How to Give

• Give On-Line
• Pledge On-Line
• Cash Gifts by Mail
• Matching Gifts
• Gifts of Securities
• Automated Gifts
• Gifts of Other Assets
• Planned Gifts
• Estate Gifts
• Beneficiary Designations
• Retirement Plan Designations

Give On-Line. On-line giving is secure, simple and fast - no checks or stamps required, and you can give to any support area you choose right now! Click Here to Give Online Now! 

Pledge On-Line. Not comfortable with giving on-line yet, but want to pledge your support today? You can pledge on-line now to any support area you choose and Southern Seminary will follow-up with a reminder in a few days. Click Here to Pledge Online Now!  

Cash Gifts by Mail. Send your check to: Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Attn: Development Office, 4201 N. Main Street, Columbia, SC 29203. If you are interested in a particular support area, please designate that area in the memo section of your check. 

Matching Gifts. Many employers match employee gifts, so please check with your employer to see if you are eligible for a match. All matching gifts are applied to the same support area you designate for your gift. Program examples include Corning, Duke Energy, Goodrich, Nike, Inc., Wells Fargo, LabCorp, IBM, and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. In most cases, contact the company HR department for matching forms. Back to top.Gifts of Securities. Gifts of appreciated securities are a great way to give! Get a tax deduction for the full value of the security and avoid capital gains taxes on the gain by donating stock or mutual fund shares to Southern Seminary. Contact Ron Walrath or (866) 921-1157 for brokerage information. 

Gifts of Securities. Gifts of appreciated securities are a great way to give! Get a tax deduction for the full value of the security and avoid capital gains taxes on the gain by donating stock or mutual fund shares to Southern Seminary. Contact Ron Walrath or (866) 921-1157 for brokerage information. Back to top.

Automated Gifts. Want to give regularly but don't want the hassel of writing monthly checks? Set up an automated bank transfer directly from your bank to Southern Seminary using Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Simply Giving program. Contact the Development Office at (866) 921-1157 for an authorization form. 

Gifts of Other Assets. Southern Seminary partners with the ELCA Foundation and the Lutheran Community Foundation for gifts of real property. Gifts other than real property are gratefully received so long as the gift can be used for the mission of the seminary as is or so long as the gift can be easily sold and converted to cash. Contact Ron Walrath or (866) 921-1157 for more information.

Planned Gifts. These gifts are a great way to generate income for you during lifetime and a major gift to Southern Seminary at the end of life. Southern Seminary partners with the ELCA Foundation and the Lutheran Community Foundation in making planned gifts like Charitable Gift Annuities and Charitable Remainder Unit Trusts available to donors. Contact Ron Walrath or (866) 921-1157 to explore how planned giving might work for you. 

Estate Gifts. Bequests are often the most practical way for our partners to make major gifts. You can easily include Southern Seminary in your estate plan by including the following or similar language in your will, "In recognition of the importance of theological education to the church that has loved and nurtured me, I bequeath $____ (or ___% of my estate) to Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, SC." Estate gifts can be designated for a specific purpose beforehand by completing a Memorandum Of Agreement with the seminary. Contact Ron Walrath or (866) 921-1157 to explore estate giving. Back to top

Beneficiary Designations. Perhaps the easiest way to make a major end of life gift is to include the seminary as a named beneficiary on a life insurance or annuity contract. A typical beneficiary designation would read, "__% to Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, SC." Beneficiary designation gifts can be designated for a specific purpose beforehand by completing a Memorandum Of Agreement with the seminary. Contact your financial representative or the company who issued your life insurance or annuity policy today to include Southern Seminary as a charitable beneficiary or contact Ron Walrath or (866) 921-1157 for more information!

Retirement Plan Designations. IRAs, 401ks, and other pension plans can provide a great source of income during lifetime! They can also provide a person with a terrific way to make a major gift at end of life. Retirement plan assets, normally reduced by taxation at the end of life, come to Southern Seminary unreduced by taxes because of the seminary's non-profit status. Give the seminary your tax time bomb at the end of life by including the seminary as a plan beneficiary. A typical beneficiary designation would read, "__% to Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, SC. Beneficiary designation gifts can be designated for a specific purpose beforehand by completing a Memorandum Of Agreement with the seminary. Contact your financial representative or the company who manages your retirement plan assets today to include Southern Seminary as a charitable beneficary or contact Ron Walrath or (866) 921-1157 for more information!