What Types of Gifts Can I Give to the Fund?

The Mission Endowment Fund is set up to receive the following:

1. Cash Contributions - No matter what size, these gifts are always welcome.
2. Memorial Gifts - Contributions of money or property are dedicated in memory of family and friends.
3. Thanksgiving Gifts - Celebrate special occasions such as births, baptisms and wedding anniversaries.
4. Wills - A gift designated in your will ensures that your end-of-life gift to the Fund is made according to your wishes.
5. Securities and Real Estate - Gifts of appreciated stocks and bonds can often provide you significant tax advantages.
6. Life Insurance - You can make a gift of an existing policy or purchase another with the fund as the principal beneficiary.
7. Charitable Gift Annuity - A charitable gift annuity provides income for you during your lifetime and a contribution to the Fund at your death.
8. Trust - You can establish a trust with the Fund as the named beneficiary
9. Retirement Accounts – Pre-taxed gifts can have significant tax benefits for the donor.

Many of these types of gifts can play a significant role in tax and estate planning, and may in fact represent opportunities for members and friends to give the largest single gifts they would ever be able to make to the church. As with all planned giving, please be sure to consult with your legal and tax advisors and talk with your loved ones about your hopes and dreams for them and for your estate.

A simple example: “Can I receive a charitable income tax deduction for giving gifts of securities?”

Yes! In fact, if your gift of stock or bonds has appreciated since you first bought it, and you have held those securities for more than one year, you can make a gift at a significant discount to you.

For example, assume that you paid $3,000 for stock in Acme Company six years ago, and that stock is now worth $8,000. If you sell the stock for $8,000, you would net about $7,000, if you are in a 20% capital gains tax bracket. If you then gave that money to the church’s Endowment Fund, you would receive an income tax deduction of $7,000.

However, if you transfer the stock itself to the church’s Endowment Fund and it is sold for $8,000, the Endowment Fund receives the entire amount, because the church’s Endowment Fund is exempt from capital gains tax. In addition, you would receive an income tax deduction of $8,000, the full fair market value of the stock.

For more information about the CTS Mission Endowment Fund please contact Janet Geist, CTS Church Council and Endowment Committee member, janetgeist@msn.com or contact the church office at 303-666-4655.

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