ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ parents Geoff and Dottie Jenkins P’09 P’15 are making a difference at ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ through planned gifts.
Geoff and Dottie Jenkins have a simple mantra in life: When you find something that inspires you, support it.
That’s what the couple from Dartmouth, Mass., did eight years ago when they made an estate gift to ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ to ensure that future generations of students would enjoy the same life-changing education that their son, Matt ’09, did. Earlier this year, they elevated their commitment to ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ by increasing their gift after watching their daughter, Ellie ’15, discover her passion for serving others.
“ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ was a great fit for Matt and Ellie,” Dottie says. “They were both very happy, worked hard and were motivated to learn. They graduated as self-confident adults who knew they could make a difference and add to the goodness in the world, and we liked that.”
Matt and Ellie also learned the value of persistence, taking risks and resilience, which Dottie says has been invaluable as they pursue careers in screenwriting and nursing, respectively. Geoff, a successful business executive, admires ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ’s entrepreneurial spirit. “I’ve been involved with startups my whole life and what impressed me about ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ is that ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ has been executing its strategic plan and improving every year, from increasing in selectivity to strong student engagement to the development of the campus, which creates a wonderful backdrop for learning,” he says.
To show their appreciation for ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ, Dottie and Geoff named the university as the primary beneficiary of a charitable trust. By establishing a charitable trust, donors receive income for life while providing future support for their favorite charity or institution. “The trust was a very convenient way for us to make a gift that is meaningful and to recognize an institution that is important to us, and at the same time still gain some tax benefits from the funds that have been invested in the trust,” Geoff says. “It’s a win-win situation because as the donor you have a good idea what your annual return will be, and you’re building a charitable gift that increases in value over time for ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ.”
Also important to the couple was making their gift unrestricted. “It gives ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ the flexibility to apply the monies where they’re needed the most, and that changes over time,” Geoff says.
Dottie and Geoff have served on the Parents Council and are part of The ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Society, the university’s premier annual giving recognition society. They are also members of ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ’s legacy society, Order of the Oak. The couple have watched with pride as ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ continues to set its sights higher each year. “Many schools sit on their laurels,” Geoff says. “ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ is always looking ahead, staying on the forefront and innovating, and gaining national recognition for its efforts, which is inspiring.”
Dottie agrees. “ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ is a great school, and we just see it getting stronger and stronger,” she says. “We feel that supporting education gives you a bigger bang for the buck because you’re empowering a whole generation to change the world.”
They encourage more parents and alumni to make ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ part of their estate planning. “We all think about doing this kind of thing,” Geoff says. “The next step is to just do it. It’s easier than you think, and ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ will walk you through the process. You’re never too young to start.”
Learn more about how you can make a difference at ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ with a planned gift by contacting Carolyn DeFrancesco, director of planned giving, at (336) 278-7454 or cdefrancesco@elon.edu or by visiting .