Join the Sara Morriss Society
Create a lasting legacy
Sara Winston Taylor Morriss ’37 had a vision for St. Margaret’s School when she became one of the first alumnae to remember St. Margaret’s School in her will. She knew that her gift to the school’s endowment would help St. Margaret’s build a foundation into the future that would allow it to become the best school that it possibly can be.

Now other alumnae, parents, and friends also have an opportunity to create a lasting legacy for themselves while ensuring the future strength of St. Margaret’s. By making an estate or similar deferred gift that includes the school, they will become members of the Sara Morriss Society for Planned Giving and become partners in the school’s vision.

“The school’s endowment offers us stability during fluctuating economic times,” said Director of Development Kathleen S. Smith. “It also provides the financial strength we need to pursue our long-range goals.”

Membership is permanent as long as the gift remains in effect. It may be kept confidential if so desired. Benefits include:

• Potential estate tax reduction, depending on the gift instrument selected. Many donors have found that planned charitable gifts make it possible to preserve a larger percentage of their estate for transfer to their heirs.

• Options for generating lifetime income. Certain kinds of trusts, for example, provide income for the donor while she is living, while also allowing for an estate gift.

• Opportunities for making a special gift. Deferrred gifts of investments, life insurance, or property make it possible for a donor to keep such assets available for use during her lifetime, while making a larger gift than might otherwise be possible.

• Enrollment in the society’s Book of Remembrance, a beautiful custom-bound volume that will be displayed permanently in a prominent campus location.

• Invitation to annual special events that provide continuing education on financial management, women’s issues, and the school today.

• Recognition in school publications, such as the annual donor report and occasional articles in The Thistle.

To qualify for membership, gifts may be either unrestricted or designated for a particular purpose. There is no minimum gift amount. While the disclosure of the amount or type of gift is helpful to the school in its long-range planning, such disclosure is not required.

Individuals who already have included St. Margaret’s in their estate plans or who would like more information about making such a gift are encouraged to contact contact Margaret Broad at (804) 443-3357 mbroad@sms.org






Planned gifts are crucial to St. Margaret's ability to enhance programs, improve facilities, and extend the SMS experience to deserving students with financial need.

Leaving a Legacy, Making an Impact

Planned gifts are crucial to St. Margaret’s ability to enhance programs, improve facilities, and extend the SMS experience to deserving students with financial need. Here are three recent planned gifts that have made a significant impact on the school today:

Elizabeth Stuart Gray. A former Board of Governors member and sister of Ann Norvell Gray Rice ’35 and Ellen Gray Wilson ’41, Miss Gray included St. Margaret’s in her will with a gift that made a substantial contribution to the 2002 renovation of Latané Hall.

Mary Lighthipe. Sponsor of Niki Adams Kirby ’92, Mrs. Lighthipe remembered St. Margaret’s with an unrestricted bequest in 2000. Her planned gift put the “Education for Life” campaign over the top and helped build the Community/Technology Center.

Sara Winston Taylor Morriss ’37. An active alumna and the mother of Janie Morriss Garland ’70, Mrs. Morriss bequeathed the school money to establish a scholarship that provides financial aid to students from counties in central and southside Virginia.