1Q2025 Legacies NL

Legacies A publication of the United Methodist Foundation of Louisiana

Inside This Issue

1st Quarter 2025

DONOR ADVISED FUNDS:

The Smart Way to Give

Is a Donor Advised Fund Right For You? Page 2

How Service Dogs Can Help Page 3

Celebrating 50 Years with a New Look Page 4

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Donor Advised Fund (DAF) is an excellent tool for making a lasting charitable impact while enjoying flexibility and tax benefits. The United Methodist Foundation of Louisiana offers a simple, cost-effective way to create a DAF, allowing donors to support United Methodist churches and ministries with ease.

What is a Donor Advised Fund?

A DAF is a charitable giving account that lets donors contribute assets, receive an immediate tax deduction and recommend grants over time. Setting up a DAF is simple at the Foundation, requiring only an initial deposit with no additional set-up costs.

Donna’s Story: Giving Made Simple Donna wanted a structured way to manage her charitable giving. Setting up a DAF at the Foundation was easy, with no setup fees. She contributed appreciated stock, avoiding capital gains tax and receiving a full charitable deduction. Now, she

distributes funds to her church, mission projects and scholarships at her own pace, ensuring continued generosity even in uncertain years.

Why Choose the United Methodist Foundation of Louisiana?

The Foundation provides personalized service, professional fund management, and ensures that gifts align with Methodist values. Unlike commercial DAF providers, the Foundation focuses on strengthening and supporting meaningful ministries with a straightforward process.

Getting Started If you’re looking for a strategic and impactful way to give, a Donor Advised Fund at the United Methodist Foundation of Louisiana is a great option. Contact the Foundation today to start your journey toward purposeful generosity!

Legacies

2025 Board of Trustees Bobby Fahey Chairman Abby Cochran Rev. Clifton Conrad Rev. Jo Ann Cooper Joe Crouch, Jr. Omer Davis Drew Kennedy Bob Kimbro Sandra Kuykendall Eunice Val Lavigne Richard Lewis Rev. Mimi McDowell Sen. Willie Mount Troy Searles Rev. Drew Sutton Dianne Wilkinson

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Do you support more than one ministry?

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Would you like to maximize your income tax savings and minimize capital gains taxes?

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Are you interested in simplifying the management of your charitable giving?

Do you want to accomplish your current and future charitable giving goals with one simple tool?

Chris Spencer President

If so, consider using a simple, convenient versatile means of gifting known as the donor-advised fund (DAF). The DAF is the fastest-growing vehicle for charitable giving in recent years.

Contact Us:

Key Benefits of a Donor Advised Fund

8337 Jefferson Hwy. Baton Rouge, LA 70809

Tax Advantages

Phone: (225) 346-1535

Flexible Giving

Email: information@umf.org Web Addresses: www.umf.org www.umfgiving.org Legacies Editor: Kelly Johannessen kellyj@umf.org

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Is a Donor Advised Fund Right for You?

Immediate tax deduction and avoidance of capital gains tax on appreciated assets.

Donate now and decide later which ministries or charities to support.

Simple & Convenient

The Foundation handles all administrative details.

Potential for Growth

Funds can be invested to increase charitable impact.

Legacy Planning

Name successors to continue your charitable giving.

Support Multiple Charities Consolidate giving into one fund for easier management.

1st Quarter 2025

Savvy Living How Service Dogs Can Help Dear Savvy Living, My parent suffers from chronic arthritis and Parkinson’s disease, and I am considering getting an assistance dog to help. What are some considerations regarding service dogs?

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or people with disabilities and medical conditions, service dogs can offer helpful assistance. In addition to daily tasks, these animals offer great companionship and an invaluable sense of security.

However, acquiring a service dog can be costly and there may be a long waiting list to get one. Here is what you should know.

Not only do guide dogs help visually impaired individuals, many are trained to help people with physical disabilities, hearing loss and other medical conditions.

Assistance dogs are highly-trained specialists – often including breeds like Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers and German Shepherds. They are trained to understand and execute approximately 40 to 50 commands.

Service dogs are well-behaved, calm and are granted access to all public areas. Here is a breakdown of the different types of assistance dogs and what they can help with.

Service dogs: These dogs are specially trained to help individuals

with physical disabilities such as multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s disease and chronic arthritis. They typically perform challenging tasks like carrying or retrieving items, picking up dropped objects, opening and closing doors and turning light switches on and off. They can also aid with balance support, assist with household chores and alert others when help is needed.

Service dogs can also be trained to help people with medical conditions like epilepsy or other seizure disorders, autism, diabetes, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other psychiatric disabilities.

Guide dogs: For the blind or visually impaired, guide dogs help in navigating their surroundings safely. Guide dogs help their handlers avoid obstacles, stop at curbs and steps, navigate through shopping centers and buildings, and find doors, seats and pedestrian crossing buttons.

Hearing dogs: For those who are deaf or hearing impaired, hearing dogs can alert their owner

to specific sounds such as ringing phones, doorbells, alarm clocks, microwave timers and oven timers, smoke alarms, approaching sirens, crying babies or someone calling out the owner’s name.

Finding a Dog To find a credible program, visit Assistance Dogs International, which lists accredited trainers. Costs range from $10,000 to $40,000, though fundraising and grants may help.

Health insurance and Medicare do not cover these expenses.

Applicants must provide proof of disability, complete an application and interview, and may need to attend on-site training to bond with their dog.

Keep in mind, owning a service dog requires time, care, and commitment that you must be able and willing to provide.

“Savvy Living” is written by Jim Miller, a regular contributor to the NBC Today Show and author of The Savvy Living book.

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NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAI D BATON ROUGE, LA PERMIT NO. 2340

8337 Jefferson Hwy. n Baton Rouge, LA 70809

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information@umf.org

Celebrating 50 Years with a New Look

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his year marks a momentous milestone for the United Methodist Foundation of Louisiana as we celebrate 50 years of ministry and impact. To commemorate this special anniversary, we unveiled a new logo in January, featuring a tree with green hues symbolizing growth, and blue tones that represent the stability we have built over five decades. The tree is held together with a cross as the trunk and foundation, signifying our deep-rooted faith and commitment to Christ-centered stewardship.

Founded in 1975 with a mission to promote planned giving for the church’s sustainment, the Foundation has since facilitated 421 planned gifts, including charitable gift annuities, endowments, life estate gifts, trusts and more, totaling $50.6 million. What began with just $5,000 in assets has now grown to nearly $250 million under

our management. This remarkable success is a testament to the wisdom and foresight of our leadership over time, bolstered by a transformative $6 million bequest from Jesse Stafford in 1992.

Over the years, the Foundation has awarded $8.1 million in grants, positively impacting United Methodist churches and ministries across Louisiana. Our largest grants have supported seminary scholarships ($1.4 million), the Wesley Conference Center ($1.2 million), clergy leadership training ($989,000), Louisiana Conference outreach programs ($647,000), and the Louisiana Methodist Children’s Home ($475,000).

As we celebrate this incredible journey, we honor the visionary leaders who laid the foundation for our work and look forward to a future filled with continued generosity and growth.