A Win-Win-Win Gift Strategy

Dave and Katherine Blakley have always believed in giving back. They’ve worked hard in their careers, and earned success, but also feel very fortunate.

“Centre was one of the truly formative experiences in my life,” says Dave, Centre Class of 1967.

His wife, Katherine, also went to a liberal arts undergraduate school and they both went to graduate school in science (Dave in physics, and Katherine in biology). They both value research and education, as well as Division III sports as part of the college experience.

When asked what motivates them to support Centre College, both currently and through their estate plans, the Blakleys point to the students at Centre they have gotten to know and whom they love to support, especially the “fine young men and women of the Centre golf team.” Living now near Scottsdale, Arizona, Dave and Katherine have been able to host the players on the teams for some valuable winter practice rounds. They felt like their giving had an immediate impact: “Our support helped make that trip possible and supporting the golf team gives us a chance to actually see our contributions in action.”

Centre student-athletes “work so hard to excel in their sport and in the classroom at the same time,” Dave says, that it makes them very happy to host the team at their club.

Beyond that, Dave and Katherine have gotten involved in the Centre Alumni Athletic Advisory Council and are helping to lead the charge for the College’s new initiative, the Initiative for Wellness and Athletic Excellence. Dave and Katherine will come to campus this homecoming for the groundbreaking for the new facility and enjoy being a part of the action.

They credit an estate planning conference years ago with giving them some key ideas for using their assets in the most tax advantageous method. They heard about making qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) from their IRAs, a way to pull money out of those funds as part of their required minimum distribution, without taking it into their income.

Sending that straight to Centre means no additional income tax for Dave and Katherine, removing taxable assets from their estate and giving Centre a steady stream of income to support students. This strategy pleases the Blakleys: “We believe that it is a true win-win for both us and the school, optimizing the donation at a lower cost to us and providing us tax savings.”

In the future, they plan to provide more support to Centre though a set of living trusts.

“One of the understated benefits of significant gifts,” offers Dave, “is that you then become part of a community of very like-minded alumni and friends of Centre. The ability to meet and spend time with them is invaluable, informative and quite fun.”

We at Centre could not agree more, and are so grateful that Dave and Katherine are making such a difference in the lives of Centre students.

You can make a difference in the lives of Centre students today and in the future. To discuss the giving options that work best for you, contact Steve Lownds ’81 at (859) 238-5522 or steven.lownds@centre.edu or Jamey Leahey ’92 at (859) 238-5224 or leahey@centre.edu.