Planned Giving

What is Planned Giving?

Planned giving is a critical portion of the funding that is received by Mission UpReach to support and sustain the mission of spreading the gospel of Christ. In this book, we would like to explain to you what planned giving is and why you might consider this as another way to give to our mission.

Each family and personal situation is unique and we understand that you must consider the best way to share your estate with those you value most in your life, whether family, friends, or organizations that matter to you. We hope that you will consider Mission UpReach in your planned giving decisions and we stand ready to share our own knowledge and support on this subject.

Planned giving is a way for you to specify the distribution of your assets, small or large, upon your passing. In this series of links and attachments, you will nd references to the information you need to assist you in organizing your estate and the planned giving process. These articles should prove helpful no matter which organizations you choose to support, whether your church, a school or university, or your favorite charity.

We understand that donors are at various stages of developing their estate planning. In most cases you will want to include a professional in the process. You may be considering estate planning for the first time, or you may already have a detailed plan that has already been developed in collaboration with financial planners and attorneys. It is important to create a solid estate and giving plan, no matter your level of personal wealth or number of beneficiaries. This approach maximizes your personal, financial, and tax benefits by providing the most meaningful gift to honor your family and various charities upon your death. Either way, we hope this section of our website will assist you in developing your own planned giving considerations in your estate plan.

Wayne and Debbie Kellis

As we consider the way God has blessed us over the years, Debbie and I want to be sure that after our passing, the distribution of any remaining estate reflects our values. It is important that our estate is shared with the people and organizations that are most important to us. We know that many people face similar challenges trying to balance a concern for retirement savings and personal financial needs with continuing to support the organizations that have been most important in their lives. We decided an estate plan with a planned giving component was a simple and effective way to accomplish that goal. Giving to Mission UpReach allows us to contribute to a mission that aligns perfectly with our values while making a difference in the lives of people. We are con dent that any gift to Mission UpReach will be used efficiently and wisely to make an eternal impact in the world.

What are the ways to give?

A planned gift is a process through which a gift can be committed to a charity through a donor’s estate plan, with the giving of those funds happening only after the donor’s passing. In this way, the donor can make a significant gift to a charity without a present concern that retirement savings or other savings would be exhausted during his or her life. Many people want to be sure they can cover unknown health costs or the education of a grandchild. However, once those financial concerns have been met, many people wish to give any remaining items of value to a charity. Typically, one of the following methods would be used to accomplish this:

Bequest

This is one of the simplest and most often used ways to give to charities. It only requires a simple statement in your will that names what you want to give, whether a physical object, an investment, or cash.

Memorial or Honorary Gift

This type of gift is giving to honor someone perhaps who has a special interest in the work of Mission UpReach. The example of a memorial gift is given after the passing of the individual being honored.

Beneficiary

If you have a retirement plan, a life insurance policy or insurance annuity, they all have provisions to designate a beneficiary on your death. Mission UpReach may be named the beneficiary of all or a part of that settlement upon your passing.

Endowments

An endowment is a gift that is provided for speci ed use by Mission UpReach. You may specify that MUR use the gift ONLY in the way you wish. In addition, you may specify how much of the total gift is used each year, even restricting the consumption of the gift to only the investment return that is generated (thus protecting the value of the gift itself, in perpetuity).

Annuities

It is possible for you to make a donation to MUR that is used to set up an annuity payable to you. By doing this, you immediately receive the bene t of the tax deduction from the donation; however, you can receive income payments back to you until your passing.

Donate Your Home

There are provisions in the tax code whereby you may donate your residence to Mission UpReach, but continue to live in that home until you pass.

There are many, many other ways that you can give to a charity like Mission UpReach. Most of these are chosen based on your particular financial situation and plan. Although these are not complicated, they generally require the counsel of a financial planner and an attorney. The cost of those services is usually marginal relative to the financial (especially tax) value that is generated.

How Do I Get Started?

Often, something comes up in life that reminds you to review your estate and planned giving documents. Changes that could create a need to review and change your plan include, a birth or death in the family, moving to a new country or state, large purchases such as a home or land, and changing circumstances that lead to new charitable interests. If you have taken the initial steps to develop your basic documents, you will probably be able to answer these questions easily. If not, you may want to revisit some of those documents.

Do you have a will?
Have you reviewed your will in the last five years?
Do you have an executor for your will?
Does your will have a specific distribution list of who should receive which assets?
Is your will consistent with the laws in your current state or country of residence?

No matter your answer to these questions, Mission UpReach is prepared to assist you in finding qualified attorneys, financial planners, and trustees to assist you in the process of developing or updating your estate and planned giving documents. Please contact us with any questions you may have.

Contact Us

Phil Waldron
706-534-7060
[email protected]

3221 Dundee Road
Longview, TX 75604

Why Mission UpReach?

In 2008, Mission UpReach began with simple call to plant churches in Western Honduras. Since that time much has been learned and carefully evaluated as to what can build a lasting church in the Honduran culture. The answer to this has been equipping and encouraging local Christian leaders to launch self-led, self- sustaining, and self-replicating congregations in their own communities. Our goal is to eventually have 1010 congregations that are led and sustained by the very people who know best the needs and culture of Western Honduras. By including Mission UpReach in your estate planning you will be helping us equip these churches to transform the future generations of Honduras through the love of Christ.