Gogebic Community College

Foundation

Students sitting in chairs wearing caps and gowns

 

Every bold future starts with a strong foundation

The GCC Foundation has been supporting students and the College since 1977 as a non-profit, 501(c)(3), tax exempt organization, and exists solely for the support and development of the College and its mission. It is the preferred channel for private gifts to the College.

The mission of the GCC Foundation is to promote, encourage and aid Gogebic Community College in the development of educational programs and the expansion of facilities.

With community support, the Foundation works to:

  • Fund special projects that benefit students and the community
  • Award scholarships to students
  • Assist the College with building construction and renovation projects
  • Communicate with our alumni and friends through our newsletters and Annual Report
  • Organize alumni and friends social events
  • Provide cultural opportunities that enhance the educational experience

 

WHY GIVE TO THE FOUNDATION?

  • Make a difference: The Gogebic College Foundation funds scholarships and college initiatives that help students succeed in their goal of higher education.
  • Strengthen Your Community: Contributions to the Foundation benefit the entire community and its economy. Community colleges change lives by making higher education available to everyone.
  • Live Your Values: Charitable giving is not only a way to share what we have, but to become who we are.
  • Tax Savings: Gogebic Community College Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization and contributions are deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.  Please consult your tax advisor for further information.

Giving Opportunities

Every gift to the GCC Foundation will make a difference in the lives of our students, their families and the community. Gifts to GCC Foundation can be made online, by phone, by mail, or in person.

Gogebic Community College Foundation
c/o Kelly Marczak
E4946 Jackson Road
Ironwood, MI  49938
Call: 906-307-1202
Email: kellym@gogebic.edu

Annual Giving Recognition Categories

  • Founders $10,000 and higher
  • Benefactors $5,000 - $9,999
  • President’s Circle $1,000 - $4,999
  • Patron $500 - $999
  • Supporter $100 - $499
  • Friend Up to $99

    Types of Gifts:

    Unrestricted gift is a contribution that is given to the GCC Foundation without any restrictions on its use.

    Restricted gifts are earmarked for specific purposes such as a named or endowed scholarship, athletics, student emergency assistance fund, etc.

    Endowed gifts can last forever.  When you make a donation to our endowment, you give a gift with immediate and long-term benefits.  Endowment donations are invested.  A portion of the annual income from the investment is used for immediate needs at GCC.  The principal stays intact for perpetuity and continues to provide income to the GCC Foundation always.  You can designate the area of the college you want to support with your endowment.

Honor someone special with a gift in their name

If you have a loved one who has been impacted by GCC, establishing a memorial or tribute gift is a meaningful way to honor them.  You can designate that the tribute gifts help to fund a specific scholarship or support an area that was important to your loved one.  Tribute gifts not designated will help fund our Arts and Beautification Circle to improve the quality of the student experience on our campus and in our community through art, ensuring a long-lasting tribute. 

We will notify the honoree or family of your tribute gift and your tribute gift will be recognized in the Annual Report, unless you request to remain anonymous.  Click here to donate now or Contact Kelly Marczak for more information.

Including a gift in your will, revocable living trust, or through a beneficiary designation is a simple way to provide support for GCC and our students.  Planned giving also gives you membership in the Samson Legacy Society (see Samson Legacy Society section on this page).

Just a few simple sentences in your will or revocable living trust is all that is needed to make a gift to GCC.  Your gift can be for a specific dollar amount or for a percentage of your estate.  Sample language for your will:

"I give to the Gogebic Community College Foundation, a nonprofit corporation currently located at E4946 Jackson Road, Ironwood, MI 49938, or its successor thereto, ______________ [written amount or percentage of the estate or description of property] for its unrestricted use and purpose."

Many donors choose to create an endowment with their estate gift. Such endowments can bear your name, or the name of a loved one. If you would like your gift to support a specific purpose, we can work with you to draft language to ensure your gift is used as you intend.

You can direct gifts to GCC from your donor advised fund (DAF).  Contact Kelly Marczak to share your DAF gift details or discuss the area you would like to support.  Contact your DAF adviser to initiate the gift.  Your adviser may ask you for the following information:

Legal Name: Gogebic Community College Foundation

Federal Tax ID Number: 38-2193133
GCC employees are eligible to make charitable contributions via payroll deduction. Click here to download the form, complete it, sign it, print it and then scan/email it to: kellym@gogebic.edu or send the form via inner office mail to the Foundation. THANK YOU!

The entire Gogebic Community College family thanks you for your interest in establishing a scholarship fund that works to improve the educational opportunities available to the College's students. Approximately 70% of GCC students qualify for financial aid, making scholarships vitally important to their future. Together, we can make a positive difference in people's lives.

While gifts of any amount, at any time, are greatly appreciated and will be added to the general scholarship fund, the following information serves as a guideline for establishing a Named Scholarship Fund to be administered by the Gogebic Community College Foundation.

Click here to view current scholarships offered at Gogebic Community College.

SCHOLARSHIP AWARD CRITERIA

Whether Perpetual, Annual, or a One-Time Memorial or Honorary Scholarship, sponsors have great latitude in defining the specific scholarship award criteria. Scholarship Sponsors can establish:

  • The scholarship name.
  • The amount and number of annual award(s).
  • Whether the recipient has Gogebic County or Out-of-District residency. Whether the scholarship is general (covering all educational programs) or program specific (such as for the Ski Area Management Program).
  • Whether the scholarship recipient has freshman, sophomore, or either status.
  • The College Financial Aid Office reserves the right to select the recipient based on the sponsor's established criteria.

ENDOWED/PERPETUAL SCHOLARSHIPS

The Perpetual Scholarship is endowed and only the interest is used for the yearly award. This guarantees a lasting memorial to a loved one. The primary assumption is that the annual scholarship amount be funded by the interest on the scholarship fund principal. Perpetual scholarship funds are deposited in the College Endowment Fund and jointly administered by the College Business Office and Foundation.

At the time of donation, five percent (5%) of all restricted donations will be designated for management expenses for the Foundation, as well as five percent (5%) of all yearly earnings on Foundation Endowed and Restricted Funds in all subsequent years.

ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIPS

Should an individual or organization desire to set up a named scholarship, but lacks the financial resources to endow the fund principal, the College Foundation provides an opportunity to create an Annual Scholarship. In this case, sponsors and the Foundation reach agreement on scholarship criteria and award level (minimum $500) and the Financial Aid Office selects the recipient. The sponsor(s) are invoiced annually for the scholarship award and payment usually occurs in the winter for the following academic year awards.

ONE-TIME MEMORIAL OR HONORARY SCHOLARSHIPS

Lastly, the College and its Foundation provide the opportunity to establish a One-Time Memorial or Honorary Scholarship. These scholarships are non-repeating and have varied amounts (minimum $1,000). Again, the scholarship sponsor is free to set the scholarship award criteria, provides the Foundation with payment for the scholarship, and the College Financial Aid Office selects the recipient. If a scholarship gift is less than the minimum $1,000, the gift would be added to the Foundation Endowed Scholarship Fund and listed in memory or in honor of the named individual.

SCHOLARSHIP PUBLICITY

Scholarship sponsors (unless not desired) are publicly recognized for their support of educational access and opportunity in the GCC Foundation "Alumni & Friends Newsletter" when established and listed each year in the Foundation Annual Report.

Matching gifts are a type of giving program that is set up by companies and corporations as an employee benefit.  If you or your spouse work for a company that offers a matching gift program, we can help you with the paperwork.  Contact Kelly Marczak for more information.
The Samson Legacy Society was established to honor and recognize individuals who provide for GCC through planned giving.  Through their foresight and planning, donors who include GCC in their estate plans provide essential support for generations of GCC students and are recognized as Samson Legacy Society Members in our Annual Report – unless you request anonymity during your lifetime.  Contact Kelly Marczak to join the Samson Legacy Society. 

Securities and mutual funds can be a tax-smart way to make a gift to GCC.

For transfer instructions contact Kelly Marczak.
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