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Planned Giving (Gibbs Society)

The George and Augusta Gibbs Society honors those who have remembered Church Divinity School of the Pacific in their will, estate plan, or other planned gift.

Why Make a Planned Gift?

Financial support for theological education and formation are indispensable to the leadership and mission of Christ’s Church. We encourage all Christians to incorporate seminary giving as a part of their commitment to stewardship of the resources God has given them. CDSP is grateful for the many ways our alums and friends make our work and community possible.

Planned giving, in particular, has major benefits for everyone involved.

For you, the giver, a planned gift offers flexibility about how you use your resources. With the peace of mind of knowing that you and your loved ones are provided for, you are free to imagine how a significant gift could have a lasting impact on the seminary. Planned gifts may also come with significant tax benefits.

For CDSP, planned gifts supplement our annual appeals, rental income, and other sources of operating funds. Your legacy-minded support allows us to walk confidently into the future as we heed the Spirit’s call.

Want to hear more about why planned giving matters? Check out this episode of our Crossings Conversations podcast to hear about some recent gifts and the stories behind them.

Designating Your Gift

We now encourage all seminary donors to support our core community by designating your planned gift toward the funding of specialized student scholarships and/or endowed faculty chairs. Your designated planned gift is an investment in our bold plan to build a sustainable model for graduate-level theological education in the twenty-first century.

If you are a Gibbs Society member who has not yet taken advantage of this opportunity, please complete the gift designation information in this member form and return by post or email.

Our staff are currently in the process of collecting current Gibbs Society members’ gift designation preferences. New members will be asked to designate their gift at the time of their joining.

Gibbs Society Gathering 2018
Gibbs Society members in March 2018 at the donor wall in Denniston Commons

Ways to Make a Planned Gift

Richard Schaper
The Rev. Richard Schaper, CFP
Gift Planning Advisor

There are many ways to make a planned gift to CDSP. The links in the list below point to introductory descriptions of each approach from Investopedia, a reputable independent publisher of financial literacy resources.

You may designate CDSP as a full or partial recipient or beneficiary via the following instruments:

  1. will bequests;
  2. revocable living trusts;
  3. irrevocable / charitable remainder trusts;
  4. retirement savings accounts;
  5. life insurance policies; and
  6. charitable gift annuities.

Our staff is available to provide further information about ways to give. You can set up a meeting with our planned giving advisor, the Rev. Richard Schaper, CFP, by calling 510-204-0740 or emailing advancement@cdsp.edu. You should also speak to a financial advisor or other source of trusted financial, legal, and tax advice.

Special Giving Opportunity for Episcopal Clergy

If you are a clergy leader enrolled in the Church Pension Fund, a simple, significant, and cost-free way to make a planned gift is to designate CDSP as the beneficiary of your group life insurance benefit.

In choosing to give in this way, you would be following in the footsteps of a much beloved, departed member of the CDSP community, Professor Emeritus Louis Weil (1935–2022):

The policy was a benefit given to me at no cost. I have chosen to make CDSP the beneficiary. It Is such an easy way to provide the seminary with a future $50,000.

The Rev. Dr. Louis K. Weil, James F. Hodges and Harold and Rita Haynes Professor Emeritus of Liturgics

Member Benefits

As a member of the Gibbs Society, you will qualify for a number of benefits:

  • You will be invited to a special gathering at the seminary each year.
  • Your name will appear on the Gibbs Wall of Honor in Denniston Refectory.
  • You will be thanked periodically in CDSP print and online media.

About George & Augusta Gibbs

CDSP was founded in 1893 to train clergy locally for the Episcopal Church in the West. George Gibbs, a wealthy businessman and devout Episcopalian, donated a building and property in San Mateo. The original seminary, called Gibbs Hall, was built in 1893. Augusta Gibbs, George’s widow, moved the seminary to a new building next to Grace Cathedral after the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Moved to Berkeley in 1924, the seminary now honors George and Augusta Gibbs through the naming of our planned giving society as well as a building on campus, Gibbs Hall.