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Give

Be Part of the Story - St. Mary’s 2024 Pledge Drive

Head over to our Pledge Drive page to learn about why your financial gifts are vital to St. Mary’s ministries.

Our ministry is changing the world, one person at a time. Your financial gifts make that happen. When you give, you may donate to our endowment fund, to strengthen our financial security for years to come; to our building fund, to prepare for costly repairs or improvements; or to our general fund. Many choose to donate in memory of a loved one, in thanksgiving for blessings, or simply to ensure the financial strength of St. Mary’s. If you give to St. Mary’s, thank you! If haven’t given yet, we always welcome new gifts.

Ways To Give

You can give online via credit card or bank account by clicking the “Give Now” button.

You can also make a pledge for the year. What is a pledge? A pledge is an estimate of what you plan to give for the year. This is not a legal obligation. It is simply an estimate to guide our Budget Committee as the craft the annual budget.

How to fulfill your pledge

Check: Make your check out to St. Mary’s Episcopal Church and place it in the offertory plate at church, mail it to us (1300 Pearl Street, Eugene, Oregon 97401), or drop it in our safe in the workroom. 

Electronic Check: An electronic check goes directly from your checking account to ours. When signing up with your bank, please be sure to note that our mailing address is 1300 Pearl Street, Eugene, Oregon 97401. 

Cash: If you want to be credited for a cash donation, please put it in a marked envelope when putting it in the offertory plate, or drop it in our safe in the workroom, again, in a marked envelope. 

Credit Card: You can also donate to St. Mary’s with your credit card. To make a credit card payment, click the "Give Now" button above; you will be taken to a secure transaction form.

Call or Email our Finance and Records Manager, Lana Johnson. If you aren't sure about these options, email Lana@saint-marys.org or call the office (541-343-9253) and leave her a message so she can get back to you.

Securities (Stocks, Bonds, etc.)

When you give securities (stocks, bonds, etc.) you not only receive a charitable deduction for their full fair market value, but also avoid tax on the capital gain for stocks held longer than one year.  Contact our Finance and Records Manager, Lana Johnson, at Lana@saint-marys.org or 541-343-9253 to let her know which securities you will be donating to St. Mary’s, and ensure that you get the full tax deduction.  Stocks must be transferred to Charles Schwab DTC #0164, account #7071-2882.  Usually it takes several days to complete this transfer, so don’t wait until the last minute.

Rewards Programs

Here are five easy ways to support St. Mary’s! You can donate without taking time out of your day, or going out of your way! Choose the fundraising method that works best. Are you an online shopper, smart phone user – or do you shop at Fred Meyers or Market of Choice? Pick your preference!

Fred Meyer: You can earn donations for St. Mary’s by using your Fred Meyer Rewards Card when you shop at Fred Meyer. A quick and easy one time sign-up.

eScrip: The principle merchant in the Eugene area is Market of Choice. St. Mary’s is one of MOC’s biggest fundraising recipients.

iGive: St. Mary’s is new to this program, but iGive has donated to organizations for over 20 years. Online merchants contribute a portion of your purchase to St. Mary’s.

If you have any questions, contact Kate Beckstrand through the office. She is happy to help get you started and we are happy to connect you with her!

Donor Advised Funds

Donor-Advised Funds – A Popular New Donation Tool

2018 saw the biggest change to US tax law in more than three decades. Those changes have many parishioners reevaluating how they make charitable gifts to the institutions they value and support. Several of our parishioners have created donor-advised funds, primarily through their investment advisers or brokerage houses. The Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF) is another option to create and administer a donor-advised fund.

Why use a donor-advised fund?

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 included a sharp increase on the standard deduction, decreasing the need or benefit of itemizing deductions for many taxpayers. As a result, many experts believe donors may choose to “bunch” their donations by making major gifts in select years to exceed the standard deduction.

Charitable giving tools like donor-advised funds can be useful to donors who want to reap the tax benefits of immediate charitable giving, while maintaining the flexibility of giving smaller gifts over a period of time. That flexibility makes “bunching” donations much simpler.

How does this work?

Donor-advised funds function like a charitable checking account. A donor makes an irrevocable gift to establish the donor-advised fund and receives a charitable deduction in the full amount of their contribution. Other sponsoring charities will have different minimums, but ECF’s donor-advised fund can be established with as little as $2,500. With oversight from the sponsoring charity, the gift is then invested in an investment strategy of the donor’s choosing, allowing for potential growth of the principal value of the gift depending on market performance.

Once any DAF has been established, the donor advises on the distribution of grants from the fund. Grants can be made to qualifying charitable organizations and most DAF grants can be in any frequency. ECF DAFs allow for grants to any qualified charity from $100 or more, as long as 51% of grant monies over five years go to Episcopal churches and charities. Recurring grants can also be established and, should they choose, donors can make grants anonymously.

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Benefits of a Donor-Advised Fund

By utilizing a donor-advised fund, donors can take advantage of the benefits of donation bunching while retaining the flexibility of making smaller gifts to charitable organizations over a number of years. Beyond income tax advantages, DAFs can provide other significant tax advantages, as well:

  • Donations of appreciated assets such as stocks or mutual funds incur no capital gains tax when gifted to a donor-advised fund.

  • Gifts to a donor-advised fund have the potential to appreciate tax-free.

  • Donor-advised funds are not subject to estate taxes.

Donor-advised funds function similarly to a family foundation, without much of the administrative or regulatory burden. Donors may also elect to name a successor advisor to their DAF who would take over advisory responsibilities following the death of the fund’s advisor, paving the way for a lasting legacy of family philanthropy for generations.

In addition to simplifying current giving, the DAF provides a unique opportunity for planned giving. If allowed by the sponsoring charity, donors may choose to cement their legacy of giving for years to come by providing for the disposition of any balance remaining at the time of their death. The ECF DAF balance may be transferred to charitable organizations of the donor’s choosing, or may be used to create a permanent endowment fund.

As one of the fastest growing means of philanthropic giving, DAFs provide the flexibility and simplicity many donors are seeking to achieve in a rapidly-changing landscape.

For More Information

Contact our Finance and Records Manager, Lana Johnson at Lana@Saint-Marys.org or 541-343-9253 with any questions.  We also advise you speak directly with your own investment adviser, brokerage house, or Episcopal Church Foundation about how a donor-advised fund would work for you.

ECF is happy to speak with donors regarding their desire to establish a Donor-advised fund or other instrument of charitable giving. For more information on ECF’s donor-advised fund, please visit http://www.episcopalfoundation.org/programs/daf or contact them at 800-697-2858.

Donors are strongly urged to consult their own counsel and advisors about the risks and financial and tax consequences of any proposed gift.

Planned Giving

Throughout our lives we care for our children, grandchildren, and other loved ones. Likewise, we wish the activities and organizations in which we truly believe to survive and thrive, so we make pledges and contributions from monthly income. 

A bequest, whether given during your lifetime or after death, can provide for the future and stability of St. Mary’s while hopefully bringing a tax deduction to you.

Here are some of the ways you can give to St. Mary’s:

  • In your Will.

  • Life Insurance, whether as the owner of a policy or as the beneficiary.

  • Appreciated securities (St. Mary’s receives the full value of the securities and you can avoid capital gains tax on the appreciation).

  • Cash gift or pledge to the Endowment Fund.

  • Appreciated property: retirement accounts, real estate or tangible personal property.

  • In your family Trust.

If you are considering any of these gifts, professional guidance is essential.  If you would like some help, please call the office and someone from the Planned Giving committee will contact you.  The information here is not intended to provide legal advice or tax counseling. St. Mary’s recommends that you consult your attorney, accountant, or financial advisor for professional advice. Our tax id# is 93-0421473.

The Endowment Fund is professionally managed, currently by the Oregon Community Foundation, to preserve and grow the principal while providing a steady source of income to supplement pledges