Page 1 - Century Campaign FAQs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Why are we conducting a capital campaign to build a new house?               have collected benchmark data from other GT fraternities that have         the ACB. Those funds (including the approximately $110,000 raised
                                                                             recently completed similar new house fundraising campaigns. In             through the annual campaign) will be used to pay for non-educational
  First, after more than 62 years of loyal service, our current house is     addition, we harvested lessons learned from those involved in prior        portions of the house. All gifts will be recognized in a consistent
no longer competitive with the surrounding Georgia Tech facilities           fundraising efforts by our chapter that did not meet their objectives.     manner without regard to tax-deductibility.
and campus fraternity house standard. Although the chapter is                Based on these learnings, we have adopted three basic principles that
thriving today, we will not be able to continue to recruit and compete       we believe are paving the way for success: 1) we have assembled a          How can I make a gift?
against the other leading fraternities on campus, given the accelerating     broad-based campaign team of more than 60 brothers representing
physical deterioration of our house. Second, we recently completed           all generations of our brotherhood, 2) we are meeting our objectives         Gifts may be made by cash, check, credit/debit card, or stock.
a campaign feasibility study. Based upon the input of 157 brothers           by drawing upon participation from all decades of our fraternity,rather
spanning a broad cross-section of our brotherhood, from the 1940’s           than leaning on only a small cross-section of brothers concentrated in     My company has a matching gift program; can I apply it to my
to present day, a decisive majority indicated strong support for tearing     a few eras, and 3) we have engaged with a third party advisor, Elevate,    pledge?
down and building a new house.                                               that has a proven track record of success supporting campaigns of
                                                                             this nature with numerous other fraternities at Georgia Tech and             If your company has a matching gift program, you will receive donor
  As Delta Sigma Phi approaches its hundredth year at Georgia                nationwide. Given the tremendous progress that we have made during         credit for both your pledge amount and the amount of your company’s
Tech in 2020, now is the time for our brotherhood to invest in its           the Quiet Phase of the campaign, it is clear that the plan is sound and    matching gift. If your company’s matching gift is dependent on a
future. Building a new chapter house will serve as a source of pride and     we are well on our way.                                                    donation to an education-based tax deductible foundation, then your
fellowship for all of our brothers, both undergraduate and alumni, for                                                                                  gift will be treated as tax deductible even if you do not meet the tax
years to come. This investment will ensure that future generations of        How long are pledges to the campaign payable?                              deductibility thresholds outlined in the question above.Please contact our
Georgia Tech men are afforded the same opportunity as us, to evolve                                                                                     account manager, William Toothaker, at WToothaker@elevateims.com
and grow during our collegiate years as Delta Sigs.                            Pledges to the campaign can be paid over a five year period. Pledges     or by phone at (770) 903-3987 for assistance with this process.
                                                                             of shorter duration are welcome, as that may reduce our reliance on
What are the costs associated with the project?                              interim bank loans and associated financing costs both prior to and        Can I make a stock gift?
                                                                             during construction.That said, we need each brother to make the very
  The total project cost for building a new house is currently               best stretch pledge possible over the five year period.This is our chance    You may utilize stock to fulfill your campaign pledge commitment.
estimated to total $4.7 million. Based on feasibility study results, we      to position Delta Sigma Phi for the next 100 years on the Georgia          If you wish to make this type of gift, please contact our account
have established a minimum fundraising goal of $1.6 million, which           Tech campus.                                                               manager, William Toothaker. He will be able to assist you with the
will be paired with a bank loan to finance the balance of the project.                                                                                  procedure for this type of pledge commitment.
                                                                             Will my donation be tax-deductible?
Can we afford the bank-financed debt?                                                                                                                   Can I give an in-kind gift to the house?
                                                                               Due to IRS regulations, we are unable to make all donations tax
  Yes. We have collected benchmarks from other recent Georgia Tech           deductible. Only portions of the house that are deemed “educational          In-kind gifts are appreciated and will be reviewed and evaluated on
fraternity house build projects, as well as Georgia Tech Greek Affairs, and  space”are tax-deductible.To ensure that all donated funds are used most    a case-by-case basis by the ACB and campaign leadership to determine
used this data to populate a series of financial pro formas.These pro forma  efficiently and effectively, we have set the following thresholds for tax  any level of donor monetary recognition that should accompany the gift.
statements suggest that we will be able to generate enough income in         deductibility: (1) all pledges of $25,000 and greater may be 100% tax
2020 and beyond to comfortably service both ongoing operating expenses       deductible,(2) all pledges between $15,000 and $24,999 may be 50% tax      How will any gifts that I have previously made to the campaign
and the debt. In addition, we have shared our pro forma estimates with       deductible; and (3) all pledges of any amount made by brothers whose       be treated?
two banking institutions that have approved our project for funding.         employers match tax-deductible charitable donations will be 100% tax
                                                                             deductible. Tax deductible donations will be routed through the Delta        A good number of brothers have already made donations to the Century
Why not just renovate the existing house?                                    Sigma Phi Foundation, for the exclusive benefit of constructing the        Campaign as part of the annual campaign that was started in 2008. These
                                                                             educational spaces of a new fraternity house at Georgia Tech. If your      donations will be combined with new pledge amounts in the determination
  Although renovating the existing structure was an option, we               pledge meets the deductibility thresholds, but you are not interested in   of both donor recognition status and naming rights opportunities.
concluded that the best course of action is to construct a brand new         receiving tax-deductible treatment, please so indicate on your pledge
facility for the fraternity. This new structure will be designed with        form.This will allow us to allocate deductibility to other donors.         How do I know that my gift will be used exclusively for the
long term needs of the chapter in mind, using durable, aesthetically                                                                                    purpose of constructing a new house?
pleasing, and cost effective materials. In addition, the feasibility study   What if I am unable to make a tax deductible pledge?
responses indicate that the majority of our brothers are not supportive                                                                                   Make no mistake, the Century Campaign has the singular objective
of a renovation project.                                                       Donations that do not meet our tax deductibility thresholds will         to raise the funds required to build a new chapter house. However,
                                                                             be deposited into the Century Campaign account maintained by               to provide explicit protections to our donors’ interests, the ACB has
Why do we believe this campaign will be successful?                                                                                                     ratified an amendment to our bylaws that specifically states that any
                                                                                                                                                        funds donated to the Century Campaign are to be used strictly for the
  In embarking on this campaign, the ACB and campaign leadership                                                                                        purposes of building a new chapter house.
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