Donor Profiles

A Lifetime of Giving

A longtime member of the Albion College board of trustees, Bill Stoffer (Albion) is proud to be one of the youngest nominated, and now the longest serving, trustees in the board's history. He calls nonprofit service his "greatest avocation and greatest love."

Sigma Nu has also benefited from his service. Bill has been the chapter advisor for Gamma Gamma for more than two decades. In 2001, he joined the Sigma Nu Educational Foundation Board and recently completed a term as chairman. He's also a member of the Foundation's Omega Society, which was created to advance the retirement of the headquarters's mortgage and defray the upkeep costs on the property.

As a board member, Bill wanted to set an example in planned giving, so he committed a percentage of his estate to the Sigma Nu Educational Foundation. It's a message he hopes every alumnus will hear. "I want to remind our alumni that giving doesn't stop with your activities in the house during college," he explains. "The fraternity has always relied on the largesse of alumni to fund the LEAD Program and other programs we've all benefited from and are still benefiting from today."

Watching generations of brothers grow through their Sigma Nu experience has been fuel for the fire. "I think back to all I've seen change and the amount of energy the youth put into it and it inspires me and recharges my batteries," Bill says. "In order for future generations to benefit, it's important that we keep Sigma Nu in our hearts, especially for estate and planned giving."

Your gift will vary based on your personal situation, but a planned gift truly is an investment in the brotherhood of today and in the future of Sigma Nu. "It's being able to give on after you go on," Bill says. "All of us who love Sigma Nu feel we could never give back enough in return for the brotherhood we've experienced over the years in our fraternity."