Endowment
In order to more completely fulfill the mission of the Church, the St. Andrew’s Vestry approved the establishment of an endowment fund to generate income and appreciation on invested assets. This fund is for special needs of the parish, including outreach and new ministries, special projects, capital expenditures for growth and expansion of facilities, and financial support if the future of St. Andrew’s is in jeopardy. These funds are designed to be invested for support of the church in perpetuity, and will not replace operating funds, which are paid from weekly collections, annual stewardship offerings, grants, and short-term gifts.
For details on investment policies, guidelines, performance of the endowment funds, or more information on making a gift, please contact the Endowment Committee at endowment@standrews.net.
Current Endowment Committee Members:
Pete Kirkham
Alice Redman
Pam Rozelsky
David Nies
John Robinson
Doug Wood (ex-officio)
Bo Zagurski (ex-officio)
An endowment fund is a special account that is established in order to generate revenue that can be used for specific purposes that fulfill the church’s mission. An endowment fund is designed to function in perpetuity, making it possible to provide financial support to an organization over the long term. One of the distinguishing characteristics of an endowment fund is that the principal amount contained in the account is not disbursed for any reason. Funds donated are invested through prudent management, and a percentage of the returns can be disbursed yearly. These funds are never commingled with the operating funds of the church.
An endowment fund allows parishioners to make a final testament to the importance of Christian faith in their lives and to their willingness to make resources available for the important work of the Church after they are gone.
Unlike regular gifts to the operating fund of the Church, gifts to an endowment are meant to provide long-term resources to forward the Church’s mission.
Gifts to an endowment can also provide certain tax benefits for the giver or his/her heirs. There are numerous vehicles employed to make gifts to an endowment, so a legal advisor should be consulted about practices that work best for various situations.
Gifts to an endowment are often larger sums but can be any amount. Gifts are usually donated in the form of cash, publicly traded securities and, subject to the prior approval of the Vestry, real and personal property.
Gifts to the endowment fund can be made as a current gift or deferred gift (a deferred gift will not accrue to the church immediately, but upon a specified event, typically death).
The Vestry may place certain restrictions in connection with acceptance of gifts of real and personal property and interests in closely held companies. The Vestry has appointed an Endowment Committee whose members can answer questions and assist you in determining whether these kinds of gifts can be accepted and what conditions may apply to donations of this nature.
The Vestry manages the endowment fund in accordance with uniform legal and financial principles and practices for such funds. To assist it, the Vestry benefits from periodic reporting and advice of the Endowment Committee. The Vestry has selected the Trustees of the Funds to manage the account.
Current cash gifts can be made by writing a check, made payable to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church with “Endowment Fund” on the memo line. Gifts of stock or real property will require approval of the Vestry; contact the Senior Warden or an Endowment Committee member to learn more about possible restrictions.
Funds donated for a specific restricted purpose can be made; however, the minimum requirement to create a restricted endowment fund is $20,000.
Deferred gifts can be made in a variety of ways. The Endowment Committee has additional information about these gifting options. You should also speak to your legal advisor about the methods that are best for you.