Opportunities to Give
Annual Fund – Best Use
The Best Use Fund provides the opportunity to alumni and friends to assist the college in providing innovative responses to the educational needs of our area. Contributions to this fund will be put to best uses in order to enrich student experiences, support teaching and learning, and improve or expand programs and facilities.
Capital Projects
Programs & Activities
Scholarships
Scholarships are essential tools used to assist students financially as they pursue
their educational goals. Investing in student learning provides benefits far into
the future. Anyone can establish a scholarship or give to a fund that supports them.
There are various ways in which this can be done and scholarships can be annual, endowed,
need-based, merit-based, restricted according to criteria you choose or based on any
combination of these options.
Ways to Give
There are many ways to give to the McCook College Foundation, and we will be happy to work with you in whatever way best meets the goals of your charitable giving plan.
Cash or check: The most popular and convenient way to give for an immediate impact.
Pledges: Larger gifts are sometimes made easier by spreading payments over a 3-5 year period.
Matching Gifts: Check to see if you or your spouse have an employer that matches employee donations to qualified non-profit organizations.
Stocks & Bonds: Securities that have appreciated in value offer tax advantages that make them highly attractive as charitable gifts.
Agricultural commodities: Donations of grains, livestock and other agriculturally related products will be gratefully accepted.
Bequests: Gifts of cash or property made through a will or living trust ensures a tradition of giving that will continue after the donor’s lifetime. The Foundation can be named as a beneficiary of an estate, as the recipient of a stated dollar amount or as a residual beneficiary.
Life Insurance: A policy that is no longer required for its original purpose may be transferred to the Foundation to directly benefit the College. New policies naming the Foundation as a beneficiary may also be considered as long term planned giving.
Remainder Trusts & Annuities: Both are income plans that allow the donor to make a gift while retaining the income for his or her lifetime.
Please note: Your attorney, certified public accountant or other qualified financial consultant can advise you as to the most beneficial giving plan to meet your philanthropic wishes. McCook College Foundation does not dispense legal or tax advice.
Establishing a Donor Specified Scholarship
Donors can literally design what they want in a scholarship program, and then fund the scholarship by donation to the McCook College Foundation. Perhaps you want to honor or establish a memorial to a special person in your life, advocate a specific field of academic study, and/or provide opportunity to students from a specific geographic area.
All donor specified scholarships are administered by the Mid-Plains Community College (MPCC) Office of Student Financial Aid, including the application, selection, and award processes. The Foundation receives funds from the donor, and pays an itemized billing directly to the MPCC business office. Donors can fund scholarships through the Foundation in a variety of ways: annual payment to the Foundation office; a one-time donation, or periodic donations. Donors also designate funds to be "unrestricted" with the principal and interest used to fund an ongoing program, or "restricted" whereby the principal donation is restricted and not to be spent, and only interest income is used to fund the scholarship(s) on an ongoing basis.
In addition to sponsoring scholarships for the traditional two-year MCC student, donors can sponsor scholarships for graduating MCC students continuing their education at a four-year institution. Such scholarships currently established were designed by the donor to be awarded annually at MCC’s spring graduation ceremony, and provide funds which are applied to the MCC graduate’s first semester at a four-year college or university. Donors can also sponsor scholarship support for students enrolled in bachelor or graduate degree programs through the Advanced Studies Center on the MCC campus.
The Foundation’s Donor Worksheet serves as a guide for donors in conveying their decisions regarding establishment of a scholarship, including how the scholarship will be funded by the donor. Scholarships can be designated for certain academic programs, i.e. math, science, fine arts, family and consumer science, computer technology, etc., and can also carry other donor restrictions such as gender, academic GPA, and/or geographic area.
Our Foundation Director of Administration is available to personally meet with you and/or your representatives at any time to discuss your scholarship objectives, provide information on the establishment, application and award processes, and answer any questions.
