Giving With Purpose: How Faith Can Shape Your Charitable Legacy

Giving With Purpose: How Faith Can Shape Your Charitable Legacy

Charitable giving is a cornerstone of virtually every major religious tradition—but have you thought about how that value carries forward in your estate plan?

A recent seminar co-hosted by the Community Foundation explored how planned giving can do more than transfer wealth. It can transmit values. A bequest to a meaningful organization, for example, can be written not just as a dollar amount, but as a message—a declaration to your children of what you believed in and why.

Some families use the biblical concept of tithing as a guide, setting aside ten percent for charitable purposes. Others treat charity as an additional beneficiary, dividing their estate as if charitable causes were another child at the table.

And if disability or incapacitation is ever a concern, a durable power of attorney can ensure your charitable wishes continue—even when you can no longer act on them yourself.

Your generosity doesn’t have to end with your lifetime. With a little planning, it can echo for generations.