The single most important element in pledge decision-making is prayer. The Bible says in Romans 12, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will."
The goals of raising funds are two-fold in this priority order:
Faith. We want to invite and encourage everyone to make a sacrificial gift, one that requires faith and is likely beyond what a person would normally consider giving. People tend to give what is comfortable – an amount we can manage on our own. Sacrificial requests make us nervous, uncomfortable, and require us to depend on God. We want to lead people, including our leadership team, to this place of faith where our gift expresses our faith and dependency on God and where, as result, we will encounter the incredible generosity of God and the fulfillment of his promise, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38).
Second, receive the financial resources we need to minister to the community via the ECDC and renovation project. LCEF’s projection was that DR could raise $4.5 - $5 million in a capital campaign. Our prayer and goal are to raise (at least) $6.5 million. That will require sacrificial giving. The financial goal is also a spiritual goal because of the spiritual impact that the project will have on everyone at DR for generations to come.
There are some financial charts that may aid in your discernment, and challenge you to sacrificial giving (which again, the main goal is the FAITH that will grow out of sacrificial giving) below for reference:
Pledges are over the course of 3 years. Any gift you give upfront is an upfront gift. These are totally optional and not required.
A ground-breaking gift is any upfront gift given towards the $1.3 million we need to secure before we can break ground (ideally by September 1, 2023).
Checks and Cash
Gifts made by cash, check or credit card are convenient and provide an immediate benefit to Divine Redeemer. Credit card and ACH payments can be set up online at… Make sure to indicate that your payment is for the Capital Campaign in the memo line of any checks.
Company Matching Gifts Corporate matching gifts can double or triple the size of your contribution. Many companies match charitable gifts of current or retired employees and spouses. Please inquire with your employer to see if your campaign gift qualifies for a match.
Gifts of Securities – Stocks, Bonds and Mutual Funds
Charitable gifts of stocks, bonds or mutual funds that have been held for at least one year and have appreciated offer special tax advantages. You will receive a tax deduction for the full market value of the gift, but you will not have to pay capital gains tax on the appreciated amount. If you sell depreciated stock and contribute the proceeds, you will receive both a tax deduction for the charitable gift and a deduction for the capital loss. If utilizing stocks, bonds or mutual funds, contact the Divine Redeemer office for more information.
Donor Advised Funds
The Internal Revenue Service allows your donor-advised fund to make a grant in support of a non-binding commitment, including the Forward in our Story, All for His Glory Capital Campaign.
Gifts of Real Estate
Donations of appreciated homes, and other real property, are entitled to an income tax deduction equal to the full value of the property and no tax on the capital gain. If debt-free property is donated, the gift is deductible at the property’s appraised value. It may even be possible to make your gift of property now, but still maintain the right to use the property. By making this gift now, rather than in your will, you can realize an immediate income tax deduction.
Gifts in Kind In some cases, households may determine that the best way for them to support a significant fundraising campaign for a building project is to provide materials and/or labor to assist in construction, known as a gift in kind. If you are interested in giving to the campaign through one of these methods, please contact the church office.
Planned Gifts Planned gifts provide opportunities to make a meaningful commitment to the campaign now as part of your financial and estate planning. Such gifts can allow you to take full advantage of tax laws and enable you to accomplish your financial and charitable goals. Common forms are a bequest in a will and a qualified charitable distribution from an IRA.
For questions or assistance setting up your pledge, please contact Renee Kandler at renee.kandler@drlc.org or Gail Arnold at gail.arnold@drlc.org or either at 262-367-8400.