Giving Stories

A Flexible Way to Give
A Flexible Way to Give

"My gift comes through a deferred charitable gift annuity. Should I need the money if and when I ever retire, it will be there for me. If not, I can give up my right to receive the income. I benefit twice: by a generous tax deduction in the year I gave the gift and by a fixed income if and when I decide to take it.  And AMS students benefit in perpetuity."
Carol Kolmerten

Strengthen Society and Strengthen the Communication of Science
Strengthen Society and Strengthen the Communication of Science

"As the AMS enters its second century, the need to promote the best science to serve society is arguably stronger than it has ever been…it must provide the research community the most attractive options for conducting and communicating their research…"
—Mary M. Glackin

Supporting Education and Building Careers
Supporting Education and Building Careers

“The AMS has played an invaluable role in my career. I recall vividly my first Annual Meeting when I received an AMS undergraduate scholarship and what it meant to me. Since then, I have witnessed AMS staff and volunteers bring so much value to other young career professionals. Peter and I are excited to pay these benefits forward and support the AMS through their highly flexible estate planning opportunities. Thank you AMS!”
—Brad Coleman

Granting Opportunity to Students
Granting Opportunity to Students

“Although I rarely use social media myself, I recognize its growing importance and I hope that this Media Grant will open opportunities for student members of the AMS to create exciting and scientifically meaningful social media products, perhaps jump-starting them into larger projects in the future, as their careers develop. I appreciate the AMS for giving me the opportunity to help student members in this way.”
—Claire Parkinson

An Eye Towards the Sky
An Eye Towards the Sky

“Having grown up in the British Isles, the weather and the sky have always been of great interest to me. It inspired me as a college undergraduate to study the universe, and then in later years to study atmospheric sciences. Donating to the AMS is a meaningful way in which I can do my bit to help distribute this knowledge more widely, by enabling the top experts in the field to share their vast expertise. Now, more than ever, scientific facts and correct information need to be shared more widely, and I hope to be in a position to donate to the AMS for as long as there is a need to do so, to continue and encourage this crucial dialogue.”
—Anita Gajdecki

Why I Want to Leave a Legacy Gift to AMS
Why I Want to Leave a Legacy Gift to AMS

"It is time for me to give back to AMS for all the Society has given me... As my husband, Jim, and I thought about how best to support the AMS Anniversary Campaign, we sought out advice on different ways of giving and discovered that for us giving through our retirement plans best suited our family’s needs."
—Susan and Jim Avery

Increasing My Annual Gift to AMS
Increasing My Annual Gift to AMS

"How better to give back to an organization that has given so much to me and to ensure that the next generation has opportunities to contribute in so many ways we cannot yet imagine."
—Joe Friday

Funding the Future with a Gift to AMS Today
Funding the Future with a Gift to AMS Today

"Finding new ways of solving old problems and using the new technology our young scientists will have available to them is critical to our future, as a profession and as a society."
—Marv and Mary Dickerson

Rick and Michele Rosen
Rick and Michele Rosen

"We established a deferred charitable gift annuity by donating appreciated stock that had grown over the years. In doing so, we enjoyed an immediate tax deduction and avoided paying capital gains tax, while ensuring a guaranteed income stream—some of which will come to us tax-free—for the rest of our lives. Giving through a deferred charitable gift annuity was simple and beneficial to us and to AMS."
—Rick and Michele Rosen

Giving Back to AMS
Giving Back to AMS

"Ever since AMS Executive Director Ken Spengler gave me a personal tour of AMS Headquarters as a student member in 1967, the AMS has contributed greatly to my professional life for over 50 years."
—Fred and Meg Carr

Leaving a Legacy to AMS
Leaving a Legacy to AMS

"I began to think about how I could support AMS through a legacy gift that will live on after I am no longer able to participate directly in AMS programs. Like several of my colleagues, I discovered that designating AMS as the beneficiary of my TIAA-CREF retirement fund was the easiest way for me to proceed and would provide AMS with the greatest financial benefit."
—Eileen Shea

Helping a New Generation
Helping a New Generation

"AMS has been such an important part of my career that we would like to help a new generation of young people get a good start on their own careers.  We are endowing a scholarship for under-represented students providing donations in the present and in the future."
—Warren and Mary Washington

Advancing Scientific Integrity
Advancing Scientific Integrity

"In its first century, AMS set a high standard for advancing the integrity of knowledge.  Furthering that advance during the next century requires each of us to contribute in ways that ensure AMS extends its role as an innovative leader among scientific and professional societies."
—Elke Meier and Bill Gail

Commitment to the Future of AMS
Commitment to the Future of AMS

"I believe in the Society's mission and vision; therefore, Jina and I pledge to support the AMS Centennial Campaign. We are committing to a gift from our retirement plans when we reach the age to take a required minimum distribution. We hope this gift will help young scientists to reach their potential and empower them to be the next generation of leaders."
—Roger and Jina Wakimoto

Paying It Forward
Paying It Forward

"The importance of financial assistance to students is self-evident to us, having been the beneficiary of fellowships supporting our graduate studies at the University of Chicago. Thus, we began searching for a mechanism to “pay it forward” to the next generation of atmospheric scientists. A portion of our estate is therefore designated to support an AMS scholarship."
—Walt and Liv Lyons