Bill Zaugg
As an expert in budgeting and accounting, Bill Zaugg knows when things aren’t adding up—or when a balance sheet tips one way or another.
During his more than 30 years in accounting and budgeting for The Evergreen State College, Bill witnessed a troubling trend.
“I was really concerned about the difficulty people had paying for their education,” Bill said. “In the half a century since I graduated, the costs have gone up, and the support for it has not.”
Bill decided to be part of the solution by using annual transfers—known as qualified charitable distributions or QCDs—directly from his IRA to The Evergreen State College to provide financial aid for students.
“Having a financial mind, I always want to get the most out of my resources” Bill said. “A QCD gift made it possible to have a greater impact without losing money to taxes. As someone of modest means, I was able to give more than I could have if I had just given out of my pocket. The tax benefit was so worth it that I went through the steps to roll over funds from my TIAA account into an IRA so I could take advantage of it. It’s more bang for the buck—both for the donor and for the students who benefit from the support.”
Bill said he had a certain type of student in mind when he decided to make his gift.
“I'd like to particularly help those students that may have started and become disillusioned or worried about staying in school because of the cost,” he said. “Because of my field of budgeting and accounting, I know there are some things that a state school can't pay for.”
Bill is originally from Ohio but got to know Evergreen while stationed at nearby McChord Air Force Base. After leaving the service at age 26, Bill landed an accounting job at Evergreen and never left. Bill also met his wife of 41 years, Donna, at Evergreen.
He hopes his financial support helps others experience everything he loves about The Evergreen State College that caused him to spend more than three decades working there.
“I like the culture and educational and recreational opportunities,” Bill said. “I believe in the mission of the College. I love the idea of a liberal arts college, and a relatively small one, but also a public school. And there aren't very many of those in the country.”
Join Bill in helping make an Evergreen education more affordable to more students. Contact Bree Marsch-Grim, '21 at (360) 867-6300 or foundation@evergreen.edu to learn about which gift options might be best for you.