Ways to Give to WSU


Alumni, parents and friends can make gifts to Winona State University with many kinds of assets and in a variety of forms including those below.

The Winona State University Advancement staff would be happy to answer your gift questions. Please feel free to write or call the University Advancement Office for advice or details.

Contact us at 507.457.5020, wsufoundation@winona.edu, or at the address:

WSU Foundation
Winona State University
Somsen Hall 204
PO Box 5838
Winona, MN 55987

Estate Gifts and Planned Giving


Your planned gift of any size has a significant impact on Winona State University.

Planned Giving allows you to support our students and programs far into the future while also providing financial benefits for you and your family.

Matching Gifts


Many employers sponsor matching gift programs and will match any charitable contributions or volunteer hours made by their employees. Some companies even match gifts made by retirees and spouses.

If your company is eligible, request a matching gift form from your employer. Then send it completed and signed with your gift to the address above. We will do the rest.

The impact of your gift to the WSU Foundation may be doubled or possibly tripled!

Search our database to see if your company will match your donation.

IRA Charitable Rollover


You may be looking for a way to make a big difference to help further our mission.

If you are 70½ or older you may also be interested in a way to lower the income and taxes from your IRA withdrawals.

To initiate an IRA Charitable Rollover complete the IRA Rollover Form and mail to the address above, for more information, visit our Planned Giving Website.

Gifts of Cash


Most of the gifts made to Winona State University come in the form of “cash”, via check or credit card.

A gift of cash entitles you to the most generous federal income tax deduction available for charitable contributions.

You may deduct up to 50 percent of your adjusted gross income for gifts of cash and may carry any amount over that figure forward for up to five additional years.

Checks may be made payable to Winona State University Foundation and mailed to:

WSU Foundation
Winona State University
Somsen Hall 204
PO Box 5838
Winona, MN 55987

For payments by Visa or MasterCard, please make a gift online or complete the Gift Form (PDF) and mail to address above.

Gifts of Stock


A gift of appreciated securities that you have held for more than one year is frequently the most economical way to give.

You will be eligible to take a federal income tax deduction equal to the fair market value of the stock on the date of the gift and will not have to recognize the appreciation as capital gain.

If you are planning to transfer a gift of stock, please inform us at the phone number listed above. Transferring stock is quick and easy. Learn more about transferring stock or give stock to WSU electronically (PDF). 

Advantages of Stock vs Cash

Let’s break down the net cost of a $10,000 gift made by cash or stock.

Your marginal federal income tax rate is 28 percent and is not subject to state or local income taxes. The stock's value is $10,000, with a cost basis of $4,000.

Type of gifts
 Cash
 Stock
Value of gifts
$10,000
 $10,000
Cost basis
N/A
 $4,000
Long-term capital gain if sold
N/A
 $6,000
Long-term capital gains tax elimination ($6,000 x 15% rate)
 N/A
 $900
Income tax savings ($10,000 x 28% rate)
$2,800
 $2,800
Total tax savings (capital gains tax eliminated + income tax savings)
 $2,800
 $3,700
Net cost of gift (value of gifts - total tax savings)
 $7,200
 $6,300

In this example, using the stock instead of writing a check saves an added $900. A higher federal tax bracket and any state or local income taxes would further improve results.

WSU Foundation Administrative Fee

The highest priority of the WSU Foundation is to support WSU students.

The WSU Foundation awards $1.5 million in student scholarships annually as well as $100,000 in grants, and the WSU Foundation Administrative Fee allows the Foundation to continue to do so.

The fee has in no way reduced the number of scholarships awarded or the amounts awarded to students.

Here's more information on the The WSU Foundation Administrative Fee:

  • The fee is an annual assessment on the total value of the Foundation endowment (which is comprised entirely of privately donated funds)
  • This 1% fee supports the annual cost of software that allows the Foundation to continue to award scholarships to WSU students. (This includes gift processing, accounting, and secure database management, among other things.)
  • If reserves are insufficient to fully fund the Foundation scholarship spending distribution, or if assessment of the administrative fee would erode the endowment principal, the fee will not be assessed.
  • The Administrative Fee provides the Foundation more flexibility to support student learning and advance strategic university initiatives

Facts about the Fee

  • The WSU Foundation one-percent fee was assessed once on June 30, 2019 and the total fee applied was $401,000
  • For each $1 levied by the fee, there was a return yield of nearly $19 
  • WSU has the lowest fee of the university foundations in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system that assess administrative fees
  • Charity Navigator --a website that rates charities – gives the WSU Foundation a perfect score of 100 out of 100