Why Endowments Work

Mark and Mary Jones* have been giving to a charity for years. We consider them partners with us in fulfilling our great mission. In fact, we’ve grown downright dependent on their annual generosity. Consequently, when they are gone, the absence of their giving will be felt.

Mark and Mary know this and are doing something to make sure their giving never runs dry. They are taking steps through their will, to create the Mark and Mary Jones Endowment Fund. A portion of their estate will be set aside for a special fund that will generate annual gifts to continue the giving they are doing now.

Endowments work well for people like Mark and Mary...and here are three reasons why:

1. Endowments are Perpetual

Like an artesian well, endowment funds keep giving and giving and giving. They allow people like Mark and Mary to "lock in" their giving. Buildings may crumble and people will come and go, but endowments last.

Each year, in the future, family members such as children and grandchildren will be reminded of Mark and Mary’s involvement with a charity and the value of making regular gifts to support worthy causes. What a wonderful legacy to leave behind!

2. Endowments are Protected

Endowment funds at the charity are set aside and kept separate from operating and capital fund accounts. Mark and Mary have the assurance that their endowment will be on file and the terms will be carefully followed.

3. Endowments are Personal

While it is possible, and sometimes desirable, to create an unnamed, unrestricted endowment fund, many people want their fund to bear a person’s name. And they want to tailor the purpose of their endowment to benefit a specific area of interest. They appreciate the flexibility and the opportunity to personalize their "artesian well."

Charities develop sound policies for creating and managing endowment funds. We can show you a variety of ways you can use the vehicles of gift planning to make an endowment dream come true-whether now through a current gift, or later through your estate plan.

Leave a gift that will last a lifetime. Leave a legacy.