Contact the Foundation
770.449.6726 or 877.220.5664Fax: 770.449.6680
E-mail: info@gumf.org
Savannah Office:
912.236.9266
Endowments: Charting Your Church's Future
When members are given opportunities to give from accumulated assets as well as from current income, it can lead to increased generosity. In fact, an endowment’s existence will encourage deferred gifts to the church that might otherwise have been given to other charities which already have endowment funds in place. Endowments also provide opportunities for donors to give gifts in honor and in memory of family and friends. An endowment fund says that your church: • Believes in the church’s future. Endowments have provided a major source of funding for many institutions in our society for years, helping to ensure present and future financial stability. When properly managed, endowment funds will generate earnings that can enhance the ministry of the church in the years ahead. A properly structured endowment may maintain church buildings, generate funds for mission work or enhance other ministries of the church. 5 Reasons for Your Church to Establish an Endowment 1. The church receives increased gifts to fund its various causes. 2. Members begin including planned gifts as well as current gifts in their stewardship response. 3. Members are educated as to many expanded gift opportunities for mission and ministry through their church. 4. Current contributions given in support of the ongoing annual budget are freed up to strengthen and even expand existing programs. 5. The church and its various ministries and institutions begin to receive major planned gifts that have previously been directed to other causes where endowments are already in place. The Georgia United Methodist Foundation understands the important role endowments and planned giving can play in charting your church’s future. For more information, please call 770.449.6726 or 877.220.5664. This article was published by the National Association of United Methodist Foundations, Inc. and edited by the Georgia United Methodist Foundation.
Endowments and planned giving are tangible expressions of faith in the future of the Church. Merriam-Webster.com defines endowment as “the act or process of furnishing with an income,” while investorwords.com defines it as a “permanent fund bestowed upon an individual or institution, such as a university, museum, hospital, or foundation, to be used for a specific purpose.”
Unless it is a capital campaign, many churches look out no further than one year when asking members to give in support of its mission and ministry. The reality, however, is that a comprehensive stewardship plan that addresses future as well as present needs is a vital aspect of the church's stewardship ministry.
• Wishes to be guided in our stewardship by the belief that all we have is from God.
• Wants to build a sense of permanence in what we do.
• Desires as a church family to be good stewards even as we expect each member to be a good steward.
• Wishes to go the extra mile in providing new services and programs.
• Wants to create a legacy for future generations.