Bequest

A bequest is a gift made through your will or trust that provides a meaningful way to support ministries for years to come. It is one of the most popular and flexible ways to provide and protect your spouse, family, and ministry.

A bequest allows you to continue to use the property you will leave to LCEF during your life and make a lasting impact on our work after you are gone.

Benefits of a Bequest

• Receive an estate tax charitable deduction
• Reduce the burden of taxes on your family
• Leave a lasting legacy to our organization

How a Bequest Works

A bequest is one of the easiest gifts to make. With the help of an attorney, you can include language in your will or trust specifying a gift to be made to family, friends or Lutheran Church Extension Fund as part of your estate plan, or you can make a bequest using a beneficiary designation form.

Ways to Leave a Bequest to LCEF

• Include a bequest to Lutheran Church Extension Fund in your will or revocable trust
• Designate Lutheran Church Extension Fund as a full, partial or contingent beneficiary of your retirement account (IRA, 401(k), 403(b) or pension)
• Name Lutheran Church Extension Fund as a beneficiary of your life insurance policy

Ways to Leave a Bequest

• Specific Bequest - A specific bequest involves making a gift of a specific asset such as real estate, a car, other property or a gift for a specific dollar amount. For example, you may wish to leave your home or $10,000 to Lutheran Church Extension Fund.
• Percentage Bequest - Another kind of bequest involves leaving a specific percentage of your overall estate to our organization. For example, you may wish to leave 10% of your estate to Lutheran Church Extension Fund.
• Residual Bequest - A residual bequest is made from the balance of an estate after the will or trust has given away each of the specific bequests. A common residual bequest involves leaving a percentage of the residue of the estate to our organization. For example, you may wish to leave 30% of the residue of your estate to Lutheran Church Extension Fund.

Review Sample Bequest Language