Support the school
Your support is the key to our success. Generous contributions from alumni and friends are vital to our future. Your gifts address many needs, including student support, service to the community, educational opportunities, research programs and improvements to clinical facilities — to name a few.
All gifts large or small make a difference regardless of the amount; it is your participation that matters most. Please make a gift today!
Annual fund gifts
Annual fund gifts provide critically needed support and are among the easiest ways to make a difference at the school. You may designate your gift to a specific department, program or scholarship used for innovations and day-to-day life. Unrestricted gifts provide the flexibility to address immediate needs and unbudgeted opportunities.
Major gifts
Major gifts make a significant difference, and their impact is apparent everywhere — in our learning environments and in the quality of our students and faculty.
Endowed gifts
Endowments never stop giving. The principal of your gift of $50,000 or more is invested and grows over time, while a percentage of the income growth is distributed annually to support the purpose you have specified. Donors establish the criteria for their fund, which may be as specific or as general as you wish. The School of Dentistry has a vast array of endowment needs. To get a better idea of all of the current endowed funds, visit our Reflections website. Gifts from other donors are welcome at any time to strengthen these existing funds.
Tribute and memorial gifts
Tribute gifts may mark a holiday, birthday or other special occasion. Memorial gifts remember a deceased friend or loved one. Tribute and memorial gifts must include the honoree’s name so that we may notify the honoree and/or the honoree’s family of the gift.
Planned gifts
Planned gifts are a wonderful way to support the school while incorporating your philanthropic goals into your estate and financial planning. You may receive financial benefits such as lifetime income for yourself or another and substantial tax savings. Generally, planned gifts fall into one of three categories:
- Gifts you make after your lifetime, such as bequests, retirement plans and life insurance gifts.
- Gifts you make in partnership with us, such as charitable gift annuities, deferred charitable gift annuities and charitable remainder trusts.
- Gifts you make now, such as outright gifts of cash, real estate and appreciated securities.
Giving appreciated securities is an easy way to make a gift, and you derive considerable tax benefits. If your securities are held electronically with your broker, send your broker a letter authorizing the transfer (not sale) of shares of specific stock(s) to the MCV Foundation’s main brokerage account.
For more information about planned giving, please visit the VCU planned giving page.
Other gifts
While the list above is limited, the School of Dentistry accepts other gifts such as life insurance, retirement plan assets, real estate, art, antiques, books, copyrights, patents, trademarks or other kinds of property. For more information, please see the planned giving page or contact Gloria Callihan, J.D. at gfcallihan@vcu.edu or 804-828-8101.
MCV Society membership
Make sure to let the School of Dentistry know when you have included us in your will, insurance policy provision, retirement plan designation, irrevocable gift to a charitable remainder trust, charitable gift annuity or the MCV Foundation pooled income fund. This will ensure your membership in the MCV Society and allow us to recognize your generosity.