Guidelines for Giving

Contributions to the Anabaptist Foundation can be made when it is most convenient and effective for you from a planning perspective, while grant recommendations to charities you support may be made later. Contributions to the Anabaptist Foundation are irrevocable and immediately tax deductible. Gifts are not refundable to the donor, and the donor cannot retain legal control over a donated asset.

The charitable gift fund, pooled income fund, and bequest gifts offer significant planning and tax benefits to donors that help make charitable giving effective and simple. The charitable gift fund is a donor advised fund which allows donors to recommend disbursements of the funds they contribute. Anabaptist Foundation alone has legal standing to make grant decisions.

Anabaptist Foundation will consider disbursements to charitable organizations which give reasonable evidence of compliance with the following guidelines:

1. The organization's programs appear consistent with a clear statement of purpose. This means that the programs of the organizations are related to its publicly advertised mission statement.

2. No funds will be distributed to organizations whose purposes or programs are antithetical to the beliefs and Biblical principles generally held by conservative Anabaptists.

3. The organization has a board which is an active and responsible governing body, which holds regular meetings, and whose members have no material conflicts of interest.

4. The organization discloses upon request a determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service which verifies its tax-exempt status. (Churches are exempt from this requirement.)

5. The finances of the organization are independently audited at least once a year according to generally accepted accounting practices. (Churches are exempt from this requirement.)

6. The organization makes available upon request an annual report which contains detailed information on program activities and finances.

7. The organization responds promptly to reasonable questions asked by prospective donors.

8. General administrative and fundraising expenses of the organization do not exceed 30 percent of contributions. In other words, at least 70 cents of each contributed dollar goes into programs that carry out the stated charitable purposes of the organization.

9. Promotion of the organization is ethical without exaggerated claims, misleading statements, or deceptive photographs.

10. While Anabaptist Foundation encourages donors to consider contributions to church organizations, these guidelines are not intended to exclude nonchurch organizations (e.g., local fire departments or other community-based nonprofit organizations).

11. Anabaptist Foundation will consider receiving contributions for charitable purposes that are not represented by any nonprofit organization, yet within the charitable purposes of the Anabaptist Foundation.