Part 2 – A Deeper Look into Planned Giving: How to address 90 percent of a donor’s wealth

In my last blog post, I explained that your supporters typically have 10 percent of their wealth in liquid assets—such as checking and savings accounts—and 90 percent in non-cash assets like real estate, wills, stocks, IRAs, etc. So, how do you address this 90 percent and provide other ways to give to the Kingdom?

Orchard Alliance has been serving churches and ministries for the past 60 years, helping them receive both monetary and non-cash gifts. We provide a way for your supporters to give beyond the offering plate through options such as charitable gift annuities, donor advised funds, charitable trusts, and much more. Once your donors learn of the many other giving options available, your current and future gifts can substantially increase in volume and size. Donors realize the tax benefits and joy of non-cash giving, and ministries reap the benefits.

We’ve seen several scenarios over the years that are all too familiar. One ministry called us because a donor had land to donate and didn’t know where to start. Another ministry had someone interested in selling a business and wanted to give a portion of the business instead of proceeds.

These scenarios are very common, and often ministries don’t have a program in place to accept gifts like these. In some cases, donors don’t even know these gifts are possible and end up paying unnecessary taxes on their non-cash assets that could have supported ministry.

This is where Orchard Alliance can help. We have a heart for service, decades of experience, and a ministry mindset. Our desire is to partner with churches and ministries so the Lord’s people can give generously, benefitting them and you. We are in unprecedented times—the potential for giving right now is huge. In fact, we are currently sitting on a historic transfer of wealth. Baby boomers have amassed $41 trillion in assets to pass down between now and 2052, yet many don’t have a plan to safeguard their legacies. Sadly, many of these assets will go to the government in taxes instead of to ministry, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Now is the time to utilize planned giving and harness part of this $41 trillion for the Lord’s work.

Click here for part three of this series to find out how you can get started with a planned giving program—today.