Endowments: It's Never Too Late to Start

When Rev. Lane Cotton Winn received a phone call informing her that her church had just inherited $50,000 from a member's estate, she felt an "incredible, exciting moment of surprise and joy!"

Rev. Winn is the lead pastor at St. John's UMC, a 795-member church in Baton Rouge. She said the call was a welcome surprise, as the donor had not informed the church of the gift.

This act of generosity was the catalyst for a church endowment discussion and establishing a planned giving team. "Having an endowment wasn't really on our radar until we received this bequest. It gave us something to work with," said Rev. Winn.

Having an endowment (or permanent fund) allows a church to support ministry in perpetuity. "An endowment would allow us to lay a strong foundation for our future," said Rev. Winn.

Due to the church's ongoing relationship with the Foundation, Rev. Winn knew the Foundation could create the endowment at no cost to the church. She also remembered that the Foundation had an endowment match program.

When a church creates an endowment at the Foundation, the Foundation matches the first $5,000 with another $5,000. If a church then commits to the Foundation's Planned Giving Navigator program, the church is offered an additional $5,000 match.

The Planned Giving Navigator program provides the St. John's planned giving team a coach, as well as resources and tools to implement a planned giving campaign. The team is setting goals and a timeline for educating the congregation on the importance of planned giving and creating custom brochures and webpages. One of the primary goals will be to enhance the endowment with future gifts, so it will grow at a faster pace.

Rev. Winn says, "Receiving this gift gave us the impetus to think about an endowment, but as we've learned, creating an endowment is a real option for any church. It doesn't take an exorbitant amount of money, just the willingness to begin."

It's never too late to start planned giving for your church's future. As the saying goes, "The best time to start a planned giving program was yesterday, but today is the next best time."

The Foundation's "double your money" Endowment Match offer still stands! To learn more, contact the Foundation at [email protected] or (225) 346-1535.