Give Now
REGULAR GIVING
Click Here to give, this is the direct link to donate to Zion.
We are proud to use Tithe.ly as our tool for safe online giving.
PLANNED GIVING
Zion Lutheran Church welcomes gifts from Zion and Utica community members. Gifts can consist of memorials, bequests in wills, charitable remainder and other trusts, charitable gift annuities, assignment of life insurance and transfer of property, such as cash, stocks, bonds, or real estate. To-date, most gifts have been from bequests in wills. Planned giving is another method of providing end of life gifting of one's wealth to Zion.
To assist members and friends of the congregation in thinking about, and planning for gifts to the Endowment and/or Knobloch Funds and other zion activities, members and friends may discuss opportunities with the Pastor or other Church Council members. To gain added perspective and information, the ELCA Foundation maintains a staff for free consulation regarding planned giving. The website, maintained bythe ELCA Foundation, is quite informative regarding options and the benefits and intricacies of planned giving. Local attorneys and accountants are also available to assist members in carrying out their wishes.
A special planned giving opportunity exists for members of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. The Giving Plus Program provides matching funds for members giving to Zion activities and funds. For detail and plan specifics, please go to Thrivent's website at: THRIVENT.COM.
Another source for information on planned giving is the Society for Nonprofit Organizations (SNPO). This society has assembled a variety of resources to support the activities, including fund-raising, of nonprofit organizations. Their website is quite rich with general information concerning planned giving. To obtain information of a generic nature, please visit the following: SNPO.ORG.
Finally, the new IRS tax laws passed by Congress in 2017 provides opportunities for tax-free charitable contributions from IRAs for those age 70 1/2 or older.
If you are planning to leave assets to both charity and your heirs, consider gifting retirement funds (IRA) to charity and leaving non-retirement funds to heirs. In 2017 the change in the tax laws permits donors age 70 1/2 or older to make charitable gifts directly from a traditional or Roth IRA to a public charity (Zion qualifies as a public charity). Your gift will still count toward your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD), but will not generate taxable income to you. Note – Funds must go directly from the IRA custodian to the charity (Church). Zion Lutheran Church would welcome such gifts. For additional information refer to Zion's web site www.zionlutheranNY.org. The Church office also has written information available.
