Regular, smaller gifts have a way of making a significant difference.

This has certainly been the case for Phil and Jenn (Bender) Christofferson. The opportunity to make recurring donations has opened the door to make the impact they desire through the ease of automation. For the past 20 years, the Christoffersons have been making gifts to the Kyle Cope Memorial Scholarship, and for the past decade, those contributions have come through scheduled quarterly gifts.

The scholarship was established in 1999 by Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity brothers and friends of Kyle Cope. He was an active member and leader of Lambda Chi Alpha social fraternity and also served a two-year term as the student representative to the Truman Board of Governors. Kyle passed away in an automobile accident in November 1997.

As a fraternity brother, and as friends of Kyle, Phil (’95) and his wife Jenn (’94, ’95) have been passionate about supporting this scholarship over the years. What they found, like many other alumni and friends, is that making their gifts through a recurring schedule provided ease and flexibility.

“We were looking for a way to make sure our gifts to Truman were consistent, and didn’t require us to remember to send a check every few months,” Phil said. 

The impact of the regularly scheduled gifts has added up over time. The Christoffersons’ support of the scholarship now exceeds $15,000, with most of that total coming through recurring donations.

“It provided us a way to make a more significant contribution to Truman each year,” Jenn said. “By spreading our gift out through quarterly donations, we are able to do more to honor Kyle’s memory and give back to Truman.”

For more information on recurring gifts, go to truman.edu/giving/ways-of-giving.