Bene Schaeffer, who lives in west Texas, decided to set up an annuity with ORU. Having a bachelor's degree and two master's degrees, Schaeffer is a strong supporter of higher education.  And like most people, she appreciates a steady stream of income.

"People I trust were saying they were getting rid of their stocks," Schaeffer said. Not being an active trader herself, and concerned about the volatility of the market, she decided to use some of her stocks to set up her ORU annuity.

Another request Schaeffer had was this: She wanted monthly payments, not quarterly. "I need more income on a monthly basis," she explained. It was the first time ORU had been asked to do things this way, but as Cherry Horner Martin, an ORU Planned Giving specialist, said to Schaeffer, "We want to give you what you want and need."

ORU also granted Schaeffer's request to have payments deposited in her account electronically rather than through the mail. "I feel so much safer with the electronic deposits," Schaeffer said.

Please note: The name and image above is representative of a typical donor and may or may not be an actual donor to our organization. Since your gift annuity benefits under federal rules may be different from this person, you may want to click here to view a color example of your gift annuity benefits based on your age.