Another way that donors may support the ministry at Cross Connections is through a planned gift.  According to PlannedGiving.com, planned giving "is any major gift, made in lifetime or death as part of a donor's overall financial and/or estate planning.  Planned giving allows donors to support nonprofits with larger gifts than could usually be made from ordinary income.  These include gifts of equity, life insurance, real estate, personal property, or cash.  Following are a few examples of planned gifts made to Cross Connections:

Gifts of Stock and Assets
Gifts that derive from a donor’s investment portfolio are another benefit for both supporter as well as the ministry. From a tax advantage for the donor and the gift received by the ministry is a gifting avenue that can be very appealing. With the gift of appreciated securities held long term, the donation a supporter makes and the tax deduction acquired are both greater than if the donor were to sell stock out of a portfolio and then give the resulting cash to the ministry.
In this avenue of giving, the stock the donor gives avoids capital gains tax while allowing the donor to deduct the full market value of the stock that is being gifted to the ministry. This allows the dollar amount donated to be more!

Charitable Gift Annuity
A charitable gift annuity is a contract between a charity or ministry and a donor whereby the ministry pays an annuity to the donor for life in exchange for a gift of cash or other assets. This arrangement is part charitable gift, part purchase of an annuity contract with a term equal to the life of the donor. The administrative burden is placed on the ministry. Generally, the donor receives an income tax deduction for the difference between the value of the property transferred and the annuity value.
Cross Connections is always available to meet with our partners who wish to continue their partnership and ensure the mission, focus, and purpose of bringing Biblical counseling and guidance to the trials of life endures for decades to come.

Thrivent Choice Dollars
Many of our supporters are members of Thrivent Financial and carry Life Insurance and other financial holdings through the many avenues of wealth building they offer. Thrivent offers an avenue for all member to donate to their selected charity or ministry through Choice Dollars. This a Donor Advised fund that allows investments to grow and then be granted to the organization the member has selected. Donor Advised Funds (DAF) are a charitable giving account exclusively designed to invest, grow, and give assets to charities for lasting impact. The contributions are tax deductible and the assets in the DAF grow tax-free. The gift to the ministry is made periodically and it is a very convenient at tax-efficient way to give!

If you are interested in starting a conversation with us about how you can include Cross Connections in your planned giving, please email our Director, Kirk Reber, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call at (260) 373-0213.