Donor Services
Anabaptist Foundation assists donors in making cash and noncash gifts to their church and the charities they support. Noncash gifts include things such as farm and other commodities, highly appreciated real estate or shares of stock. Properly planning the donation of highly appreciated real estate prior to its sale can minimize capital gains tax and redirect funds to charity.
Charitable Gift Fund
Simplify your giving by writing one check and letting Anabaptist Foundation distribute your donations anonymously to the churches and charities you support.
Charitable Bequests
If you have sought to be a good steward during your lifetime, you will also care about ending well. A Bequest Plan with Anabaptist Foundation enables you to leave gifts for specific churches and charities after your death, demonstrating your values to your children.
Pooled Income Fund
The concept of our Pooled Income Fund is simple: gifts from multiple donors are combined into a common fund (“pooled”) and invested within our church constituency. Donors receive a proportional share of the income during their lifetime, and at their decease, their original donation amount is distributed to churches and charities of their choice.
Gifts of Real Estate
You may donate all or a portion of property you own to Anabaptist Foundation. We handle the sale of the donated portion, with the proceeds placed into your Charitable Gift Fund account. This allows you to support the churches and charities of your choice over time. By avoiding capital gains taxes on the donated portion, you increase the amount you are able to give.
Gifts of Ag Commodities
Farmers may donate agricultural commodities--such as grain, livestock, and more--to the Foundation. By doing so, you can deduct your production costs, avoid paying income taxes on the sale, and support the churches and charities of your choice.
Gifts of Stock
You may donate stock and mutual fund shares to the Foundation, avoiding capital gains taxes on appreciated assets while directing the proceeds to support churches and charities.
Endowments
You can support the long-term financial health of conservative Anabaptist nonprofits with contributions to an endowment held for their benefit.
Special Gift Funds
You can put your charitable dollars directly to work by contributing to a fund designed to help a conservative Anabaptist nonprofit meet a defined goal.
More Gift Options
Consider donating what God has placed into your hands. This can include business interests, inventory, retirement plans and unusual assets.
Earmarking Gifts
To preserve our Christian witness, church alms funds should operate in full compliance with IRS regulations governing charitable giving. Please see our Earmarking Gifts brochure, which helps churches and donors understand how alms funds should and should not be used.
Guidelines for Responsible Giving
Contributions to Anabaptist Foundation are irrevocable and cannot be refunded to the donor. Once a gift is made, the donor no longer has legal control over the donated assets.
As an IRS approved donor-advised fund, the Charitable Gift Fund allows donors to recommend which churches and charities benefit from their gifts, within the guidelines stated below.
The Foundation has the sole legal authority to make gift decisions, but we consider disbursements to charitable organizations which comply with the following guidelines:
- The organization has a clear statement of purpose, and its programs are consistent with it. This means that the programs of the organizations are related to its publicly advertised mission statement.
- The Foundation will not distribute funds to organizations whose purposes or programs are antithetical to the beliefs and Biblical principles generally held by conservative Anabaptists.
- The organization has a board which serves as an active and responsible governing body, holds regular meetings, and whose members have no material conflicts of interest.
- The organization discloses, upon request, a determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service verifying its tax-exempt status. (Churches are exempt from this requirement.)
- 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.)
- The organization makes available, upon request, an annual report which contains detailed information on program activities and finances.
- The organization responds promptly to reasonable questions from prospective donors.
- The organization’s general administrative and fundraising expenses do not exceed 30 percent of contributions. In other words, at least 70 cents of each dollar contributed goes directly into programs that carry out the organization’s stated charitable purposes.
- The organization promotes itself ethically, avoiding exaggerated claims, misleading statements, or deceptive photographs.
- While Anabaptist Foundation encourages donors to consider contributions to church organizations, these guidelines are not intended to exclude non-church organizations, such as local fire departments or other community-based, nonprofit organizations.
- Anabaptist Foundation will consider receiving contributions for charitable purposes that are not represented by any specific nonprofit organization, as long as they align with the charitable purposes of Anabaptist Foundation.