What is the UUCG Endowment Fund?

Funding our Future
“…To guarantee a continuing, strong Unitarian Universalist presence in Gwinnett County, we seek to establish a solid foundation of financial security through generous funding of the short-term and long-term needs of our congregation.”

In 1996, we established the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Gwinnett Endowment Fund, Inc. (UUCGEF) as a separate entity to provide focused management of funds raised for our long-term needs. The UUCGEF is a tax-exempt, non-profit corporation, organized under the laws of the State of Georgia and charged with receiving and investing funds and property to create a robust trust fund that will grow over the years and benefit many UU generations to come.

Read the most recent year-end report.

View the bylaws of the Endowment Fund here.

View the Endowment Fund Grant application here.

Gift Opportunities

We realize that the circumstances of every member and friend are unique, so we want to make you aware of the many alternative ways in which you can contribute to the Endowment Fund, both now and in the future.

Important factors in making a planned gift include maximizing personal benefits, while minimizing after-tax cost. Here are some examples of ways that you can contribute to the UUCGEF that will help strengthen the future growth of the congregation.

Cash/Check/On-Line Donations

(link to donate online)

Because of the charitable deduction, the net cost to you will be lower than the face value of your gift. If you wish, your gift can be designated to honor or memorialize another person or to commemorate special occasions, such as anniversaries or birthdays.

Securities

Gifts of appreciated securities can be an excellent way to support the UUCGEF and minimize your capital-gains tax liability.

Appreciated Properties

With careful planning, charitable gifts of certain types of assets, such as appreciated long-term capital gain securities and real-estate, can provide even greater tax benefits to you than a gift of equivalent value in cash.

Life Insurance

After ensuring that your family is adequately provided for, simply revise your will or your insurance beneficiaries to include a specific amount or percentage to the Endowment Fund.

Wills and Charitable Bequests

Providing a gift through the terms of your will is one of the most common ways of making charitable donations. Bequests can take various forms, including specific, residuary, contingent, or restricted.

Charitable Remainder Trust

The charitable remainder trust is similar to other types of trusts, except that it has a charitable beneficiary. In this case, you transfer property irrevocably to a trust and specify how the trust income and principal are to be distributed. You may create the trust to become effective during your life or upon your death. Until the remainder interest is conferred to the Endowment Fund, you may continue to receive the income.

Charitable Lead Trust

The charitable lead trust is the reverse of the charitable remainder trust in that it provides for the gift of an income interest from property to the Endowment Fund for a term of years–after which the property either reverts to you or passes to a non-charitable beneficiary designated by you.

Annuity Trust

An annuity trust can provide for payment to the UUCGEF in a fixed annual amount of at least 5% of the initial fair market value of the gift in trust.

How to Contribute

On-Line (Credit Card) Donations
If you like, you can make an on-line contribution right now. We use a secure service provided by an organization called Helping.org to receive your credit card contribution online. Helping.org is sponsored by the AOL Foundation and provides secure donation processing to eligible non-profits nationwide.

Check Donations
If you would like to make a contribution by check, please use our printable Mail-In Contribution Form. Or, if you wish, just send your check to our address below–indicating any person honored or memorialized on your check:

UUCG Endowment Fund
12 Bethesda Church Road
Lawrenceville, GA 30044-4236

Contribution of Securities, Property, Insurance or Contribution via Will or Trust
If you wish to make a contribution of securities or property, please contact one of the members of the UUCGEF Board.

In addition, you should consult with your financial and legal advisors prior to arranging or making your contribution.