St. Paul’s members are “a people GATHERED, FORMED, and SENT by God’s grace.” A gift to St. Paul’s UMC Foundation is one way to act on your faith and to provide support in perpetuity for the church’s mission and ministries.
Thank you for considering a gift to St. Paul’s UMC or to St. Paul’s UMC Foundation. Such a gift will leave a legacy that will give perpetual support to the ministries of St. Paul’s. You may visit with Executive Director, Linda Henecke, to discuss options. He can be reached at 319-200-1066 or Foundation.Director@stpaulsumc.org.
Church or Foundation?
Consider whether you want your gift to go to the Church or to the Foundation. If you name the Foundation as a beneficiary, your gifts will be placed in a permanent endowment fund unless you direct otherwise. If you name the Church as your beneficiary, your gifts will be used according to church policies in effect when the gifts are received unless you restrict your gifts.
Working with our Executive Director, you may develop a “Gift Agreement” with the Foundation with specific information about the desired designation of your gift – details that do not need to be included in your will or other legal documents.
Let Us Know
We hope you will tell us when you have named St. Paul's Foundation in your estate planning. We would very much like to thank you for your generosity. If you have already made a provision for St. Paul’s in your estate plans, it would help us use your gift according to your wishes if you would complete and return this form to us.
The tax ID number for the Foundation is 75-3093308
If you prefer to remain anonymous, your gift will be kept completely confidential. However, please realize that recognition of your gift can encourage others to leave a legacy gift, too. Whatever the case, we will honor your wishes.
You may make a gift at any time to any of the established Foundation funds, described here. There is no minimum amount required. St. Paul’s members and friends often make annual or occasional gifts in honor or in memory of a friend or loved one.
Giving from the Heart
Listed below are some of the more common ways to give to the Foundation, both during your lifetime and through your estate. Before you think about ways to give, what to give, and when to give, consider where you would like to make an ongoing impact for the future of St. Paul’s. Where does your heart lead you to give? Do you have a passion for or a special interest in a particular mission or ministry of the church? Or perhaps in some aspect of faith formation or worship?
St. Paul’s members and friends often find that making a gift of securities to the Foundation is beneficial due to the tax benefits that derive from such a gift. The current long-term capital gains tax is 15% for most filers. This rate makes giving securities a good alternative to a cash gift of the same value. Learn more about gifts of securities.
Mutual funds require special handling. For information on how to make a gift of mutual funds, contact your broker and the Foundation’s Executive Director at 319-200-1066 or Foundation.Director@stpaulsumc.org.
Note: It is the policy of St. Paul’s Foundation to sell gifts of publicly traded securities as soon as they are received.
Distributions from your IRA may provide you with tax benefits by excluding the distribution from income. Be sure to check with your broker and the Foundation’s Executive Director about the specific requirements for this type of gift.
Distributions from an IRA must be directed to the Church in order to be a Qualified Charitable Distribution. Although a gift may be given for the Church, if all or part of your gift is for an endowment with the Foundation, mark your gift with the notation “to be kept in perpetuity” – the Church will transfer that portion of your gift to the Foundation.
Donors may designate St. Paul’s Foundation as primary or contingent beneficiary of a retirement plan pursuant to their plan’s appropriate designation procedure (i.e., specific forms). This is a simple process and is handled by your plan representative.
There are various methods by which a life insurance policy may be contributed to St. Paul’s:
You may assign a paid-up policy.
You may assign a life insurance policy on which premiums remain to be paid and agree to continue paying the premiums. The premium payment to St. Paul’s is a tax deduction for you.
You may name St. Paul’s Foundation as primary or successor beneficiary of any policy you own.
US savings bonds, series E, EE, H, or HH may be given to St. Paul’s Foundation during a donor’s life, and the donor may claim a charitable contribution deduction for their fair market value. However, sale of the bonds is a taxable event and therefore makes savings bonds generally unattractive for giving during the life of the donors. Such bonds may be transferred on a testamentary basis without recognition of income by the decedent or the charity. In any event, you may find it useful to calculate the current value of your bonds.
A charitable gift annuity is a contract between a charity and the donor. The charity agrees to pay the donor (or other person(s) named by the donor) a lifetime income in return for a gift of cash, securities, or other property. The payment may continue for the life of a second individual, such as a spouse or child. The annual payment is a fixed sum, the amount of which is based on the size of the gift and the number and ages of the beneficiaries. The payments may begin at a later time (i.e., deferred gift annuity).
The charitable remainder trust is a separately administered trust established by the donor. It provides for payments to the donor and/or other named beneficiary(ies) either for life or a term of years (not exceeding 20), whereupon the remaining trust assets are distributed to one or more charities. These trusts may be established during life (“inter vivos”) or at death (“testamentary”). Though the Foundation does not serve as trustee of such trusts, it accepts the role of remainderman and is available to help donors and their advisors explore and establish such trusts.
An individual may transfer title (i.e., remainder interest) to St. Paul’s to a personal residence, farm, or other real estate, and the donor or other persons named by the donor may retain the use of the property for a term of years or the life of the donor/other persons (i.e., life estate). Obligations for upkeep are determined before the gift, and the donor receives a tax deduction.
St. Paul’s UMC Foundation works closely with the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation (GCRCF) to help St. Paul’s members and friends take advantage of the Endow Iowa tax credits when one contributes to the GCRCF for one of the endowment funds listed below.
The Endow Iowa tax credit program is available only through authorized Iowa community foundations. The program is administered by the Iowa Department of Economic Development to encourage Iowans to leave a legacy in Iowa. Donors receive a 25% credit on their Iowa income tax. Normal Federal tax deduction rules apply.
Donations may be given to the GCRCF for any of the following funds which have been established with St. Paul's UMC as the beneficiary:
St. Paul’s United Methodist Church Foundation Friends Fund
David and Sherri Justice Fund for Youth
Wes and Nancy Nygren Fund (for congregational care and technology)
Gary and Susan Speicher Fund for Youth
Pearl A. and Rodney W. Speicher Fund for Music
Russell W. and ruth E. Landis Fund (for church budget)
Contact Us
St. Paul’s Foundation is ready to help you plan a legacy gift for the future of our church's ministry and mission. For more information about any of these giving options, contact Linda Henecke, Executive Director, at 319-200-1066 or Foundation.Director@stpaulsumc.org. All inquiries are confidential.
With these and other gifts, donors should seek the counsel of professional advisors for legal, accounting, investment, or other professional advice.
