This statement is heard often by United Methodist Foundation staff members from donors who have been assisted in making gifts to benefit their church. The Foundation often operates “behind the scenes” due to the confidential nature of working with donors, and therefore we may not be well known to many persons. Yet, the stewardship services provided by the Foundation are of significant value to local churches and causes of the Church as well as to individual donors.
The United Methodist Men of “Trinity Church” invited the Executive Director of United Methodist Foundation to make a presentation on “planned giving” at their monthly dinner meeting. In response to the strong interest expressed by their group, the United Methodist Men suggested to the Administrative Board that the speaker be invited to return and provide leadership for an “Estate and Gift Planning Workshop.” The Men sponsored the workshop to which all adult members of the church were invited.
In response to ideas that surfaced in the workshop, the Stewardship Committee began to investigate the possibility of making “planned giving” an ongoing part of their church’s stewardship program. The Stewardship Committee selected an Ad Hoc Committee which pursued the idea further and reported to the Administrative Board. The Board then requested that a Charge Conference be called to create a Permanent Endowment Fund Committee.
The Permanent Endowment Fund Committee, with assistance and resources from United Methodist Foundation, was organized and began designing a long-range plan which included the dissemination of information and ideas about special stewardship opportunities for giving from accumulated assets as well as from current income. The plans included the establishment of a Charter for The Endowment Program of “Trinity Church” patterned after the model described in the Planned Giving Handbook for Churches of the North Carolina Conference which they received from the Foundation. The Committee chose United Methodist Foundation to invest the assets of their Endowment Program and thus insured the highest level of professional funds management.
The Executive Director of United Methodist Foundation was invited to preach one Sunday at “Trinity Church.” The sermon centered on the broader dimension of Christian stewardship which involves “all” of that which God has entrusted with us—including our accumulated possessions.
Only a few weeks passed before the first gift was given to The Endowment Program—a rather significant gift of appreciated stock. The Foundation staff was requested to assist the donor and was able to provide valuable information and counsel which resulted in significant tax savings for the donor.In the months that followed numerous other gifts were made to benefit “Trinity Church” through The Endowment Program. Several members chose to establish life income gifts to benefit The Endowment Program of their church with United Methodist Foundation serving as trustee.
Today, “planned giving” and The Endowment Program are a vital part of the stewardship program of “Trinity Church”—and best of all some new and exciting ministries are taking place that once were only dreams. United Methodist Foundation played a vital role in helping “Trinity Church” begin this new and exciting stewardship adventure, and it continues to provide assistance, resources, and support to the church and its members.
- The Foundation provided leadership in planting the seed for a planned giving program through consultation with church leaders and through local church presentations.
- The Foundation provided ideas and resources as well as assistance in the creation and organization of the Permanent Endowment Fund Committee, helping to ensure the best structure and procedures.
- The Foundation provided technical assistance both to the prospective donors and to the Permanent Endowment Fund Committee in the form of gift and estate planning ideas and projections as well as hands-on assistance in completing gift plans.
- The Foundation provided professional funds management/investment services through its investment partnership for The Endowment Program assets as requested by the church.
- The Foundation provided a wealth of planned giving ideas and resources for on-going stewardship education.
What United Methodist Foundation did for “Trinity Church” can be done for your church. The purposes of the Foundation include providing the services described above for “Trinity Church” in addition to many other valuable stewardship services. A call to the Foundation office will start your church on “a new and exciting stewardship adventure” that will strengthen your church for mission and ministry today and tomorrow.
(The “Trinity Church” example is a composite which includes many of the various services available through United Methodist Foundation, Inc.)
Note: The Endowments section of this website is excerpted from the Planned Giving Handbook For Churches Of The North Carolina Conference, published by United Methodist Foundation, Inc., Raleigh, North Carolina specifically for use in churches of the North Carolina Conference. If your church would like to receive a copy of the Planned Giving Handbook for Churches of the North Carolina Conference, please call our office at the numbers below or email: .
“Well, let me tell you what we’re mad about. We’re mad that we did not learn about the Foundation and this way of giving sooner. We would have given a lot more of what we had to the Church. You need to tell people about how they can give to the church. Tell others what good they can do.”
- Mae Turner, who created the Robert & Mae Turner Charitable Gift Fund with her husband, Robert.