Other Ways to Give

St. Luke’s encourages you to give with your whole L.I.F.E.—your Labor, Influence, Finances, and Experience—so you and others grow closer to Jesus. Generosity is more than financial giving. While the following pages outline ways to give financially, we encourage you to pray and seek the Lord’s will, as there are many ways to serve including volunteering. St. Luke’s is committed to supporting your walk with Christ. What matters most is seeking His will in what you give.

Make a Difference—Avoid Taxes

Support St. Luke’s through your IRA/401(k) Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) or Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD). If you don’t need your RMD, donating it to St. Luke’s or a Donor Advised Fund (DAF) allows you to avoid paying income tax on the donated amount.

Donate up to $100,000 per year directly from your retirement account to a qualified charity like St. Luke’s—tax-free.

Key Age Milestones*

Under current federal law, RMDs begin if you were:

  • Born before 1949: Age 70½
  • Born 1951–1959: Age 73
  • Born 1960 or later: Age 75 (beginning in 2023)

Why Consider an RMD/QCD Gift?

  • Put your gift to work today and see the impact.
  • Starting the year you turn 70½*, your gift can satisfy all or part of your RMD.
  • No income tax on the gift. It generates neither taxable income nor a tax deduction—beneficial even if you don’t itemize.
  • Because it doesn’t count as income, it may lower your annual income, potentially reducing Medicare premiums and the portion of Social Security subject to tax.

You may live to 125—but today is the right time to create an estate plan.

When someone dies, more than 200 major decisions can arise within 48 hours. A clear estate plan lifts this burden from your loved ones. Without one, the State of Florida’s default plan—Probate Court—determines what happens. Through Transfer the Blessings (TTB) Ministry, we can help you take simple steps to avoid probate. Click HERE for a chart describing your estate planning options.

A Free Estate Planning Service

  • St. Luke’s and Lutheran Haven offer the Transfer the Blessings Planned Giving Ministry at no cost or obligation to members, attendees, and school families.
  • There is no expectation by St. Luke’s or the Lutheran Haven that you make a donation for this service.
  • We help you organize your plan before meeting with your attorney—saving on legal fees.

Why Planned Giving?

  • Ensure loved ones and favorite charities are cared for.
  • Practice faithful Christian stewardship.
  • Continue your generosity beyond your lifetime.

We guide you in preparing:

  • Wills and essential estate documents
  • Charitable Remainder Trusts
  • Charitable Gift Annuities
  • Personal Endowments
  • Beneficiary Designations
  • And more …

St. Luke’s encourages you to consider how the Lord wants you to give of your whole L.I.F.E., your (Labor, Influence, Finances, and Experience) so other people and you will grow closer to Jesus. We believe that giving is first and foremost a spiritual decision.

Why be generous? The Lord doesn’t need anything from you. In addition, St. Luke’s doesn’t WANT anything FROM you either. Instead, both St. Luke’s and Jesus want what generosity does FOR you. It blesses and changes you. Being a generous faithful steward (manager) of the resources God gave you is a process designed by the Lord to shape you evermore into His image which in turn blesses you, expands His kingdom, and helps others. Jesus said it best: “You are more blessed when you give, than when you receive!”

We desire that you seek the Lord for His guidance with every gift you intend to give. We believe that the Lord has supplied His people as stewards of His resources and desires to move our hearts for His Kingdom purposes and our blessing. Generosity is more than a tithe or a special gift. Like a loving Father, our Lord wants to cultivate a generous spirit in each and everyone of His children. 

The appropriate wording for making a gift depends upon the type of gift, state law, and your own unique circumstances. The following will provisions are examples of how you may designate a gift. Always consult your attorney to be sure you have a properly drafted legal document.

UNRESTRICTED GENERAL LEGACY:

I give to St. Luke’s Lutheran Church and School located in Oviedo, Florida 32765, [written amount or percentage of the estate or description of property] for [if you have a specific area(s) you would like to support, name them here. Otherwise, the phrase ‘general funding’ is sufficient].

SPECIFIC LEGACY:

I give my [specified personal property item(s) and/or real property] to St. Luke’s Lutheran Church and School located in Oviedo, Florida 32765.

GIFT OF RESIDUARY ESTATE:

All the rest, (or residue), and remainder of my estate, both real and personal, and wherever situated, I give, devise, and bequeath to St. Luke’s Lutheran Church and School located in Oviedo, Florida 32765, [written amount or percentage of the estate or description of property] for [if you have a specific area(s) you would like to support, name them here. Otherwise, the phrase ‘general funding’ is sufficient]

Strategic Gifts

Securities, DAFs, CGAs, CRTS, Insurance & Real Estate Gifts

Strategic giving takes many forms from Planned Gifts to donating real estate. No matter how you feel the Lord leading you to give, St. Luke’s can assist you in making your gift to the Lord’s work a reality. See below for additional giving options.

Our Name(s) & Tax ID Numbers:

  • St. Luke’s Lutheran Church & School EIN # 59-1153406 (direct gift to church and/or school)
  • St. Luke’s Lutheran Church & School Foundation EIN #: 27-2990638
  • Address: 2021 W SR 426, Oviedo, FL 32765
Securities

Marketable Securities and Closely Held Stock are one of the most popular assets to use when making a gift. Making a gift of securities offers you the chance to support God’s work while realizing these important benefits for yourself:

  • When you donate securities you have held for more than one year, you can reduce or even eliminate federal capital gains taxes.
  • You may also be entitled to a federal income tax charitable deduction based on the fair market value of the securities at the time of the transfer. Speak with your financial advisor.

Securities are most often used to support St. Luke’s through:

  • A direct gift. When you donate securities to St. Luke’s, you receive the same income tax savings that you would if you wrote us a check, but with the added benefit of eliminating capital gains taxes on the transfer, which can be as high as 20 percent!
  • A transfer on death (TOD) designation. By placing a TOD designation on your brokerage or investment account, that account will be paid over to one or more persons or charities after your lifetime.

A donor advised fund is like a charitable checking account. It gives you the flexibility to recommend how much and how often money is granted to St. Luke’s and other qualified charities. You can designate an immediate gift or recurring gift or use your fund as a tool for future charitable gifts. Many donors decide to create a DAF through their estate plans to encourage their children to participate in giving decisions. 

You can also create a lasting legacy by naming St. Luke’s the beneficiary of the entire account or a percentage of the fund. With a percentage, you can create a family legacy of giving by naming your loved ones as your successor to continue recommending grants to charitable organizations. We service all DAF’s through whichever Christian or Community Foundation you prefer (we worth with several entities). 

This is a way for you to support St. Luke’s and feel confident that you have a dependable income stream in retirement. This type of donation can bless in two ways. It supplies income to you and it provides St. Luke’s with the resources to continue God’s work.

We partner together to expand His kingdom! You may also qualify for a series of tax benefits, including a federal income tax charitable deduction when you itemize. The older you are, the better compound interest rate which increases your income from the CGA!

A charitable remainder (uni)trust provides you or other named individuals income each year for a period not exceeding 20 years. At the end of the trust term (up to 20 years), the balance in the trust can go to St. Luke’s as a gift to God’s work.

Each year, a CRT pays a variable amount based on a fixed percentage of the fair market value of the trust assets. The amount of each payment is redetermined annually. If the value of the trust increases, so do the payments. If the value decreases, however, so will the payments.

When the original purpose for a life insurance policy no longer applies—such as a college fund for grown children or providing financial security for a spouse—your policy can become a powerful and simple way to support God’s work.

There are three ways to give life insurance gifts to St. Luke’s:

  • Name St. Luke’s a beneficiary of the policy. 
  • Make an outright gift of an existing policy to St. Luke’s. 
  • Make an outright gift of a new policy. 

Want to make a big gift to St. Luke’s without touching your bank account? Consider giving a gift of real estate. Such a generous gift helps St. Luke’s continue God’s work for years to come. And a gift of real estate also helps you. When you give appreciated property that you have held longer than one year, you qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction. This most often eliminates capital gains tax. And you no longer have to deal with that property’s maintenance costs, taxes, or insurance.

Another benefit:
You do not have to hassle with selling the property – let St. Luke’s do that instead. You can deed the property directly to St. Luke’s or ask your attorney to add a few sentences into your will or trust agreement.

When you make a gift of real estate, you qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction equal to the property’s full fair market value. This deduction lets you reduce the cost of making the gift and frees cash that otherwise would have been used to pay taxes. By donating the property, you also eliminate capital gains tax on its appreciation.

Contact us today to learn how you can be generous with your L.I.F.E., and bless both your family and ministry. Reach out to our Stewardship Director, Doug Taylor, for guidance or brokerage information at (407) 365-3408 or ask a question by clicking below.
Ask A Question