An accomplished Oklahoma City businesswoman, Dortha Dever not only paved her own path to success with hard work and perseverance, but she also paved a path for others by leaving a gift in her will to support her community.
Dortha graduated from Oklahoma City University with a degree in finance before beginning a successful 32-year banking career at American Fidelity Assurance Company, retiring as assistant vice president. She was also connected to the American Fidelity Philanthropic Committee Board and the Executive Women International Philanthropic Committee.
Dortha believed education was the catalyst for her long and successful banking career, and she knew she wanted to help others achieve their goals. She met with her attorney and the Oklahoma City Community Foundation to discuss how she could use her assets to make a difference both during her life and after her death.
Because Dortha was over age 70 and didn’t necessarily need the required minimum distribution from her IRA to survive, the Community Foundation suggested she use the IRA Charitable Rollover to fund a scholarship to support female students studying business at Oklahoma City University. Dortha also chose to leave her estate to the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, providing additional support to her scholarship as well as designating four charitable organizations to receive annual grants from her fund.
Dortha passed away in 2015, but because the scholarship fund and the fund established through the gift in her will were endowed, they will fulfill Dortha’s charitable goals in perpetuity.
Planned gifts allow donors to leave larger, more impactful gifts and are often the most significant gifts a donor will ever make. Most importantly, leaving a planned gift doesn’t have to be a complicated process, especially when the experts at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation are here to help. We provide an easy and effective way for any donor to designate a gift through their will or trust to support their favorite charities or causes. As a 501(c)(3) public charity, we handle all administrative and legal requirements and offer great tax advantages.
Our free guide to planning your will and trust can help you and your family begin to think about how you want your assets to be distributed at death. We also offer sample bequest language to share with your attorney or financial planner.
If you have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to Joe Carter, vice president of development, at 405/606-2914.