American and Foreign Christian Union

The Heritage Society

The Heritage Society of the AFCU was founded in April 2000. It recognizes members and friends of the American Church in Paris, the American Church in Berlin and the Vienna Community Church who have included one or more of these churches in their estate planning (planned giving). 

Perhaps you would like to make a significant contribution to help the American and Foreign Christian Union support the commitment it has with the member churches it serves. There are many giving opportunities available to accomplish your specific goals and objectives. Planned giving offers the benefits of deferring your gift until after your lifetime obligations are met and you and your families are cared for.   

Opportunities To Give 

Bequests- Leave your gifts to family, friends and your favorite charitable organizations in your will.

Life Insurance- Use a life insurance policy to leave assets to the AFCU by including it as one of the beneficiaries or the sole beneficiary of the policy.

Charitable Remainder Trust- Creation of a charitable remainder trust will irrevocably transfer money or appreciated assets to a trust that will provide you with income for the remainder of your life or a set number of years. At the death of the last surviving beneficiary of the trust, the remaining value of the trust goes to the designated charitable organization (AFCU).

Donor Advised Fund- These funds are usually available in community foundations and many public charities. When setting up a donor advised fund, you relinquish control of the transferred assets and obtain tax benefits at the time of the donation. You, as the donor, have the opportunity of making recommendations as to how the money is distributed and at the time you want it distributed. Flexibility and tax benefits are two of the major advantages of this type of fund.

Charitable Gift Annuity- Use of a CGA is a simple way to make a charitable gift to the AFCU and receive an annual income. Advantages include gifting appreciated assets that avoid capital gains tax, low value gifting requirements, timing when payments begin, and income tax savings when you establish the annuity during your lifetime.

Charitable Lead Trust- This type of trust allows you to provide an inheritance to your heirs while providing a contribution to your charity of choice. A percentage of the assets is paid out each year to your charity (AFCU) and at the end, the remaining assets return to you or your heirs. This type of trust can reduce gift or estate taxes on the principle transferred to your children. 

Retirement Plan Assets- Retirement plan assets can be part of an estate plan and take many different forms, with three of the most common and well known being a 401(K), a Keogh plan, and an Individual Retirement Account (IRA). The easiest way to leave the balance of the account assets of one of these and other plans to the AFCU after you die is to list the AFCU as a beneficiary of the account.

Planning Tips 

People should start thinking about planned giving when they have a charitable interest in an organization. Obviously there are also some tax benefits, but people generally want to help an institution they care about. Periodically we also need to tend to our financial affairs and update our estate plans. Tax laws and family situations often change. This requires that every few years or more frequently, we should examine our plans. By considering where we stand financially and where we want to make changes, we can better plan for retirement and look ahead to the inheritance we leave to family members and to our favorite charities. 

The biggest mistake people make about estate planning is that they don’t think about it until it is too late. In appropriate situations they should discuss the plans with family members. In setting up a planned gift, it is essential to seek out qualified financial and legal assistance by using a professional tax specialist, estate planning attorney or a financial planner. 

Estate planning is essential. When assets remain in an estate after a person dies, the assets can be taxed heavily depending on the value of those assets. The tax can reduce the amount passed on to heirs by a significant percentage. A properly constructed estate plan with bequests to a charity can reduce the taxes on those assets or avoid them entirely. 

Those who wish to qualify for U.S. tax deductibility for their donations, must include in their documentation that the gift is made to the American & Foreign Christian Union (AFCU), an IRS category 501(c)(3) organization. This is also necessary to obtain the estate tax benefits (IRC Section 2055) as a charitable contribution. The documentation should be specific if you desire to have your gift benefit one of the three churches (American Church in Paris, American Church in Berlin or the Vienna Community Church). Otherwise the gift will be used by the AFCU to support all three churches. In all cases, seek appropriate guidance before any final decisions are made or documentation is completed.

On behalf of these churches, we want to thank you for your support and your prayers. The American & Foreign Christian Union truly needs and appreciates your gifts. They serve to ensure the continuing missions of our churches. If you have any questions, or if we can be of any assistance with your plans, please contact us.

If you would like more information or would like to further discuss the Heritage Society, please send an email by clicking here.