LEAVING A LEGACY: PLANNED GIVING — Area Catholic Community Parishioners Share Final Stewardship Gift

When Pat Niemand learned that Sally Svoboda and Don Lausen had left a generous gift to the church on their passing, she wasn’t surprised one bit.

“The church meant so much to Don and Sally,” Pat says. “They cared deeply about St. Joseph and were a very involved couple together.”

Pat first met Sally when they were volunteering together at the church and helping at a funeral. When Sally, the custodian at the time, was preparing for a vacation, she asked Pat if she could fill in for her.

“She cleaned the rectory and was a sacristan and also served on many church committees,” says Pat, the current custodian. “I got to know Don through her, and they were very devout Catholics. If something broke at the church, they would fix it. The church meant everything to them.”

Before Don and Sally passed away, they prearranged that the proceeds from the sale of their house would go to the church. This is a generous example of “planned giving” or “legacy giving,” which is the process of making a significant charitable gift during a donor’s life or at death that is part of his or her financial or estate plan.

“Legacy planning to support your parish is one of the important decisions you can make,” says Fr. Paul Timmerman. “Our parish and our faith have been built by the past generosity and planning

of the parishioners who sat in these pews before us.” Planned giving is usually best accomplished as part of a donor’s overall financial situation, and there can be many benefits to the donor ranging from reducing estate taxes and income taxes to eliminating taxes on IRS distributions, and simply having peace of mind knowing that their donations will be made as they wish. There are many different types of legacy planning, such as donor-advised funds through Sally Svoboda and Don Lausen which a donor can make lifetime distributions and future distributions while receiving current income tax savings. There are also charitable gift annuities and charitable life insurance. “There are many other ways to plan legacy gifts that might be right based on the specific goals and financial situations of the donor,” Fr. Paul says. Setting up gift planning can be done through lawyers, financial planners, or foundations like Catholic United Financial. It is a wonderful and generous way to give back and to invest in the future of the parish as Sally and Don have done. “The future of our parish is dependent on today’s congregation supporting the current needs of the parish, but also planning for our future,” Fr. Paul says. “Planning your charitable legacy is easy, can lower taxes, and increase the amount you have to give and for you to use.”

If you would like more information about planned giving, please visit catholicunited.org or contact our Parish Catholic United Representative, Brian Zitzmann, at 701-238-3643 or bzitzmann@catholicunited.org to help you create your plan at no cost, or contact your lawyer or financial planner.

Sally Svoboda and Don Lausen