Bequest and Beneficiary Designation Language

Estate gifts play a critical role in sustained success at Denison. The university seeks to ensure that your estate planning documentation’s language accurately and appropriately reflects your philanthropic intentions in ways that everyone is confident can be achieved. In an effort to provide guidance to you and your professional advisors, below you will find our recommended language that should be included in your estate planning documentation, depending upon your chosen giving vehicle.

Beneficiary Designation Form Language

Use the following language on beneficiary designation forms for life insurance policies, retirement plan accounts—including IRAs, 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, or 457 plans—and any payable on death (POD) or transfer on death (TOD) forms with bank or brokerage accounts.

Denison University
Tax ID 31-4379459
Attn: Office of Gift Planning
100 West College Street
Granville, OH 43023

Bequest Language

General Language

Use the following language to benefit Denison through a bequest in your will or living trust.

| give, devise, and bequeath [/$x/x%/# of shares/residue] to Denison University, a non-profit corporation (Tax ID 31-4379459) located in Granville, Ohio, to support [its general purposes/fund/program/department].

Language to Use for an Endowed Fund Established through a Separate Fund Agreement

It is university policy that all new endowed funds be governed by a separate fund agreement articulating the intent of a gift so that Denison can honor its purpose decades into the future. In executing such an agreement with us, you not only ensure your intentions are clearly specified, but you also allow the university to confirm it can fulfill your intentions via a mutually agreed-upon document. Fund agreements also can (1) serve to name an endowed fund for yourself or someone you wish to honor and (2) be personalized to include a brief biography to share your legacy.

Contact us to initiate the fund agreement process, and then, after your agreement is fully executed, use the following language in your will or living trust to direct a gift for use as specified in your agreement.

| give, devise, and bequeath [/$x/x%/# of shares/residue] to Denison University (“Denison”), a non-profit corporation (Tax ID 31-4379459) located in Granville, Ohio, to the /Fund Name] pursuant to the agreement executed by me and Denison. If no such document exists, this bequest should support Denison’s [general purposes/fund/program/department].

Sample Estate Gift Language

Customized Language

Our Office of Gift Planning is also happy to draft custom beneficiary designation or bequest language specific to your intended gift.

Moving Forward

We strongly encourage you to contact your development officer or the Office of Gift Planning if you need custom language, plan to make an estate gift to benefit Denison, or already have such a gift in place. Thank you for your consideration and generosity. Please direct any questions to your Denison development officer or the Office of Gift Planning.

If you have named Denison University in your will or trust, please let us know so we can ensure that your gift is used according to your wishes. Notifying us of your plans will enable us to plan for the use of your future gift. However, if you prefer to remain anonymous, we will keep your name and gift in strict confidence.

Please contact the Office of Gift Planning at 740-587-5023 or giftplanning@denison.edu for more information.