Ways of Giving

The Library Fund

Annual gifts made to the Library Fund help meet the Library's current priority needs in many areas. These gifts support a variety of activities, such as the acquisition of library materials, the renovation of library facilities, cataloging and processing materials, and additional hours of operation.

Gifts to the Library Fund may be cash, securities, or credit card payments, or pledges (in one sum, monthly, or quarterly installments). Matching gifts from a donor's employer are added to the Library Fund and to an individual's giving totals.

Subject Specialty Libraries

Cash

Endowed gifts

An endowed fund is established in perpetuity and has a continuing impact on the life of the Library and thus the entire University. Endowed funds may be established to support the purchase or preservation of library materials, instruction or research programs, a lecture series, or a host of other purposes. A named endowment requires a minimum gift of $50,000. The University invests endowments carefully to achieve a healthy rate of return that provides for both current needs and long-term growth. If you establish an endowed fund, the Library will provide you with periodic financial updates and reports.

Planned gifts and bequests

A planned gift can be structured to fulfill a long-desired philanthropic interest and may also allow you to increase income, save taxes, and make a legacy gift to the Library that might not otherwise be possible.

Charitable Gift Annuities are a fixed-income plan that pays the donor or another person (or both) guaranteed annual income for life. The rate of payout is determined by the beneficiary's age.

Pooled-Income Funds enable a donor to make a tax-deductible gift to the Library and provide income to one or more individuals for life. After the lifetime of the last income beneficiary, the corresponding interest in the pooled fund is transferred to the UC Berkeley Library.

Charitable Remainder Trusts are flexible financial instruments that enable the donor to claim a tax deduction the year the gift is made, provide a stream of income for the donor or a designated individual during their lifetime, and ultimately leave a significant gift for the Library. You may fund a trust with a gift of cash, appreciated securities, real estate, or other non-cash assets.

A bequest is the result of careful planning for the best philanthropic use of assets that have taken a lifetime of work, care, and stewardship to build or preserve. The bequest may be a specific sum or a percentage of an estate that may provide a very significant gi?t for the Library.

Real estate

Residences, including vacation homes and farms, can provide a gift that allows the donor to realize a tax deduction, avoid capital gains taxes, retain lifetime occupancy for herself or himself and/or another person, and provide support for Cal's Library. Contact the Library Development Office for detailed guidelines.

Securities

Outright gifts of securities (stocks, bonds, and mutual fund shares) may be more economical than giving cash and may enable you to give more than you could otherwise afford. Contact the Library Development Office for detailed guidelines.

Books and collections