What is Planned Giving?

The Christian Reformed Church Heritage Fund accepts estate gifts from individuals and families to help meet the ministry goals of the CRC for generations to come, whether by designating a future gift or creating an endowment for a ministry program.

While the Christian Reformed Church does not offer estate-planning services directly, it does so in partnership with Barnabas Foundation for U.S. donors, and with Christian Stewardship Services for Canadian donors, in order to help families make planned gifts and develop estate plans.

Planned gifts may be made either during your lifetime or as a part of your estate plan. Any important life event such as the sale of appreciated assets, sale of a business, sale of a farm, and retirement are excellent times to consider a planned gift to the CRC Heritage Fund.

Estate planning is the process of deciding where your assets should be distributed as a part of your estate plan. The plan is implemented through a will or revocable living trust. For many people a revocable living trust is an excellent tool by which to implement their estate plan. Like a will, a trust makes provision for the transfer of your assets. However, assets in a trust are not subject to the costs and delays of probate, as is the case with a will. During your lifetime, the trust remains completely under your control.

Gifts you can make anytime:

• cash
• traded securities 
• real estate
• closely held securities
• paid-up life insurance
• tangible personal property