Planned Giving resources

One reason why people include the Church of the Brethren in their estate plan? Gratitude to God.

Many people include the Church of the Brethren in their estate plan as a way to express their gratitude to God for a lifetime of blessings. If we may be of service, please e-mail development@brethren.org.

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You Never Need to Change Your Will Unless...	Personal Financial Affairs Record

Gift Plans

The staff has experience with a variety of gift plans, each offering unique advantages to the individual who is planning charitable giving as part of his or her estate plan or simply has charitable intent. We have the technical know-how required for dealing with gift plans and the resources to help to carry them through. Gifts of cash, stocks, or property given by direct gift, will, life insurance, annuity, or trust agreement are carefully handled by denominational staff and our trustee, the Brethren Foundation, Inc.

Encouraging Wills

To die without a will or with a will that is improperly written is a tragedy that happens all too often. Having an up-to-date will ensures that possessions go to the persons or causes according to the donor’s wishes rather than where state law dictates. Our staff have information that can assist persons in creating a will and wisely planning the allocation of assets. While an attorney is required to draft a will, our counselors can furnish objective ideas and suggestions so that the person creating a will can be properly prepared to visit the attorney.

Have you already named the Church of the Brethren in your will? If so, please e-mail the Development Office or phone 1-800-323-8039, ext. 305. It is not necessary to indicate the amount of the bequest, but it will make us better informed, and we would like to express our appreciation to you.

A Bequest

The most common form of planned gift is the bequest. The proper wording for including the ministries of the Church of the Brethren in a will is:

"I give, devise, and bequeath to the Church of the Brethren, Inc., its successors or assigns, a corporation of the State of Illinois, with its principle office in Elgin, Kane County, Illinois, _______% of my estate (or residue, or a particular property) for its general purposes."

A will can also name one or all of the six Church of the Brethren endowments as recipient of bequest funds. These funds are then invested and the interest income is used to help continue the work of Jesus through the Church of the Brethren in perpetuity.

A Lifetime Income

A financial resource counselor can recommend the most appropriate gift plan to provide income for a lifetime. A variety of charitable annuity and trust agreements are available that can first provide income to a donor, family member, or other designee for a lifetime or designated time period and eventually provide income to the church and other charitable causes according to the donor’s wishes. In some cases, a revocable charitable trust may be called for to provide additional flexibility for the donor. An additional benefit of many of these agreements is avoidance or lessening of some court and tax complications.

Tax Benefits

As Christian stewards, most donors want to plan their giving to get the maximum benefit from available financial resources. While not motivated to give primarily because of tax benefits, gifts to continue the work of Jesus may result in sizeable estate tax or income tax savings. These benefits will be considered and reported to each donor in our planning and implementation processes.

Creative and Exciting

Many donors are surprised at how much good they can accomplish with what they have been blessed. Stocks that have been held for several years are often now worth more than one might imagine. Giving them away before sale can often save substantial capital gains taxes. The gift of a paid-up life insurance policy or the purchasing of a policy naming the Church of the Brethren as owner and beneficiary can multiply by many times the dollar value of a giving opportunity.

Socially Responsible Investing

The investment policies of the Church of the Brethren, Inc., are in accord with biblical principles and the decisions of Annual Conference and represent a careful application of socially responsible investing. Direction is given to our investment managers to invest in companies that provide services that benefit society and avoid firms that receive major revenues from tobacco, liquor, gambling, or military contracts.

Professional and Accountable

The Church of the Brethren takes its accountability to donors very seriously. Our staff in concert with the Brethren Foundation, Inc. provides a variety of professional services such as periodic financial reports, regular payments on life income plans, computations for charitable gift income tax deductions, and personal consultations. We are in frequent contact with other professional advisors for legal and financial counsel and often help donors locate trusted professionals in their local areas.

About the Staff

Planned giving has been an important part of the stewardship program of the Church of the Brethren for over 50 years. The Development staff is happy to carry out this long tradition of assisting Brethren in supporting the mission and diverse worldwide ministries of the Church of the Brethren. Today, planned giving arrangements and direct gifts represent a substantial and growing portion of the annual income of the church and its ministries, thanks to the generosity of many generations of Brethren stewards.

To contact us simply write, call, or e-mail the Church of the Brethren Development Office, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120, 800-323-8039, ext. 361, Development Office.