Investing with Faith / James Maslar

Help the Church be a good steward of your future gifts

A few years ago, we received a sizable check from a man’s estate. He was not a registered parishioner, nor did we have any record of prior giving. There was no parish or ministry listed anywhere in the documentation nor instructions of “for the benefit of.” It was merely made out to the “Archdiocese of Indianapolis.”

It could have simply been an estate gift to the archdiocese from someone out of state or a non-parishioner of goodwill in the community. But honoring donor intent is something we take very seriously—gifts left through a will, trust, retirement account or other estate asset are often made by a person from a place of deep generosity, gratitude and meaning. They are also frequently the largest contribution a person will make to their beloved parish or favorite Catholic ministry. We, as the Church, want to steward them faithfully.

So we started looking.

We reviewed the man’s obituary, found some family connections and eventually discovered that he was buried in a parish cemetery alongside his parents. We contacted the parish and asked if they knew anything about him or this gift.

Fortunately, they did. Years earlier, the man’s nephew—who also served as his executor—had stopped by the parish office and shared that his uncle intended to leave a third of his estate to the parish. However, there was no documentation of that conversation—or so we thought.

We reached out to the executor, who was grateful and able to confirm his uncle’s original intention. Thankfully, he also had dated notes from that original conversation. With this confirmation, we were able to direct the gift to its rightful recipient—to the delight and gratitude of the parish and the donor’s family.

But somewhere along the way—from the donor’s conversation with his nephew, to the drafting of estate documents, to the completion of beneficiary forms, to the execution of the estate when he passed away—the “for the benefit of X Parish” note had been lost in translation.

This experience serves as a powerful reminder: If you’ve included—or are considering including—a parish, school, ministry or the archdiocese itself in your estate plans (through a will, trust, retirement account, life insurance or other asset), please also consider letting them know.

You don’t have to disclose the amount. Simply sharing the type of gift and how you’d like it to be used can go a long way in ensuring it’s stewarded properly when the time comes.

To help with this, we’ve created a secure online form that you can use by clicking here.

How the archdiocese’s Catholic Community Foundation (CCF) helps

The CCF serves as a centralized resource that, among other things, assists our parishes, schools and ministries in processing estate gifts. The process can be nuanced, require careful paperwork and legal review, and differ significantly from daily parish/school operations.

In nearly every instance, the staff members are happy and relieved that we provide this free service and can take that work off their plates. Rest assured, 100% of an estate gift goes to the designated beneficiary—neither the archdiocese nor CCF takes a fee or percentage.

CCF also maintains a central archive of estate gift intentions for any archdiocesan parish, school, agency or the archdiocese itself. With 126 parishes, 67 schools and more than a dozen agencies, it’s proven helpful to provide a standard form that they (or we) can share with a donor to help capture this important information. This practice also ensures donor wishes are documented, protected and easily referenced, even if local staff or recordkeeping changes.

Sharing your future gift’s basic details helps the Church:

• Process your gift efficiently when the time comes.
• Ensure your intentions are documented and honored.
• Respect any anonymity preferences.
• Express gratitude during your lifetime.

If you’ve included a parish, school, ministry or the archdiocese in your estate plans, please consider filling out our Planned Gift Intention Form at archindy.org/GiftIntention.
 

(Jim Maslar is a Catholic philanthropic advisor for the archdiocese’s Catholic Community Foundation [CCF]. Tax or legal information provided herein is not intended as tax or legal advice. Always consult with your legal, tax or financial advisors before implementing any gift plan.) †