As both a tax attorney and the dean of the KU School of Law, Stephen Mazza knows something about taxable income and funding the school.
“We don’t want to get into the business of giving out tax advice,” Mazza joked. “But the tax benefits of transferring minimum distributions from an IRA to a charity, like the School of Law, can be significant.”
The IRA qualified charitable distribution (QCD) presents a valuable giving opportunity. If you’re 70½ or older, you can direct a portion of your IRA distribution directly to charity — up to $105,000 per year — without it being reported as income. For those over the age of 73, this QCD counts toward your required minimum distribution (RMD).
“Donating your QCD is a straightforward way to reduce your tax burden while increasing our ability to teach our students,” Mazza said.
Donors can use their QCD to create endowed named funds, support the School of Law with unrestricted dollars or even leverage later through a beneficiary designation.
Martha Coffman, L’79, has settled into retirement after an established legal career that included opening her own firm, working at the KU School of Law as assistant director of the Paul E. Wilson Defender Project (now known as the Project for Innocence) and serving as general counsel in the Kansas Supreme Court’s Office of Judicial Administration.
“For several years I have given small donations to the law school to support its work educating new lawyers,” Coffman said. “I am grateful for the legal education I received and for the many friends I made in the process.”
Coffman worked with Kristin Shore at KU Endowment to donate her QCD to the scholarship fund at the School of Law.
“When I considered making distributions from my IRA, I immediately thought of the KU School of Law,” Coffman said. “I want to support current law students facing financial and other challenges like those I experienced in law school. Although my donation is not large, I hope it will help current students reach their goal to be an attorney. I have asked that my donation be used to support scholarships and the law school’s program preparing students for the bar examination. The KU School of Law and KU Endowment made it easy to make my gift.”
If you’d like assistance or have questions about making an IRA QCD gift, please contact Kristin Shore at KU Endowment (785-832-7341). Checks must come from the IRA custodian and be made payable to KU Endowment to benefit the School of Law.
Stay Up to Date on the Campaign
While we strive for perfection, typos happen. Please report them.
1891 Constant Ave, Lawrence, KS 66047 | PO Box 928, Lawrence, KS 66044 | 785•832•7400 | 800•444•4201
