St. Paul's United Church of Christ

Special Gifts Fund

 

Why is a Special Gifts Fund needed?

The Special Gifts Fund provides for exceptional needs and long-term well being of St. Paul's United Church of Christ (UCC) not possible within the regular budget. It is governed by St. Paul's constitution, by-laws and a management plan. A Special Gifts Committee seeks, invests, and manages gifts to be used for special needs and projects. This fund provided financial stability through economic hard times as well as more prosperous years.

 

Can I designate my gift for a specified purpose and will my request be honored?

Your gift can be designated for capital improvement, education, community service and outreach, wider mission of the UCC, spiritual life or other goals designated by donors to meet church priorities. There are three ways to direct your gifts: endowment, legacy, and memorials. An endowment is structured to protect the financial principal. Income from the principal can be designated or undesignated. Legacy gifts can be spent in their entirety. Memorials, honoring a living person or memorializing a deceased person, a place or event can be either legacy or endowed gifts. The Special Gifts Committee can discuss your interests with you.

 

What types of gifts can be accepted for the Special Gifts Fund?

The Special Gifts Fund can accept cash, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, real estate, and personal property of value. It also can be designated a beneficiary in life insurance policies, investments, and wills.

 

How can I give when I have little left after I buy necessities and pay my taxes?

If you have savings or investments you depend on for income and/or you own your home, you can donate any of these now, continue to life in you home, continue to receive investment income and a tax deduction now. Ask about a gift annuity, a deferred gift annuity, a pooled income fund, and other options.

 

Should I sell assets and give the cash or transfer ownership to the fund?

If an asset has increased in value since you bought it, you may have to pay capital gains taxes if you sell it, but if you transfer ownership to St. Paul's, you may create a tax deduction for yourself equivalent to today's value of the asset. St. Paul's can benefit fully from the sale of the asset because it is tax exempt.

 

My financial situation is a very private matter to me. Can I be assured my donation will be kept anonymous?

The Special Gifts Committee member working with you will ask you what level of anonymity you desire and will honor and respect your wish.

 

Note: Before making a sizable gift, please consult your tax advisor or lawyer.

St. Paul's UCC Special Gifts Committee

Our committee is elected by the members of St. Paul's. The committee members welcome the opportunity to discuss your gifts and assure you that discussion with any of them will be kept confidential.

The Special Gifts Committee invites you to contact:

stpaulsucc@vcn.com http://www.stpucc.vcn.com

 

 

It is out of gratitude for the past that we build now with hope for the future.

Congregations need to build upon the gifts received from previous generations in order to provide for the future ministry and mission of our church.

We are called to be faithful stewards of all that God has entrusted to our care, including our accumulated assets.

Congregations of the United Church or Christ have a present opportunity to serve the financial and estate planning needs of their members and families, assisting them in realizing their role as faithful stewards.

When we cast our bread upon the waters, we can presume that somewone downstream whose face we will never know will benefit from our action, as we who are downstream from another will profit from the grantor's gift.

Maya Angelou

We should so live and labor in our times that what came to us as seeed may go to the next generation as blossom, and what came to us as blossom nay go to them as fruit. This expresses the true spirit in the lofe of humankind.

Henry Ward Beecher

 

 

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