Real Estate Gifting

Bette Sherrill wasn’t an Iowa State University graduate. In fact, her only connection with the university came through the care her dog received at the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Hixson-Lied Small Animal Hospital.

Sherrill was so moved by her dog’s treatment that upon her passing in 2016, she donated her farm in Cedar County, Iowa, to establish the Bette M. Sherrill Canine Fund.

That fund supports the college’s Companion Animal Fund as well as the renovation, expansion and equipment for the Hixson-Lied Small Animal Hospital.

Just like more and more non-alumni are contributing to the College of Veterinary Medicine, many individuals are passing their real estate property onto the college through a donation to the ISU Foundation.

Real estate can be donated as a current gift or a gift through an individual’s estate. It may also be given to finance a life income gift such as a charitable remainder trust. Individuals who choose this route will receive a partial charitable income tax deduction, potential for increased income and up-front capital gains tax avoidance.

Gifts of real estate may, like Sherrill, include a farm, but can also come in the form of a residence, undeveloped land, vacation home or commercial property. Any of these will allow the donor to support what is meaningful and important to them at Iowa State. Donors may outright gift land or leave all or a specified portion of their real estate in their will.

To learn more about gifting real estate to the College of Veterinary Medicine, individuals can contact the ISU Foundation.