberlin.edu or at 800-693-3167, if you have any questions or require further information.

This is the right giving vehicle for you if you:

• Want to support the college
• Wish to honor or memorialize another individual via your financial support

This vehicle can be funded with the following assets: Cash, Appreciated Marketable Securities, Real Estate, Retirement Assets, Art, Instruments and Collectibles, and Other Assets.

This vehicle can be designated to: Area of Greatest Need, Scholarships, Professorships, Endowment, and the Conservatory of Music.

Oberlin recognizes that your gift in honor or in memory of someone is a special, personalized way to show your loyalty or love. The Office of Stewardship notifies the honoree and/or the family when such a gift has been made, if we have their information (including notification information with your donation is always helpful).

Making an honorary or memorial gift is easy and can be done with any gift to the college. Simply include a notation with your gift or fill out the “Dedication” section of the online giving form.

Take the Next Step

If you have any questions about making an honorary or memorial gift, feel free to contact the Oberlin Annual Fund Office at annual.fund@oberlin.edu  or call (440) 775-8550 .

Tribute gifts should be sent to:

Office of Advancement
P.O. Box 72110
Cleveland, OH 44192-0002

A gift of real estate may enable you to make a significant gift to Oberlin and save on taxes.  You can donate a residence, a vacation home, or even undeveloped land. 

This is the right gift for you if you:

• Have real estate that is not subject to a mortgage, and which you have owned for at least one year; and
• Want to avoid paying capital gains tax on the transfer of the property

This asset can be designated to: Area of Greatest Need, Scholarships, Professorships, Endowment.

Take the Next Step:

To learn more about making a gift of real estate, contact the Gift Planning team at gift.planning@oberlin.edu or at (440)775-8599.

This is the right gift for you if you:

• Wish to make a gift of art to the Museum, musical instruments to the Conservatory, books to the Library, or other tangible property.

This asset can be designated to: The Allen Memorial Art Museum, the Conservatory of Music, Oberlin College Libraries, and many additional programs or departments.

Take the Next Step:

To learn more about making a gift of tangible property, contact the Leadership Giving staff at giving@oberlin.edu or call (440) 775-8545.

Your gift to Oberlin College might be worth more than face value. Taking advantage of company-sponsored matching gift programs can mean that the impact of your gift will be greatly increased, perhaps even doubled. Though matching gift policies vary by company, many employers will match gifts at a 1:1 ratio (up to a specified dollar amount), and may even match gifts made by retired employees.

Does your employer match charitable contributions?

Your employer may match charitable contributions made to educational institutions. Enter your employer’s name to search a comprehensive database of companies that have matching gift policies:

If your company does not appear through this search engine, especially if you work for a smaller company, you may want to contact your human resources department to obtain a copy of any matching gift policy.

Take the Next Step

If you have any questions about matching gifts, contact the Oberlin Annual Fund at annual.fund@oberlin.edu  or call (800) 693-3167 .

A strong endowment is the financial backbone of any institution of higher education. This is particularly true at Oberlin, where the endowment provides a predictable and stable stream of income to the operating budget each year.

The Oberlin College endowment is a collection of approximately 1,350 separate funds established to provide scholarships; purchase and maintain library, art and other collections; support professorships and research efforts; and other activities, including maintenance of facilities and support for specific programs. Endowed gifts are made with the knowledge that the intended impact of the gift will last into the foreseeable future.

A minimum outright gift of $50,000 is generally required to establish a new named endowed fund. Funds intended for specific purposes have higher minimum amounts. Estate gifts and income-generating gifts can also be designated to the endowment, but may carry additional restrictions. Most existing endowed funds are open to gifts from anyone. Additional gifts to existing memorial funds can be an appropriate way to honor a family or program.

Donors who wish the college to invest their gifts in socially responsible funds have that option. The Vanguard Calvert Social Index Fund Institutional Shares and the Calvert Social Investment Equity Fund were added to Oberlin’s endowment in 2001 as alternative investment vehicles for college donors. For more information, please contact the Office of Leadership Giving.

Take the Next Step

To learn more about outright gifts to the endowment, contact the Leadership Giving staff at giving@oberlin.edu or call (440)775-8545 .

If you have a question about property, estate, or income-generating gifts, our Gift Planning staff is at your service at gift.planning@oberlin.edu or (440)775-8599 .

Join us in supporting Oberlin through the Faculty and Staff Giving Campaign today! 

If you work for Oberlin and would like to make a pre-tax, payroll-deducted donation to the college or conservatory, download our Oberlin College Employee Charitable Deduction Form and email it to human.resources@oberlin.edu or sign-up online during the College's open enrollment annually in October.

Remember you can always make a one-time gift online here.

Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising many small amounts of money from a large number of people, typically via the internet.

How it works:

• A project is approved by Oberlin’s Annual Fund then posted on our platform.
• Using engaging text, graphics, and video, the project is described. 
• A funding goal and timeline is set.
• The case is made for why it is important.
• Social media is used to inform friends, family, alumni, and the world at large about the campaign.
• Donors directly support the project that appeal to them the most by making a gift.

Projects are community driven, tailored to very specific goals, and 100% of funds raised go directly to successful projects. New projects will be featured often.

Ultimately, though, this is more than a way to raise money; it’s a way to become an engaged part of the Oberlin community. It provides a space to network and share some of the many Oberlin stories about academic research, community outreach, entrepreneurship, and student projects.

Contact Ayla Sweeney to learn more.

Stop by the site monthly to see the latest campaigns, and make your impact on Oberlin today!