Nebraska

Transcription

1 Nebraska Gifting Pages Instructions For Congregation Pages: 1. On your church s Website, you will need to determine the best place to add giving information. Include five pages. Titles & content for each page are included in the enclosed document called Congregation Pages. 2. On each of the pages that you create, there are a number of sections that need to be customized for your church. On the Congregation Pages file, you ll see these sections highlighted in red with instructions in the parenthesis that follow. Be sure to delete the information in parenthesis when you are done. 3. Also found on our Website and included with the attached handout are giving photos. These are Web-ready photos that can be included on your pages to dress them up. 4. If you have questions, please contact Julie Thorsen at Lutheran Planned Giving Services at , or toll-free , or jthorsen@lpgs.org. 5. Lutheran Planned Giving Services (LPGS) would like to know which congregations are using the pages on their Website. After you have loaded the materials, please notify Julie Thorsen at , or toll-free , or jthorsen@lpgs.org. To view an example of how these pages were personalized by a congregation, go to Omaha s St. Paul Lutheran Church Web site at (Note: St. Paul used some of their own pictures to supplement the ones we provided.) Instructions

2 Sample Congregation Web Pages Page One Primary Gifting Page Sample Web Page 1 a

3 Primary Gifting Page Page One Thank you for your interest in XYZ Lutheran Church (change to your church s name). Our mission is (add your church s mission statement here.) Gifts of Cash If you would like to make a cash gift to XYZ Lutheran Church (change to your church s name) to help us accomplish this mission, please send your check or money order, payable to XYZ Lutheran Church (change to your church s name), to us at the address listed below. XYZ Lutheran Church 123 N 4 th Anytown, NE Appreciated Property Gifts of appreciated assets can offer additional tax savings over cash gifts. If you would like to learn more about gifting appreciated assets including stock or real estate, please follow the link below. Gifts of Appreciated Property (link to content page Appreciated Property ) Life Insurance Life insurance is easily gifted by percentage through a beneficiary designation or by gifting ownership of an entire policy. The tax advantages depend on the policy s cash value if donated during your lifetime or based on the amount given charitably if given at death. For more information about gifts of life insurance visit with your life insurance agent or contact Lutheran Planned Giving Services at or lpgs@lpgs.org. (link to lpgs@lpgs.org) Retirement Assets Retirement plans are not designed to be an inheritance for your heirs. Accordingly, they are heavily taxed if left to your children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews. It is typically best to use retirement assets for your charitable gifts as charities are not required to pay taxes on retirement assets gifted to them. You can easily gift retirement assets by beneficiary designation (percentage or contingent) or by including special wording in your will. For more information about gifts of retirement assets, contact Lutheran Planned Giving Services at or lpgs@lpgs.org. (link to lpgs@lpgs.org) Deferred/Planned Gifts There are a number of gift vehicles designed to help you bless your family and support ministry all while saving on taxes. If you would like to see some examples of this type of gift, please follow the link below. Deferred/Planned Gifts (link to content page Deferred/Planned Gifts ) Content Page 1 b

4 Sample Congregation Web Pages Page Two Appreciated Assets Sample Web Page 2 a

5 Content Page Two Appreciated Assets Some assets may have grown in value during the time you owned them. If you sell these assets, you will likely have a capital gains tax to pay. If you gift these assets to our congregation, we can typically sell them with no tax consequence, allowing a larger portion of your asset to go to support our mission and ministry. If you have owned stock longer than one year, own a home or apartment building, own equipment that you have depreciated or have any valuable collectibles, you can gift ownership of these assets (or a portion of these assets if you do not desire to gift the entire value). You will be eligible for a tax deduction and will typically bypass the capital gains tax due if you had sold the asset yourself. For more information about gifting appreciated assets, contact Lutheran Planned Giving Services, at or lpgs@lpgs.org. (link to lpgs@lpgs.org ) Content Page 2 b

6 Sample Congregation Web Pages Page Three Deferred/Planned Gifts Sample Web Page 3 a

7 Content Page Three Deferred/Planned Gifts We appreciate the support you and others provide to help us proclaim the Risen Christ! If you would like to continue your support of our congregation beyond your lifetime, there are multiple ways you can do so. Lutheran Planned Giving Services (LPGS) provides free confidential consultation for members of our congregation who wish to include ministry as a part of their estate plan. Some of the links below will lead you to LPGS for help with these gifts. To learn more about LPGS and our NE Synod Serving Arm Ministries, follow these links: Lutheran Planned Giving Services (link to: ) LPGS Agencies and Institutions (link to: Specific Bequest A simple way to support ministry is to include a specific gift in your will. You could include our congregation in your list of beneficiaries and name a specific amount you would like to have us receive at the time of your death. Just visit with your attorney to have this gift included in your will. Sample language to include in your will is: To XX Lutheran Church, address, city, state, zip, I leave $XX. (fill in your church s name and address) Percentage Gift Some partners choose to gift a percentage of their estate (tithe) as they have done throughout their lives. Click on the following link to learn more about Percentage Giving: (link to content page Percentage Gift ) Adopting Ministry as a Child Some partners choose to adopt ministry as a child in their estate plan. You simply add one to the number of children you have and divide the estate accordingly. For example, if you have 3 children, you add 1 to create a new total of 4. You divide your estate by 4 and leave 25% to each of your children and 25% to ministry. To carry this out, use the same methods outlined in percentage giving above. Life Income Gifts Some charitable gifts offer you a current tax deduction as well as income for the remainder of your life. Charitable Gift Annuities and Charitable Trusts are two such gift vehicles. Click on the following link to learn more about Life Income Gifts: (link to content page Life Income Giving ) Testamentary Charitable Trust A Testamentary Charitable Trust allows you to hold on to an asset throughout your life but still take advantage of the tax benefits for your estate, provide an income stream for your heirs and leave a significant gift to ministry. Click on the following link to learn more about Testamentary Trusts: (link to content page Testamentary Charitable Trust ) Content Page 3 b

8 Sample Congregation Web Pages Page Four Percentage Gift Sample Web Page 4 a

9 Content Page Four Percentage Gift Some partners choose to gift a percentage of their estate (tithe) as they have done throughout their lives. You can do this through a provision in your will leaving a specific percentage of your estate to XYZ Congregation (change to your church s name). Sample language to include in your will is: To XYZ Congregation, address, city, state, zip (change to your church s information) I leave XX% of the remainder of my estate. You can also gift a percentage through your retirement account, life insurance policy or other beneficiary designation. These changes can typically be made through a beneficiary designation form from your insurance agent or the company that manages your retirement account. On the Primary or Secondary Beneficiary line you will name XYZ Congregation (change to your church s name) to receive XX% and your spouse, children or others you want to receive the remainder if any. If you have questions on a percentage gift, contact LPGS at or ( link to lpgs@lpgs.org ) Content Page 4 b

10 Sample Congregation Web Pages Page Five Life Income Gifts Sample Web Page 5 a

11 Content Page Five Life Income Gifts Some charitable gifts offer you a current tax deduction as well as income for the remainder of your life. Charitable Gift Annuities and Charitable Trusts are two such gift vehicles. If you are able to give an asset during your lifetime, and would like to receive an income from the value of that asset, a life income gift could be right for you. A Charitable Gift Annuity is a contract that provides you a fixed payment in return for a current gift. With a minimum gift of $10,000 your payment is based on your age, and whether the annuity will terminate at the time of your death or if it will pay out for both you and your spouse. You receive a current tax deduction for a portion of the gift and a portion of the return comes to you tax-free. To learn more about a Charitable Gift Annuity, follow the Charitable Gift Annuity link: A Charitable Trust provides you a return based on the value of the trust. With a minimum gift of $100,000 a Charitable Trust is a great vehicle to bypass capital gains taxes on appreciated property. A Charitable Trust provides an income stream for the rest of your life and, if you desire, for a period of years beyond your life for your heirs. Since a Charitable Trust can pay out to you and/or your spouse for your lifetime, to your children for a period of up to 20 years and then pass to charity, it can often double or even triple the value of your asset. A Charitable Trust also provides a current tax deduction for a portion of the gift. To learn more about a Charitable Trust, follow the Charitable Remainder Trust link to: Content Page 5 b

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13 Content Page Six Testamentary Charitable Trust A Testamentary Charitable Trust is an agreement prepared and written during life and fully funded at death. The donor states in their will what portion ($100,000 or more) of their assets are to "pour over" into the trust that would provide income to beneficiaries for life or for one to twenty years. Since wills are subject to change, the testator may alter his/her agreement if the need arises, making this a revocable arrangement. This is excellent for those who want to maintain full ownership during their lifetime, or until a later date, and desire to make a meaningful distribution, both to family beneficiaries and the Lutheran Charities of their choosing Link: The ELCA Foundation manages two types of testamentary trusts: The Testamentary Unitrust and the Testamentary Annuity Trust. If you have questions on a Testamentary Charitable Trust, contact LPGS at or ( link to lpgs@lpgs.org ) Content Page 6 b

14 Sample Congregation Web Pages Giving Photos Sample Giving Photos 7 a