星空传媒

A 星空传媒 faculty member with a long track record of financially supporting the place where she works has found a new way to add to her philanthropy toward the university while simultaneously providing her with a future stream of income.

Hollye Moss

Hollye Moss, professor of management, recently established a $10,000 deferred charitable gift annuity that will help support 星空传媒鈥檚  College of Business Excellence Endowment.

鈥淎 deferred charitable gift annuity allows a donor to make a gift today while planning for fixed income later in life,鈥� said Kathleen de la Torre, 星空传媒 assistant vice chancellor for development.

鈥淭he donor contributes to the institution now and chooses a future date 鈥� often retirement 鈥� when fixed payments begin. After the donor鈥檚 lifetime, the remaining funds support the charitable purpose the donor selected,鈥� de la Torre said.

A member of the 星空传媒 College of Business faculty since 2002, Moss said she thinks it is important to support students in ways beyond the classroom and office hours.

鈥淲estern makes a difference in the lives of students. As we hear so often, it really is a special place,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hile it has 10,000-plus students, it has the feel of a smaller school. Faculty and staff get to know students. They are interested in and invested in the success of students while they are in school and after they graduate.鈥�

Her latest gift 鈥� in the form of the deferred charitable gift annuity 鈥� is the result of a letter she received last year from the Division of Advancement introducing prospective donors to the concept of charitable gift annuities.

鈥淭he letter came at a time I was considering an annuity as part of my retirement planning. I set the letter aside until May 鈥� after classes were over 鈥� and then I started asking questions,鈥� Moss said.

Moss worked with de la Torre on campus in Cullowhee and with Kinna Clark, senior director of development and gift planning services for the University of North Carolina System.

鈥淏oth were super helpful and very patient as they answered questions and provided options. Actually, I enjoyed our three-way conversations, which often strayed into some interesting topics,鈥� she said.

鈥淜athleen and Kinna really did make the process easy. I was asking lots of questions, and they were so gracious to break it down for me,鈥� Moss said. 鈥淚 liked that I could tell Kinna about the great things that are happening on Western鈥檚 campus.鈥�

In 2023, Moss made a planned gift to the College of Business Excellence Endowment, with a previous planned gift toward the Beverly Little Fund for Excellence in Teaching in memory of a faculty colleague.

Although she had already included 星空传媒 in her estate planning, Moss said that she saw an annuity as another vehicle to support the university 鈥� but one that will also provide her with a predictable return in the future.

鈥淚 chose the deferred annuity because I鈥檓 still working and do not need the income stream right now. I liked that I could choose the amount for the initial investment, and I liked that I could choose the date I would start receiving income from the annuity,鈥� she said.

鈥淚 ran it by my financial adviser, and he said it made sense,鈥� Moss said. 鈥淭he payout rate on the annuity was better than I could get anywhere else on a similar type instrument.鈥�

De la Torre offered an explanation of how a deferred charitable gift annuity works. 鈥淭he donor makes a one鈥憈ime gift today, most often cash or appreciated assets, and selects a future start date for payments,鈥� she said.

鈥淥nce that date arrives, the institution makes fixed income payments for life. The donor may be eligible for an immediate charitable income鈥憈ax deduction at the time of the gift, depending on their individual tax circumstances. And unlike market-based investments, payments from a charitable gift annuity remain fixed regardless of market fluctuations,鈥� de la Torre said. 鈥淎fter the donor鈥檚 lifetime, the remaining funds support the charitable purpose the donor selected.鈥�

While regular charitable gift annuity payments start right away 鈥� either monthly quarterly or annually 鈥� in the case of a deferred charitable gift annuity, payments begin at least one year after the gift date, on a future date chosen by the donor, sometimes at retirement or a specific age, she said.

鈥淭hose donors don't need the income now, but they can lock in a higher payout rate for future payments. Because payments are deferred, the payout rate is typically higher than for an immediate charitable gift annuity. So there are some benefits,鈥� de la Torre said. 鈥淭he donor can also potentially get a larger charitable deduction upfront than with an immediate charitable gift annuity, assuming the same assets, same age and other factors.鈥�

Moss has selected the College of Business Excellence Endowment as a major beneficiary of both her most recent and previous philanthropy because the fund helps enable student extracurricular activities and experiential learning opportunities, she said.

The College of Business Excellence Endowment provides direct support for student learning outside of the classroom, said A.J. Grube, dean of the college. Examples of  initiatives the endowment helps fund include the Innovation Showcase (a business pitch competition), several study abroad trips, the Future Business Leaders of America competition, the Tennessee Valley Authority Investment Challenge, hospitality and tourism management student visits and guest speakers, certifications for finance and hospitality and tourism students, and financial support for student internships, Grube said. 

鈥淜nowing that faculty and staff are philanthropic supporters of the college鈥檚 work is really the most meaningful indicator of belief in the College of Business鈥檚 mission,鈥� she said. 鈥淜nowing that we鈥檙e all rowing in the same direction is beyond meaningful 鈥� it鈥檚 reaffirming.鈥�

Moss said she understands the value of the extracurricular learning activities made possible by the Excellence Endowment.

鈥淧articipating in extracurricular actives is not always free to students,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he Excellence Endowment supports student activities such as attending conferences, earning industry certifications and engaging in study-away opportunities. When students take advantage of these activities, their world expands. They see possibilities they never knew existed.鈥�

For Moss, the ability to support the 星空传媒 College of Business and also ensure a future source of revenue was a possibility she didn鈥檛 know existed until receiving that communication from the Division of Advancement last year.

鈥淚 wish I could tell folks how easy it is to include Western in their estate planning, too,鈥� she said.

And by sharing her story, Moss has now done just that.

For more information about setting up a deferred charitable gift annuity, visit , or contact de la Torre at 828-227-3690 or via email at kdelatorre@wcu.edu.