In the last years of his life, the Rev. Benjamin Wofford’s thoughts turned toward his legacy.
On Feb. 1, 1850, Wofford signed a will that left $100,000 to establish a college: $50,000 to be placed in an endowment and an equal amount set aside to purchase land and erect Main Building. He passed away that December. Just a few years later in the fall of 1854, Wofford College opened its doors.
What started with Benjamin Wofford’s bequest continues today as a nationally ranked liberal arts college.
“Wills are important, but more than 70 percent of American adults don’t have one,” says Lisa Harrison De Freitas ’88, director of gift planning at Wofford. “Some people haven’t gotten around to it. Others don’t feel like they have enough assets to go to the trouble. Still others feel like establishing a will is too expensive.”
A new partnership between the college and FreeWill addresses those concerns and offers people a cost-free way to protect their assets and designate their personal property to the people or organizations they hold dear.
A bequest to Wofford College is not a condition of the service, but Zach Barnes ’16 used the opportunity to give anyway.
“From the time I was accepted into Wofford and offered scholarships that allowed me to attend, I have had the privilege of being able to plan for a better future. So, when Wofford offered FreeWill services, I jumped at the opportunity to use this quick and easy tool to continue that planning,” he says. Barnes created a will and established a bequest to support endowed scholarships at the same time.
His classmate Jamie Inabinet ’16 also took advantage of the FreeWill service.
“It’s never too early to have a plan,” says Inabinet, whose new will, which only took about 20 minutes, includes his family and his alma mater. “The value my degree carries definitely helped me get to where I am today, so I feel like the financial gains I’ve realized are owed to Wofford, at least in part.”
According to De Freitas, the process of creating a simple will through FreeWill involves answering a few questions but does not require people to share sensitive information. At the end, FreeWill generates a legal will to download and sign. People with more complicated situations or estates may need the advice of an attorney. De Freitas has a list of Wofford-affiliated attorneys that she’s happy to share. FreeWill also offers a will-planning service to help individuals prepare for a visit with an attorney, which could save time and money.
“Everyone has the opportunity to follow the example of Benjamin Wofford and make a lasting impact on the Wofford community,” De Freitas says. “By designating a set amount or even a percentage of your estate to the college, you could establish a scholarship or faculty chair, endow a program you’re passionate about, fund undergraduate research or international travel, or help the college bring speakers or cutting- edge technology to campus. There’s no better time than now.”
Contact De Freitas at 864-597-4203, defreitaslh@wofford.edu or visit freewill.com/wofford for more information.