Frequently Asked Questions

A: No, our experience over sixty years has shown that gift planning (and having a gift planning program in place) do not diminish or negatively impact a ministry’s other sources of funding, including gifts made to congregations through the offering plate or donations made during capital campaigns.

This is for many reasons. But mainly, it’s because gift plans are usually “funded” by a donor’s non-cash assets. Things like their retirement accounts, life insurance policies and personal property. The vast majority of most donors’ wealth is within these types of assets.

Weekly giving, on the other hand, is typically based on a donor’s current cash-on-hand or income. Likewise, donations to capital campaigns typically come from savings or liquid assets.

So, asking donors to create a gift plan asks them to look at the blessings that may not be available to them to donate during their time on this Earth, but often are available once they’re called home to Heaven. Creating gifts from those assets don’t impact their “cash” assets and don’t diminish their generosity in sharing them with your ministry.

In fact, research shows that regular donors are more likely to create gift plans, and vice versa, those who are inspired to create gift plans for your ministry are often inspired to give more via the offering plate.

A: They very often will, but there’s no guarantee. When we work with donors we never steer them to support a particular ministry. However, most donors already begin the process with plans to support the ministry that the gift planner is representing. Overall, we find that ministries are very pleased with the gifts that are created.

A: No, all gifts go directly to the ministry or ministries a donor names in their plan. Many people do create gifts that benefit the Synod directly, and some choose to bless the Foundation with gifts, but if their plan names your congregation, for example, the funds from their gift will go directly to your congregation. In short, the Foundation’s role is to help your supporters create gifts that go directly to your ministry or other LCMS ministries they name in their plan. 

A: We were founded by the LCMS specifically to work with LCMS congregations, schools, RSOs and other ministries of the church. Our mission is to help God’s people honor the blessings he’s provided in a way that provides for their family and loved ones, but also helps support our church for generations to come. 

Our process is designed to benefit your ministry, and to benefit it directly. We work on your behalf, creating future funding sources that are your ministry’s, to use at your discretion.

Few other organizations offer the services we do. While there are LCMS-affiliated fundraisers and organizations that help with capital campaigns, none have the experience we offer in gift planning.