Ways of Giving

The University depends on legacy gifts to initiate and sustain important initiatives, including:

• Undergraduate scholarships
• Postgraduate scholarships
• Research programmes
• College or sport facilities
• Academic staff positions- endowed chairs and fellowships
• Research and teaching facilities
• Libraries (University Library or Palace Green Library)

Your bequest can support any particular initiative, and we also welcome unrestricted gifts to the University, your college or an individual department. This flexibility allows the University to use your gift where it is most needed. The legacy gift with the deepest impact is broadly designated or free of restrictions.

Varieties of legacy gifts:

1. Pecuniary legacy- A pecuniary bequest is a simple legacy of a specific sum. The University welcomes these gifts, yet alerts donors that such gifts will likely lose value through inflation over the coming years. In order to retain the gift’s present-day value, you can either arrange to have it linked to the inflation index or regularly revise your Will.

2. Residuary legacy- A residuary bequest allows you to leave all or part of the net residue of your estate after all pecuniary legacies, debts, fees and other expenses have been met.

3. Specific legacy- A specific bequest will leave gifts such as property, works of art, stocks and shares, or other valuables to the University.

4. Conditional legacy- A conditional bequest ensures that in the event that none of your named dependants were to survive you, your estate would be left to the University.

5. Reversionary legacy- A reversionary bequest allows you to provide for your family first, then benefit the University. You may leave your assets to trustees so that named beneficiaries are able to enjoy the income from these assets during their lifetime, while the whole or a portion of those assets can be designated to the University upon their death.

6. Deed of variation- If you find yourself as a beneficiary of a Will, you may consider transferring the whole or a part of your inheritance to Durham using a deed of variation.

7. Gifts in perpetuity- You can choose to leave a gift on an expendable basis or alternatively you may choose to endow your gift, enabling the University to invest the money and use the income to support a particular purpose or area. Endowments secure the long-term future of the University, safeguarding it from cuts in government spending and economic turbulence. We ask that you contact Durham University’s Legacies Officer to discuss the details of endowments. 

This is not an exhaustive list of the many ways in which you can consider a legacy gift to Durham University. For more information regarding how you can pledge your support please contact the University’s Legacy Officer.