Planned Giving

Deepen Your Connection to Our Colleges

Remembering West Valley College or Mission College with a bequest from your estate will help sustain and strengthen the college in years to come. We invite you to learn more about the many advantages and opportunities in planned giving.

West Valley College Founding Faculty

Planning for the Future

You can make a bequest to one or both of our colleges by including language in your will or living trust leaving a portion of your estate to the college, or by designating the West Valley-Mission Foundation as a beneficiary of your retirement account or life insurance policy.

Remembering our colleges with a bequest from your estate will help strengthen our work for years to come. Some of the advantages of creating a bequest include:

  • A bequest costs nothing now, yet gives you the satisfaction of knowing you have provided for future generations of community college students.
  • You retain control of your assets during your lifetime.
  • You may modify your bequest if your circumstances change.
  • Gifts to the West Valley-Mission Foundation from your estate are exempt from federal estate taxes.
  • If you let us know of your plans, we will be able to thank you now and recognize you as a member of our Legacy Society.

Leave a Gift in Your Will or Living Trust

Making a gift in your will or living trust, known as a bequest, can guarantee that your legacy endures. Your gift may be a specific dollar amount, a percentage of your estate, or the remainder after all other provisions are specified. You can also change your mind at any time if life circumstances change. 

In as little as one sentence, you can set up your bequest. This type of donation to the West Valley-Mission Foundation in your will or living trust helps ensure that we continue our mission for years to come.

mission college MESA program students

Beneficiary Designations

Not everyone wants to commit to making a gift in their wills or estates. Some prefer the increased flexibility that a beneficiary designation provides by using: 

  • IRAs and retirement plans
  • Life insurance policies
  • Donor advised funds
  • Commercial annuities
It is very simple to name the West Valley-Mission Foundation or one of our colleges as a beneficiary. Start by requesting a change-of-beneficiary form from your policy administrator or download the form from your provider's website. Make your desired changes and return the form to establish your gift.

Leo Villalobos at West Valley College

Join our Legacy Society

The West Valley-Mission Foundation Legacy Society recognizes donors who make revocable and irrevocable estate commitments of any size. If you establish a bequest, include us as a beneficiary on your investment or retirement account, or create a Charitable Gift Annunity that names West Valley-Mission Foundation as a remainder beneficiary, we want to hear from you. 

Your membership in our Legacy Society is recognized by the following honors and activities:

  • Annual Legacy Society Luncheon with the District Chancellor (all gift levels)
  • Invitations to Special Events at the Colleges (all gift levels)
  • Legacy Society Honor Roll (all gift levels)
  • Legacy Society Wall Listing at $10,000+
  • Endowed Scholarships at $25,000+
  • Facility Naming Opportunities at $100,000+

Don Von Raesfeld