Charitable Giving at Simsbury United Methodist (SUM) Church

Did you know it was possible to give securities such as stocks, bonds, and other assets to SUM?

In addition to the traditional means of giving at SUM and the recently implemented electronic giving platform (see link to recent article), other giving avenues are available that could have certain advantages over giving cash. For example, donations of stocks and securities may have tax benefits depending on your financial position. Making a one-time gift is easy to do. SUM’s Financial Secretary, Charles “Sammy” Samuel (financesec@sumct.org), can share instructions for a transfer into our brokerage account. Even if you have previously made donations of securities, please inform Sammy of any upcoming transfers as our brokerage account information has recently changed. Also, we can’t see who made the donation, so it is essential that our Financial Secretary knows of any stock donations so we can attribute gifts to the individual’s statement of giving. Just a reminder that this is all confidential. Please contact your financial or tax advisor to discuss your individual situation.

Recently, the church learned that a long-time member named SUM as a beneficiary in her will. This was a welcome surprise! There have been other instances of congregation members leaving gifts to SUM as a part of their long-term estate planning. We appreciate the opportunity to be a part of your legacy if you choose to remember SUM in this manner.

In certain circumstances, it may be beneficial to make several years of contributions at once. One way to accomplish this is through the establishment of a donor-advised fund. This structure typically allows for recognition of the donation in a single year when the fund was created and seeded, but the giving to the Church or other charities can still take place over a regularly scheduled interval (spanning multiple years if desired).  Several large financial institutions have donor-advised funds available; again, please see your financial or tax advisor for more information.

The SUM finance team is grateful for the congregation's support this year, which has helped keep SUM a vibrant faith community. If you have any questions or need more information, please don't hesitate to email the chair of the finance team, Jen Acheson, or email Sammy. We're here to assist you in any way we can.