Growing in Generosity
Inspiration for Your Legacy Journey
“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”
Proverbs 16:3
3 Ways to Give in Every Season of Life
In 2018, a sculpture caught the eye of a Texas woman perusing the aisles of her local thrift store and she bought it for $34.99. She was curious about the piece and started to do some research. Several years later, a fine arts consultant identified it as an ancient Roman bust that once belonged to a king of Bavaria and had long been missing from a German museum. The thought was an American soldier brought the bust home after WWII and it eventually made its way to someone’s donation pile. This priceless find is now back in Germany.* Talk about a unique donation!
You may not have a 2,000-year-old Roman bust lying around your house to give, but there are other creative ways you can support the work of ministries you love, no matter your season of life or the size of your budget. Start with these ideas:
Time.
Time is a resource available to all of us—and it can have an immeasurable impact. Share about your favorite nonprofits with people you know. Send notes of encouragement to staff members. Look into opportunities to volunteer. Your time investment pays lasting dividends in needs met and people served.
In-Kind Gifts.
You may have access to goods and resources that can bless our work, or you could have skills that will help us further our mission. Get in touch with us and learn more about which in-kind gifts can make the most difference.
Other Assets.
Research shows that about 90% of wealth is held in non-cash assets like IRAs, real estate, life insurance, stocks, or personal property. Many have also found that creative giving could mean leaving a legacy and extending impact with a charity through a gift in their will. You can use these tools in creative ways to change lives long after your lifetime.
In her diary, Anne Frank wrote, “No one has ever become poor from giving.” There’s great wisdom in her words. Serving others and giving toward work that changes lives brings a wealth of satisfaction and joy, regardless of your age or circumstances. Your creative gifts can make a lasting difference.
More Resources:
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4 Ways to Share Your Story This Christmas
One of Dave Isay’s earliest memories involves capturing the stories of his grandparents and great-aunts on a small cassette recorder (remember those?). He turned his love of stories into a vocation as founder of StoryCorps. This organization has recorded stories from more than 600,000 people and preserved them at the Library of Congress. Many of…
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The 90,000 Hour Investment
It’s estimated that the average person spends about 90,000 hours at work during their lifetime. And throughout those 90,000 hours, that average person will change jobs about 12 times. As you reflect on your working life, how did you invest your 90,000 hours? Behind a desk or on an assembly line? Maybe you’re one of…
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The Lifeline for Your Estate Plan
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? was an instant hit when it premiered in 1999. The game show featured contestants answering 15 increasingly difficult trivia questions, with the goal of winning one million dollars. If you’ve said, “Is that your final answer?” in the last 20 years, you probably have this show to thank. Contestants…