A bequest is a gift made at death through your will or trust. For many friends of the College, a bequest is a practical way to provide meaningful financial resources for Wellesley's future.

Bequests have been a traditional source of Wellesley support. Since 1875, thousands of bequests, large and small, have come from people who want to help strengthen Wellesley's educational excellence.

Your bequest to Wellesley may be for a specific dollar amount, a percentage or fraction of your estate, or a part of all the residue of your estate after other specific bequests have been paid. A bequest to Wellesley may also be in the form of a trust, providing income to another individual for life, with the trust principal coming to the College upon the death of the income beneficiary.

The outright bequest is the simplest means of making a gift at your death.

I give Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, _____ dollars ($_____).

Or

I give Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, ___ percent (___%) of my estate.

The contingent bequest provides for family and friends and will benefit the College only if the named beneficiaries predecease you.

I give, devise, and bequeath to my sister, Mary Wilson, the sum of _____ dollars ($_____). In the event she shall predecease me, I direct this sum be paid to Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts.

Although an unrestricted bequest is of special value, allowing the College to use it however needed, many Wellesley donors have special interests that they may wish to support.

You may designate the use of your bequest for such purposes as student scholarship support or faculty salary advancement. A bequest may also be used to create an individually named permanent endowment fund, which may be established with a minimum of $50,000.

However, it is recommended that any specific purposes be described as broadly as possible. If circumstances permit, donors should consult the College before drafting a detailed plan for a specified purpose.

If a gift is restricted, it is desirable to include the following clause: If in the opinion of the Trustees of Wellesley College my gift cannot be usefully applied for such a purpose, this bequest may be used for another purpose that the Trustees believe is most in keeping with my expressed wishes and intent.

For purposes of legally naming the College in a bequest, the College's corporate name should be used: Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts.