Legacy Roadblocks or Obstacles to Meaning
Recently the Foundation invited people to participate in a donor survey. Forty-six percent of the respondents said they have thought about leaving a legacy gift to their church or another charity and 21% said they already had made such a gift. However, and this is telling, 48% of the respondents said that they are concerned about what would happen to their legacy gift should their church close without a successor.
The uncertain future is always more troublesome than knowing; just ask someone waiting for a doctor’s report. That uncertain future is on the minds of nearly half the people in our pews, or at least those in positions of leadership to whom the survey was sent. Seeing the decline in the membership in our church, going from a fully staffed church to a part-time pastor, and the constant money issues are symptoms that present a roadblock in planning our legacy journey. And, left to our proclivity to worry, they impede the planning process and create resentment and distrust in the very church we love and serve.
Perhaps the deeper issue is how these roadblocks create a real and disquieting obstacle to answering the question, “How will I give and support the church and ministry which is most important to me and my family?” I can share that my relationship with Jesus and being within the Body of Christ – the church – is paramount in my life. I suspect many readers share these thoughts.
In the world of philanthropy, discerning what is most important to us brings a clarity to our vision, and informs our decisions and actions. If I have discerned that my faith and my church are most important to me and my family, how can I overcome the obstacle that my worry about the future of my church presents? Without a resolution, the obstacle prevents me from finding fulfillment and meaning in making a legacy gift. Only through giving does my wealth, such that it is, have meaning.
Enter the philanthropic advisor. Finding our vision by answering the important question is indeed the hardest step in the philanthropic journey. And this question we can only answer for ourselves. But the next step, finding the solutions to removing the obstacles to generosity, requires a special knowledge and expertise. Your Foundation has such knowledge and expertise. If you have concerns about your legacy gift, call us, we can help.