Alumna Shares Ease of Planning for Gettysburg

Nicole Santos ’07 knows the value of planning early and keeping things simple. As one of the newest members of Gettysburg College’s 1832 Society, she recently reached out to let us know she made plans to give to her alma mater.

When Nicole got her new job with the Nature Conservancy, she was inspired to notify Gettysburg College that she had named her alma mater as a beneficiary of a retirement plan. Given her own work with loyal supporters, she knows what a difference plans like hers make for organizations as they look toward the future.

“For my long-term philanthropic goals, I ultimately hope to be able to give back to Gettysburg at least as much as I received in scholarships and financial aid, which was extremely generous, so I definitely have a ways to go!”

As she was thinking through her goals, Nicole started a conversation with Gettysburg staff. “I don't have a will or a large traditional bequest. However, I would like to put Gettysburg as a beneficiary of one of my retirement accounts for now. My goal is to eventually be able to plan for more, but I want to make sure there's something starting now.”

If you like keeping things simple, then consider using beneficiary designations as you support Gettysburg College and other causes that matter to you.

You can use a beneficiary designation form to name Gettysburg College to receive proceeds from life insurance policies and retirement plan assets after your lifetime. You can also do this with bank and brokerage accounts. Keep in mind that it is not necessary for the designation to transfer all of the account solely to one beneficiary—you can designate a certain percentage of your account. You retain the ability to change beneficiaries for as long as you have the policy or account.

To learn more about ways to support Gettysburg College, based on what inspires you, what assets you have and your unique situation, contact Jane Moore at jmoore@gettysburg.edu or 717-337-6483 to begin a conversation.