Planned Giving Guide

The Endowment Committee of DUMC encourages donors to leave a legacy. Doing so may take many different forms based on the donor's goals. Options described below may take many different forms based on the donor's goals. This Planned Giving Guide offers creative alternatives that often benefit the donor and charitable beneficiary. You will find options of gifts one can make now; gifts one can defer until a later time; and gifts that provide "life income" for the donor.

Prior to executing any of these options, the committee encourages you to consult with your professional financial advisor or attorney.

Gifts a Donor Can Make Now

The Donor's Goal The Type of Gift How Donor Can Give Benefits to Donor
Make a quick and simple gift Appreciated Stock Transfer stock electronically to DUMC. DUMC immediately sells the stock, the proceeds are placed in the church trust fund Donor avoids capital gains taxes and receives an income tax deduction
Avoid capital gains tax on the sale of a home or other real estate Appreciated Real Estate Donate property to DUMC or to the DUMC trust fund Immediate income tax deduction and avoidance of capital gains tax
Make a gift that allows flexibility and your input on how the funds will be distributed Donor Advised Fund through DUMC Trust Fund Create an agreement whereby the assets are managed through the DUMC Endowment funds; you and/or others designated by you advise the Endowment Committee regarding disbursements Immediate income tax deduction, flexibility and an opportunity to practice philanthropy on a regular basis
Make a significant gift with little cost to you or your family Life Insurance Designate your church or related ministry as beneficiary Future gift to church or ministry
Avoid taxation on retirement plan assets Retirement Plan Name DUMC as the beneficiary of the remainder of the assets after your lifetime Avoidance of heavily taxed gift to heirs

Planned Giving

The Donor's Goal The Type of Gift How Donor Can Give Benefits to Donor
Defer a gift until after your lifetime Bequest in a Will Leave a legacy and remind loved ones of your faith by tithing part of your estate to the church. A bequest can be a specific amount of asset, or a percentage of your estate. A residual bequest assigns the amount left in the estate after all other distributions have been made Your estate receives a tax deduction and the church or ministry receives your gift when the estate is settled
Make a deferred gift, maintain access to assets, avoid probate Living Trust Donor places assets into a trust; retains control during lifetime. DUMC becomes trustee upon death of the donor and makes distributions as directed by donor Privacy, flexibility, control of trust for lifetime, possible estate tax savings

Life Income Arrangements for Donor

The Donor's Goal The Type of Gift How Donor Can Give Benefits to Donor
Supplemental annual income with fixed annual payments Charitable Gift Annuity Methodist Foundation and the Foundation agrees to pay you a fixed payment for life. The Foundation distributes the remainder to the DUMC Trust Fund upon donor's death Charitable income tax deductions, fixed annuity payment for life, portion tax-free, future gift to church
Supplemental income with fixed annual payments Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust Create a charitable trust that pays you a fixed income for your lifetime or a specified period of time Charitable income tax deduction, annual income, future gift to the church
Create a hedge against inflation over the long-term Charitable Remainder Unitrust Create a trust that pays a percentage of the trust's assets and is valued annually Immediate income tax deduction, annual income for life that has the potential to increase
Reduce gift and estate taxes on assets passing to heirs Charitable Lead Trust Create a trust that pays a fixed or variable income to your church or ministry for a set period of time, then passes to heirs Reduces size of taxable estate; keeps property in the family, often with reduced gift taxes
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