There are numerous advantages provided by federal tax laws that make charitable giving attractive and beneficial.

However, if you are considering a planned or deferred gift to benefit CNU, we strongly encourage you to confer with your professional advisors for guidance on the most appropriate and advantageous ways of giving based on your particular circumstances.

All gifts to benefit CNU should be made to the Christopher Newport University Educational Foundation, Inc., a 501-c-3 organization (charity) qualified through the Internal Revenue Service.

For more information, please contact:

Lucy Latchum
Director of Planned Giving and Scholarships
Administration Building, 3rd floor

(757) 594-7702
llatchum@cnu.edu

The Navigator Society

Captain Christopher Newport, the University's namesake, was the navigator of the three ships bringing the colonists to Jamestown in 1607. In doing so, he helped to chart the future of the New World.

Members of the CNU Navigator Society are also charting a course. Through their generosity in planned gifts, they are steering the University into the future and securing our success for generations to come.

Just as the colonial navigators in 1607 could not have imagined the future greatness of the land they were settling, our Navigator Society members can only imagine the bright future they are making possible for Captain Newport's namesake University.

Join the Navigator Society
The CNU Educational Foundation looks forward to welcoming you to membership in the Navigator Society, where you will join other alumni and friends who have made a commitment to the continued excellence of Christopher Newport University through planned gifts. 

How do you qualify for the Navigator Society?
Membership in the Navigator Society is extended on a confidential basis to Christopher Newport University alumni and friends who arrange a planned gift through the CNU Educational Foundation, Inc. (regardless of the size of the gift). There is no other requirement or obligation.

Can your gift plans remain anonymous?
Of course. The Foundation is dedicated to preserving the confidentiality of our donors' gift plans. Your name will be listed in honor rolls as a member of the Navigator Society only with your permission. 

What are the benefits of membership in the Navigator Society?
You receive an attractive Certificate of Appreciation, informational updates on legal and tax changes through our planned giving newsletter, and recognition in a special Honor Roll of Donors if you so choose.

What if you wish to change your plans?
The CNU Educational Foundation understands and acknowledges that any revocable gift plan may change in the future. The Navigator Society provides recognition for your current intention to support Christopher Newport University. 

Do you need to share your estate planning documents with the CNU Educational Foundation?
It's not necessary, but it can be helpful. Sharing your plans (or the portion of your plan that benefits CNU) can help to maximize the benefits from your eventual gift and will insure that your gift will support the University's mission and will be used according to your intentions.

Bequests through Wills and Trusts

"Naming the William D. Wolf Scholarship Fund in my will was an opportunity for me to remember an extraordinary teacher and to thank the scholarship donor whose gift enabled me to graduate from CNU. Opportunity is a gift worth passing on." 
Christine Plummer, '80, Navigator Society member

Bequests are the most popular way of making a deferred gift in support of a charity. Bequests are simple and straightforward; and virtually everyone, regardless of his or her ability during lifetime, can make a bequest.



To insure that your gift is used in the way that you intend it, it is recommended that you inform us of your intentions. The confidentiality of your plans will be protected. Although a bequest qualifies you for listing in our Navigator Society Honor Roll, anonymity is always an option for our donors who do not wish to be listed.

• You may designate a specific dollar amount; e.g., "I bequeath $5,000 to the Christopher Newport University Educational Foundation, Inc., to be used for the area of greatest need at the University at the time of my death."
• You may designate a percentage of your estate; e.g., "I bequeath five percent of my estate to the Christopher Newport University Educational Foundation, Inc., to be added to the general scholarship endowment."
• You may designate your residuary estate (what is left over after all your expenses and other bequests are satisfied) to go to the Christopher Newport University Educational Foundation, Inc., " After all my other obligations are satisfied, I bequeath the residue of my estate to the Christopher Newport University Educational Foundation, Inc. "
• You may wish to establish an endowed scholarship in your name through a bequest. In that case, you should instruct your attorney to include language that will provide the minimum amount needed to endow a named scholarship at your death. " I bequeath to the Christopher Newport University Educational Foundation, Inc., the minimum amount required by CNU to establish a named scholarship."

Life Insurance

Life insurance may be used in a variety of ways to provide a future gift to the University or to replace contributed assets for the benefit of your children or other heirs. For more information on how to give in this way, please contact Lucy Latchum at (757) 594-7702 or llachum@cnu.edu

Life Income

Charitable Gift Annuity

A charitable annuity is a contractual arrangement between you and the CNU Educational Foundation which provides an annual income to you for your life expectancy in return for your irrevocable gift of cash or securities. Your rate of return is based on your life expectancy using tables provided by the National Committee on Gift Annuities. The minimum contribution for a charitable gift annuity at CNU is $10,000 and the minimum age is 60.

A charitable gift annuity is partly an investment and partly a gift, and your income tax deduction is calculated accordingly. Gift annuities also provide favorable capital gains tax advantages if your annuity is funded with appreciated stock.

Two alternatives are available for charitable remainder trusts: a unitrust and an annuity trust. A unitrust pays you a fixed percentage of trust assets (not less than 5%) determined annually. An annuity trust pays a fixed annuity and requires that a sum certain (not less than 5%) of the initial fair market value of trust assets is paid at least annually to your named income beneficiary or beneficiaries. When the trust is terminated, either at your death or after a specified number of years, the principal in the trust goes to CNU.

This is an irrevocable gift. Your income tax deduction, which may be taken during the tax year you make the gift and over five additional years, is based on your life expectancy and the appraised value of your property. Your income tax deduction for such gifts of appreciated property is limited to 30 percent of your adjusted gross income each year you claim a deduction.

Charitable Lead Trust
You may establish a Charitable Lead Trust to provide a stream of income to the CNU Educational Foundation for your lifetime or for a term of years. When the trust terminates, the assets in the trust will revert to you or your heirs.

Retirement Plan Gift

Assets held in a qualified retirement plan can be one of the most effective ways to support CNU.