Giving back with a charitable gift annuity

Robyn and Neil Fillman chose to support The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine with a charitable gift annuity.

This type of donation can provide donors with fixed lifetime payments and allow the college to help support student scholarships and other programs like the Clinical and Professional Skills Center.

"We've had horses, dogs and cats our whole life so we knew how important veterinarians and veterinary medicine is. We chose to support the clinical skills lab because we wanted to give veterinary students the opportunity to practice skills in a supportive environment." - Robyn Fillman

She said she and her husband understood the importance of allowing young veterinarians to obtain knowledge and skills.

"To have both the skills and the knowledge, makes you a great clinician," said Robyn. "For some people, developing skills like suturing takes a long time, and students need that training at their own pace." 

In the Veterinary Clinical and Professional Skills Center, students can practice skills on life-like models, in a simulated environment, perfecting their skills over and over.  
 
With charitable gift annuities, donors can also qualify for a variety of tax benefits, including a federal income tax charitable deduction if the donor chooses to itemize.
 
Robyn and Neil said choosing a charitable gift annuity was a really good decision because it's a win-win. 

"It generates money for us to give back. It allowed us to have more money in the end so that we can donate back and re-invest," Robyn said. "When we retired, we had the funds available to give back." 

The generosity of donors makes a big difference to Ohio State and to them. 

"To help veterinary students improve their training means so much. I love hearing from students how meaningful the skills lab is to them," Robyn said.  

Learn more about the different ways you can give back to The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine.