A planned giving program would allow donors to continue their support long after their death. Currently, 91% of the U.S. asset base is in non-cash
property. Most people give to their favorite charity from the remaining 9%. When a charity shows supporters how they can leave a gift from their remaining
estate at their death, often a planned gift is completed.
•Gift Planning Services will help Churches and Charities to harness resources that would have been unnecessarily lost to taxation.
•Average charitable bequest reported on 1997 Federal tax returns was $158,000.
•80% of individuals who contribute annually to charity do not have a will.
•Estates valued in excess of $1,000,000 are most likely to leave a bequest.
After going through the Gift Planning Process, most people - with any size estate - will remember their favorite charity with a bequest or a funded gift.
One of the most unique and valuable services we offer at Gift Planning Services is our
Volunteer Leadership Training Program. If your church chooses, we will contract to work
with a group of volunteers from your congregation, and train them to work with the
members of your church as Christian Congregational Gift Planners.
This opens dialogue
among your members, and also allows you to have gift planning counselors available at all
times to your congregation members. The presence of gift planners on a regular basis
makes it easier for members to approach the subject, and makes them less likely to “put
it off.”
Easy access to a volunteer congregational gift planning counselor makes the
process less intimidating. There may be members of your congregation who feel more comfortable discussing personal information with someone they know and trust. The team
will receive training and ongoing support from Gift Planning Services. Please contact us
if you would like more information on how to implement the Congregational Gift Planning
Program in your church.