Meet Me in St. Louis

Posted on by

st louis downtownFor several years now we have been blessed to partner with Heartbeat International whose mission is to provide pro-life pregnancy resource centers in the U.S. They represent the very touchstone of the foundation’s mission. In past years, we’ve always exhibited at their annual conference, but this year we are additionally blessed with the opportunity to present a workshop at the 2015 Annual Conference in St. Louis, April 7-10.

Our workshop, in many ways, reflects our own story of tenacity and survival. Like many of the pregnancy help centers across the country, we too have a bootstrap mentality. Competition in the donor pool is fierce, and it takes hard work, a creative mind, and constant prayer in order to survive.

For those involved with attracting donations and planning for sustainable growth, we hope to offer a compelling story. Our workshop, Beyond Survival: Generating Sustainable Gifts, is part of six workshops in the Fundraising Dynamics track. If you are going to the Conference, we hope you will choose to join us on Wednesday, April 8, as we share some of our creative techniques to turn cash donors into sustainable donors with gifts of stock and property. We’ll present simple to understand material that crisis centers can easily adopt into their everyday conversations with donors and supporters, and we’ll share how and why having a foundation backing development efforts is a wise move.

We will also once again support the work of Heartbeat International as Exhibitors. We look forward to networking with everyone and talking about how we can help organizations not just survive, but thrive in the coming years with sustainable gifts.

At the risk of sounding cheesy, we can’t help but say, “meet me in St. Louis.”

Gifts Fit for a King

Posted on by

Three Wise Men GiftsAt the end of January our friends are more eager to make Valentine’s Day dinner reservations than reflect on three wise men from the East bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. We understand. But we think you will enjoy the insight.

“When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary his mother, and they fell to the ground and worshipped Him. Then opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” (Matt 2:10-11)

Scripture doesn’t tell us the exact number of wise men or the time of their arrival. St. Dmitri of Rostav believed they could have been present at His birth if they saw the star at the Annunciation and began to arrange for the caravan then. However, the Gospel According to Matthew says that they came to a “house” not a cave or a manger and that Jesus is called a “child” not a “baby” as in Luke’s chapter when the shepherds were to find a “baby wrapped in cloths…”

It’s a tradition of the Christian faith that there were three kings, though there could have been more. The names are also tradition; they were never named in scripture.

Tradition also surrounds the meaning of the gifts. Balthasar was a young man and brought myrrh, a burial ointment, a gift for one who would die. Malchior was middle aged, and brought frankincense, the gift for a priest. Gaspar was an old man and brought gold, a gift for a king. All together, the men represent us, humanity, welcoming Jesus into the world as suffering redeemer, God, and King.

Gaspar’s gift invites me to reflect on the wealth we possess. Gaspar was the first of the magi to kneel before the King of Kings and offer his gift. Because he is older and wiser, he more readily understands the real gift that is present, and is most willing to give up what the world would deem valuable in return for the gift of the redeemer.

Many of you understand that your wealth is truly valuable when you give it to the service of the Lord and His kingdom. In the process, you instill values and legacy to your children and grandchildren. During the last five years, the Stewardship Foundation has enabled your generosity to benefit those organizations on the front lines promoting life, family, and religious freedom.

We look forward to your continued backing and the valuable partners we have developed. Now is the time to set your philanthropic goals for 2015. The Stewardship Foundation has proven it can foster successful, yet morally approved investment strategies for you and the organizations you support. Contact us to ensure that your investments are morally sound and your donations promote the culture of life ushered in by the newborn King and honored by the magi.

Who Doesn’t Love a DAF!

Posted on by

we love DAFsFor starters, what is a DAF? It’s an acronym for Donor Advised Fund, a charitable giving vehicle administered by a qualified public charity, like the Stewardship Foundation, for the purpose of managing charitable donations on behalf of an organization, family or individual.

Donors who contribute to the fund get an immediate tax benefit, yet they also retain control over how the money will be invested and how the fund distributes the money over time. It’s like a charitable savings account: a donor contributes to the fund whenever they like and then recommends grants to their favorite charities when they are ready.

If a charity is not talking to their donors about contributing to a DAF, they may be losing out on a huge revenue stream.

Do donors like DAFs?

They sure do! It’s easy for donors and better for the charity. No donor likes to keep a pile of receipts, or scramble to make donations at the end of year along with Christmas expenses. With a DAF, they make “deposits” to their charity fund monthly or so, very much like they make deposits to savings. Their generosity grows over time and allows a DAF-supported charity to look long-term and begin to plan for the future.

Most donors covet their privacy. For example, business owners who contribute to morally ethical causes like pro-life and organizations supportive of traditional marriage between one man and one woman prefer to avoid publicity. Contributing to a DAF does not require disclosure; it opens up new opportunities for donors and charities to come together more easily.

Donors can be sensitive. Many advisors are reluctant to initiate the charitable conversation with their clients out of fear that they may be perceived as imposing their own values on the client or trying to steer them to a specific charity. But discussions centered on a DAF can lead to gifts or bequests that are clearly donor choices.

We want our partner charities to realize that DAFs can accept gifts of privately held stock, real estate, collectibles, and other complex assets.

Not all donors are good candidates for DAFs. We assist our partners to identify those who are. And this time of year, we assist our partners to reach out to donors who are making their end of year charitable decisions.

Do you know someone who would like to make an end of year donation?

Are you a charity that needs our assistance? Our help is a phone call away. Call Jim at 614-800-7985.