Giving With Purpose: How One Western Alumni Couple Is Using a Qualified Charitable Distribution
Western Washington University alumni have chosen a giving strategy that aligns naturally with both their financial planning as well as a lifelong connection to their alma mater.
For donors age 70½ and older, a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) offers a tax-smart way to support the causes they care about most. A QCD allows individuals to make gifts directly from an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) to a qualified charity without incurring federal income tax on the distribution. Because the funds go directly to charity, 100% of the gift supports the organization's mission.
For donors age 73 and older who are required to take annual Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs), a QCD can also satisfy some or all of that requirement while avoiding additional taxable income.
For the McKinnons, the question wasn't ever if they would donate to Western, but when and how -- a set of variables that many givers grapple with.
Maggie, who transferred to Western from Everett Community College in 1973, recalls finding a welcoming campus community that made higher education feel both accessible and achievable.
"The size of the student population was small enough to not feel overwhelmed, yet provided interactions with people from different backgrounds that made life interesting both on and off campus," she said.
As the first person in her family to earn both a bachelor's and master's degree, Maggie credits Western's support systems, from work-study opportunities to a teaching assistantship, with helping make her education possible.
"Without this help from Western, my educational goals would have been so much more difficult to achieve," she said.
John similarly remembers the University as a place of personal growth and intellectual discovery.
"Living on Western's beautiful campus, making friends, and being immersed in the college experience was a perfect way for me to begin my adult education," he said.
The university also shaped their professional lives in lasting ways. Maggie went on to work as a biologist with the Washington Department of Fisheries and later the state Department of Ecology, where she spent 25 years before retiring in 2015. John built a career in education, using the analytical and writing skills developed through his science coursework to serve in curriculum development and professional learning roles within his school district.
Beyond academics and careers, Western also shaped their personal story.
"Most importantly," Maggie said, "I met my future husband John at Western!"
Today, as retirees, the McKinnons are thoughtfully considering how their charitable giving can reflect both their values and their financial circumstances. Using a QCD from an IRA made practical sense.
"We have been fortunate enough to have enough income from our pensions and Social Security that a substantial portion of our supplemental investments remain untapped," John said. "Looking ahead to when those mandatory distributions kick in, we decided that we would rather that money be our source for charitable giving instead of generating additional taxable income."
For alumni and friends of Western, a QCD can be a meaningful way to support its students and programs while potentially reducing taxable income. As the McKinnons demonstrate, thoughtful giving can honor both a donor's financial goals and the institution that helped shape their lives.
