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The Edward Skillin Society
Your Legacy.
1. A simple bequest/will
Friends of Commonweal who provide any form of planned giving support become members of the Edward Skillin Society, named for Commonweal's longtime publisher, editor, and guiding spirit (1904-2000). In the early 1980s, he and Commonweal's other shareholders transferred their ownership to the new nonprofit Commonweal Foundation. It was his generosity and foresight that helped ensure Commonweal's long-term survival.
Skillin Society members receive special recognition annually in the magazine, and each year also receive a book chosen for them by Commonweal's editors.
If you have included Commonweal in your future giving plans in any way, and would like to be recognized in the Skillin Society, please let us know by contacting our Executive Director Ellen B. Koneck at ekoneck@commonwealmagazine.org.
Support our second century today.
Join the growing number of Commonweal supporters who include our work in their estate planning.
As we begin Commonweal’s second hundred years, we are making significant investments in expanding our reach, relevance, and reputation across multiple media. But we need to make long-term, year-after-year commitments to these projects—and the planned gifts Commonweal receives are indispensable to our plans for the future.
While a few of the bequests Commonweal has received in the recent past have been in the six-figure range, the vast majority have been much more modest. Still, their impact on the life of Commonweal, and on our financial stability for the long term, have been enormous. Planned giving has enabled dozens of our donors to give Commonweal support that would not have been possible during their lifetimes.
The three easiest ways to give:
You can designate Commonweal as one of the beneficiaries of your will or living trust—assigning to Commonweal a specific dollar amount, or a percentage of the final value of your estate.
For examples of language that can accomplish this purpose easily, please contact our Executive Director Ellen B. Koneck at ekoneck@commonwealmagazine.org.
You can designate Commonweal as one of the primary or secondary beneficiaries of your IRA or other retirement account.
Often this designation can be done online, or with a simple phone call to the investment firm where your account is managed. They can provide you with the forms to add or change your beneficiaries. (Using a retirement account to make your gift in this way does not require a further designation in your will.)
2. Make Commonweal the beneficiary of a retirement account
Many retired Commonweal readers are required to take minimum distributions from their retirement accounts each year. An IRA charitable rollover enables you to donate some of these funds directly to Commonweal. Such a gift will count towards your required minimum distribution and is not included in your Federal taxable income for the year.
The brokerage or investment firm your IRA can provide you the necessary form and instructions for a charitable rollover gift.
3. Make a contribution to Commonweal from a current retirement account
When including Commonweal in any planned gift designation, please use our official organizational name: Commonweal Foundation, New York, NY. Our Federal tax identification number is 13-3174407.
For more information
- For more details on any of these options
- To discuss additional options, such as gifts of securities or life insurance
- To explore dedicating your gift to a specific project or strategic direction that is important to you
Please contact our Executive Director Ellen B. Koneck at ekoneck@commonwealmagazine.org.
Commonweal’s Second Century.