Endowment - Leaving a Legacy

• Planning For Our Congregation's Future

   

  Starting in 1983, The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, established a separate endowment corporation for the long-range growth of our community, to aid members in planning their giving, and to promote and demonstrate charity within Southeast Florida. 

   

  In 2005 we received a very special $100,000 as a Donor Advised Gift. Here is that story.
  
   

  Your six Endowment Trustees on the Endowment Committee manage four separate Funds:

   

   

  Memorial Garden Fund
  Established in 1992 to maintain our Memorial Garden. Conceived by Sean Spivey, designed by Jon Kitner, and constructed by Lee Wandel, this Garden is now a place of meditation and remembrance.
   

  Thelma Daniel / Annette Van Howe Social Justice Fund
  Established in 1994 from the estate of the late Thelma Daniel. Thelma marched with the suffragettes, was a long-time social activist, was married to our late Minister Emeritus, the Rev. Jack Daniel, and was a constant force with our congregation and community. Annette was a social activist and active with our congregation for decades. She used careful estate planning to leave a legacy that continues to do her good works now that she is gone. Gifts to the Social Justice Fund go towards causes for which Thelma and Annette would have crusaded.
   

  Donor Advised Funds
  Made up of special gifts from members and friends for needs in harmony with the Purposes and Principles of our Unitarian Universalist Association. Lump sum gifts, possibly of highly appreciated securities, can be distributed over the following several years.

  
  General Endowment Fund
  Established in 1983. The income from this growing pool of money is currently distributed among worthy causes within South Florida. In 2007, we gave away $6,000+ to multiple organizations.

   

  Our Endowment assets are in the range of $200,000 and we divide our investments between a balance of the Dimensional Series of Funds plus a portion in the The UU Common Endowment Fund (UUCEF)

  Need a stock quote? Evaluate your investments at MorningStar.Com. Your Endowment Trustees stand ready to assist you in your planning of long term giving to further the ministry of Unitarian Universalism in Broward County, Florida. Your Endowment is a 501(c)(3) corporation and separate from the congregational annual programs.

   

  We refer all inquiries about deferred giving to Planned Giving Office at the UUA in Boston. There are many resources at our disposal 

   

  Giving instruments can be quite complex. The Complete Book of Trusts and online resources can give you some education, but avoid drafting these tools without professional help.

  Another way of giving to charity is to name us as a secondary beneficiary to your IRA, banking, or brokerage accounts after your family members.

  Consider 10 Top Things you can do today.
   

  Some Resources:

•  UUA's Pooled Income Fund

•  Allen Giese of Northstar Financial Planners

• Estate Planning Frequently Ask Questions from the Bar Association

• Personal Finance for Social Investors

• The Social Investment Forum

• Quicken WillMaker Plus

• Vanguard Charitable Giving Program

• T.Rowe Price: Program for Giving

• MoneySkill.org

• Estate Planning for Dummies
  
  Suggested gift language to give to our UU communities would be:
  
  "I give and bequeath to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fort Lauderdale Florida, a Florida not-for-profit corporation, the sum of $____________________."
  
  "I give and bequeath to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fort Lauderdale Endowment Fund, a Florida not-for-profit corporation, the sum of $____________________."
  
  A more immediate tax advantage can be obtained by giving through the Pooled Income Fund or a Charitable Gift Annuity through the Unitarian Universalist Association. 
  
  Recall that an I.R.A. allows you to name beneficiaries. After children and family, you can name a secondary beneficiary like our UU Community. You can also give an I.R.A to a charity.
  To comply with I.R.S. Public Disclosure Requirements, we post online our most recent Form 990.
  Whether your special interest is Social Outreach, Building Expansion, Music, Memorials, Celebrations, the Pastor's Fund, or General Endowment, we can share ways through planned giving by researching ways you can assure your Congregation's future through giving.
  
  Take a look at the UUA's Online Planned Giving Resources