“Giving for the Future”: Susan Brooks

For this post, we invited an alumna and donor to the Caldwell Fellows Program, Susan Brooks, to share why she cares enough about the program to have pledged a planned estate gift to support it in the future. This is what she had to say.

The Program meant so much to me and to my development as a leader and a person that I felt it was important to help pave the way for current and future Fellows, just as I had been supported by others.

Planning for the Future

I have been donating to the Caldwell Fellows Program, first sporadically and then regularly, for many years since graduation. The Program meant so much to me and to my development as a leader and a person that I felt it was important to help pave the way for current and future Fellows, just as I had been supported by others.

With the decline and ultimate deaths of my parents, I began thinking about the fact that my gifts would end upon my demise, and that troubled me. If part of my life legacy has been about supporting the Program, then I want my post-life legacy to reflect that as well.

Planned giving — designating a charitable gift through a will, trust, life insurance, or retirement account — to the Program is an easy, predictable way to leave a legacy without impacting your current finances, thereby connecting your servant-leader journey with future Fellows.

Planned giving is meaningful because it:

• Honors Your Personal Story: Ensures your specific wishes are honored.
• Helps the Program Dream Forward: Allows leadership to plan for the Program’s long-term sustainability by knowing future support is coming.
• Provides Peace of Mind for Your Loved Ones: Simplifies the process for your family by clearly documenting your wishes.
• Strengthens the “Caldwell Connection”: Deepens your relationship with the Program, ensuring your gift remains relevant.
• Inspires the Next Generation: When the University (with your permission) can share news of your gift, it shows young Fellows they are part of a lifelong community.
• Gifts of All Sizes are Welcome: Every dollar counts, and there is no minimum.

In addition to these reasons, I am comforted by my own decision to document my planned gift because it affords me the peace of mind of contributing a greater gift than I can currently afford, assurance that I will be supporting the Program even after I am gone, and insight into other future support options like donating Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) from my IRA. 

I encourage you to speak with Caldwell Fellows Philanthropy Officer, Josh Privette (japrive2@ncsu.edu), to easily document your planned gift via an IRA, securities, real estate, or will, and make a meaningful difference to future Fellows.

Join Us on Day of Giving

NC State’s Day of Giving is March 25, 2026—a focused day of philanthropy across our university community. If the work of Caldwell Fellows inspires you and it is within your capacity, we encourage you to give to the Caldwell Fellows Fund to ensure we can continue to provide the exceptional experiential leadership development the program is known for. Every gift, large or small, makes a difference in the lives of students discovering their potential as servant leaders. You can learn more about supporting the program by visiting https://caldwellfellows.ncsu.edu/giving/.

Susan currently serves as the chair of the Caldwell Fellows Committee for the Alumni Association Board of Directors.