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Make An On-line Gift
Spring Phone-a-thon
The Annual Scholarship Fund
The most critical gift need at Lyon College is for
annual scholarships. In short, more scholarships mean
more students, and more students translate to more
acceptances into medical, professional and graduate
schools, and then eventually to more service to the
state, the region and the nation. A charitable
investment in scholarships at Lyon College is an
investment in leadership and service.
Many institutions of higher education have what is
called an annual fund giving program. The major
difference is that at Lyon, you can know exactly what
your "annual gift" is going to fund. Your contribution
goes directly to helping another student experience the
unique Lyon College education.
A special note to our alumni: Many funding agencies,
such as grant-making private foundations, ask for a
college's alumni giving rate, or alumni participation
rate, in the grant application process. That percentage
can often be the make-or-break statistic when a major
capital, endowment or scholarship grant is hanging in
the balance. Your consistent gift each year, regardless
of its size, helps ensure that corporations and
foundations know Lyon College has the support and
backing of a strong, loyal alumni base.
In the most recent fiscal year, Lyon's alumni giving
percentage was 49%, highest in the school's history and
highest among all college's and universities in the
state. To be sure, it is one of the highest in the
nation; less than 5 percent of colleges in the U.S.
exceed 45 percent in alumni participation rates.
Moreover, Lyon College is listed regularly in
prestigious higher education rankings done by
publications and educational organizations, such as U.S.
News & World Report, Princeton Review and others. Those
rankings take into account that same statistic--alumni
giving. In fact, Lyon's ranking in in U.S. News in 2005
was four places higher, primarily due to the increase in
percentage of alumni donors.
Endowment
The importance of endowment lies in its permanence.
It is the college's hedge against future financial
challenges. It is an institutional "savings account in
perpetuity" which generates a flow of income annually
that will always be there. Donors can elect to establish
named endowments to honor or memorialize a loved one
while assisting in the support of a cause close to that
family's heart, whether it be scholarships, student
awards, faculty chairs or professorships, capital
construction or building maintenance. Unrestricted
endowment is equally critical, as it provides enduring
support for the overall health of the institution.
Endowment and other naming gift opportunities often have
minimum giving levels required to establish a chair,
program or activity. To learn more about these named
gift options, please contact the vice president of
institutional advancement or one of the advancement
officers listed on the IA staff page.
Capital Projects
As the College grows--whether that growth is in
programs, number of students or physical plant size--so
does its capital needs. In addition, there will always
be needs related to facilities maintenance. Construction
and renovation of buildings, new equipment, additional
athletic facilities and surface areas and
state-of-the-art technology are at the core of meeting
the needs of students in a residential, academic setting
and keeping pace in a changing world.
As is true with endowed projects and programs, capital
projects offer various naming opportunities--for any new
facilities being planned or constructed, for the many
offices, classrooms and auditoriums inside such
facilities and for areas such as athletic fields, common
gathering spaces and special interest areas such as
landscaped gardens and fountains. Such gifts continue to
make the difference in the quality of the college
programs and in the well-kept beauty of the campus.
Types of Gifts
Current Gifts to Lyon College can be made in a
variety of ways and take various forms. In each case,
the gift can and should be closely suited to the donor's
financial situation, philanthropic interests and tax
advantage. The Lyon College staff encourages donors to
consult with their own tax advisors, accountants,
financial planners and/or attorneys to ascertain which
method of giving would be best for their circumstances.
The staff will assist in any way possible, in a strictly
confidential manner, to facilitate your giving
preferences.
Current gifts take such forms as Cash, Stocks, Bonds,
Real Estate, Personal Property, Matching Gifts from
Employers, etc. Lyon staff members can provide account
and routing numbers for stock and other electronic
transfers. You may make gifts via check, credit card,
over the phone or on-line. If you are interested in
making a pledge to a campaign, the staff will ensure
that you receive return envelopes as frequently as you'd
like to make gifts--monthly, quarterly or annually.
Also, regardless of the size of gift, you will receive
written acknowledgment for your tax records.
Planned Gifts,
also called deferred gifts, are often an excellent way
to permit the donor to make a larger gift, perhaps
retain a life income and likely reduce tax liability.
Examples of planned gifts include will bequests, trusts,
annuities or other income-generating plans and life
insurance policies. Just as with current gifts, Lyon
College encourages donors to consult with their own tax
advisors in making decisions regarding which deferred
gift strategy would best serve the donor's charitable
interests, financial circumstances and tax situation.
Upon request, the college can provide proposals
which outline the benefits and explain the workings of
certain planned giving instruments at the donor's
disposal. Such gifts may be made with or without
restrictions, supporting the College as a whole or
directed to enrich specific programs. The donor may
specify whether his/her gifts will be expendable for
current operating funds or set aside as endowment to
provide an income stream funding a special interest
program in perpetuity.
Another link goes into greater detail regarding planned
giving options, and if you have questions or interest,
you are encouraged to explore that link.
Thank You!
Lyon College is fortunate. This enduring institution
enjoys a history of blessings, more than 120 years of
close relationships with benefactors who have taken the
students', the college's and the community's best
interests to heart. Those who have the privilege to
serve at Lyon College stand on the shoulders of
generations who sacrificed to make Lyon College the
distinctive educational pillar of excellence it is
today. Those generations held hands across time and
distance to collectively support a college that has a
unique Presbyterian, Scottish heritage, a stately campus
that still amazes and a learning community of faculty
and students that reaps national-level laurels year
after year after year.
You as a donor join those ranks. And the Lyon College
community thanks you for your partnership. Simply
stated, Lyon College looks to its friends, alumni and
neighbors to make it possible to keep its
promise...which is to produce graduates who are bound by
honor, committed to service and prepared for success.
Thank you for joining us in that lofty quest.
MAILING ADDRESS:
Lyon College
P.O. Box 2317
2300 Highland Road
Batesville, Arkansas 72503
PHONE: 870-307-7211
e-mail:
tbruner@lyon.edu
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