Stewardship

The Gift of Time

Essentially, the gift of time means just that: the volunteering of one’s own time to help others.

Time may be the most valuable resource we all have—once it’s gone, it’s gone. That’s why it’s universally understood how precious the gift of time truly is. This type of giving is providing someone else with your own time to help others. Your gift of time may be direct, hands-on service such as tutoring children at a homeless shelter or an indirect service, such as stocking shelves at a food pantry.

• Parish Ministry opportunities
• Community 
• Diocesan

The gift of time means just that: the volunteering of one’s own time to help others. Such giving can vary widely depending on:

1. The needs of specific populations, communications and charitable organizations.

2. The preferences and interests of the giver.

Giving time can be direct, hands-on service in which the giver personally interacts with those in need. Some examples include tutoring children at a homeless shelter; visiting nursing home residents; serving meals in a soup kitchen; or helping an understaffed charity organize a food drive. Giving time can also be indirect service such as stocking shelves at a food pantry, helping to staff a charity fundraiser, or distributing flyers and making telemarketing calls to support a charitable cause.

For some individuals and families, the giving of time might include their efforts to create and run a private foundation. The most elaborate of formal charitable giving vehicles, private foundations offer nearly endless philanthropic capabilities, from establishing awards and scholarship programs, to conducting and funding research, to granting to charities and people in need, to making program- and mission-related investments. Running such initiatives requires considerable time and dedication as well as financial resources.

Text in the section largely taken from FoundationSource website please click here for the full text.

The Gift of Talent

Whether you share your unique skills or professional expertise, you can use your own talent to give back to your community, or anywhere there is a need. Examples may include a doctor providing pro bono office hours at a local clinic or an investment advisor who manages the endowment of a charity. It’s not only rewarding for philanthropists to donate their talents, but also highly valued because it provides a service or expertise that is often out of reach for the recipients.

• In the Parish 
• Diocesan

A unique and personal way for individuals to give is by sharing their talents, such as their intellectual capital, professional expertise, unique skills and hobbies, and even their social networks to bolster a charitable effort. Some examples:

• An investment advisor manages the endowment of a charity
• A doctor provides pro bono office hours at a local clinic
• A development professional provides fundraising assistance to a charity
• An avid tennis player offers instruction and coaching at a local Boys & Girls Club
• A graduate student conducts and monitors research for a nonprofit to help them understand the population they serve
• A celebrity writes a series of op-eds helping to bring attention to civil rights violations and encourages her large network to participate in a charity fundraiser

This type of philanthropy is highly valued because it provides a service or expertise that is often far more expensive or sophisticated than what the recipients (e.g., a charity or a family in need) could afford to acquire on their own

Text in the section largely taken from FoundationSource website please click here for the full text.

The Gift of Treasure

Gifting treasure has no set schedule; some donors choose to give on a regular basis, earmarking a certain dollar amount or percentage of their income for philanthropy. Others opt for greater flexibility, allowing themselves to give when a need arises or the spirit strikes. And others choose to incorporate their giving into an estate plan, leveraging charitable bequests and other planned giving vehicles to pass along their “treasure” to the intended recipients posthumously.

• Pax Christi Parish support
• Diocesan support
• QCD Distribution – Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) offer a tax-efficient way for individuals aged 70½ and older to donate directly from their Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) to eligible charities. This allows donors to exclude the amount donated from their taxable income, reducing their tax burden while supporting causes they care about. CLICK HERE to read more on this topic and please remember to always consult a trusted your financial advisor for the most up to date information.
• Free Will program – Are you aware that according to Caring.com’s 2019 survey, 57 percent of U.S. adults do not currently have estate planning documents such as a will or living trust? To help with that, the Diocese of Lexington is offering this completely free opportunity for you to create a free legal will.

Text in the section largely taken from FoundationSource website please click here for the full text.