| KINGDOM BUILDER FOUNDATION INTRODUCTION FAQ: 1. What is the Kingdom Builder Foundation? The Kingdom Builder Foundation (of Solana Beach) was created in 2007 to provide members and friends of SBPC the opportunity to leave legacy gifts to a member managed foundation. Interest earned on conservatively invested foundation gifts will be granted annually to answer God’s desire for us to do significant kingdom building at our church, in the community and around the world…. forever and ever. 2. Why should we consider gifting to the foundation from a biblical perspective (NIV)? -
Giving as a blessing: -
“It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Act 20:35) -
“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.” (1 Chronicles 29:14) -
“You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” (2 Corinthians 9:11) -
“Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23) -
Giving as an act of worship: -
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21) -
“Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account.” (Philippians 4:17) -
“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” (Luke 12:48) -
“Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.”(Proverbs 11:28) -
Giving as a focus our hope in God, not ourselves: -
“The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” (Psalm 24:1) -
“You may say to yourself. ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he has swore to your forefathers as it is today.” (Deuteronomy 8:17-18) -
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:6-7) -
“Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops.” (Proverbs 3:9) -
“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” (1 Timothy 6:17-19) 3. Why should we consider gifting to the foundation from a personal perspective? -
We honor God: We can’t take it with us but foundation giving lets us send it on ahead. -
We are blessed to be a blessing: The blessing on us when we give money is always greater than if we had kept it. -
We leave a legacy: Foundation giving gives us an opportunity to write our own obituary. -
We invest wisely: When our money and possessions are invested in heavenly treasures, our investment takes on eternal value. Our foundation giving is investing in the “right treasury.” -
We live out our faith: Foundation giving provides individuals an opportunity to move the conversion of our heart and mind into a conversion of our purse. -
We are rewarded: What we don’t invest, we will lose. What we give and share and do in Christ’s name will ultimately come back to us in heaven, in a far better and permanent form. -
We honor our family: We consider foundation giving as a legacy leaving option that honors our family. We consider Jesus to be a member of our immediate family. When we provide our family with an inheritance, we include Jesus as a member of the family. -
We perpetuate the Vision of SBPC: “Solana Beach Presbyterian Church seeks to become a growing community of fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.” -
We perpetuate the Mission of SBPC: “We serve with uncommon generosity by giving our time, our spiritual gifts and financial resources.” and “We impact the world by demonstrating the kingdom of God and inviting others to join it.” 4. Who benefits from the Kingdom Builder Foundation? -
Our church: We grow and strengthen our congregation -
Our community: We serve the needs of and bring the gospel to those in our community. -
Our world: We serve the needs of and bring the gospel to those throughout the world. 5. What is the vision for the foundation in the future? By the year 2020 we will be a Foundation with $50,000,000 in invested assets providing $2,500,000 of interest income to be granted annually for the special kingdom building needs that support the vision and mission of our church.
KINGDOM BUILDER FOUNDATION GIVING FAQ: 6. What is the “giving to the foundation” vision for the future? Hundreds of members and friends of our congregation, along with a very high percentage of church staff and church leaders, leaving current and/or deferred legacy gifts to the Foundation. 7. What type of gifts will the Foundation receive? The types of gifts that can made to the Foundation are wide ranging and include such options as cash, bonds, stock, raw land, residential property, commercial property, insurance policy proceeds, estate plan bequeaths, etc. are typical Foundation gifts. 8. Can gifts to the Foundation be donor directed? Yes! While unrestricted gifts (or gifts to the three broad areas we support with the Foundation) are more desirable, donors will be given the opportunity to direct their gifts to general ministry or mission areas of their choosing. Donors who more narrowly designate their gifts (ie a specific mission) will be encouraged to provide at least one alternative designated gift recipient. 9. What if the ministry or mission designated by a donor as the primary beneficiary ceases to exist? The donor’s money will be used to support the alternative donor designated ministry or mission. 10. What if a donor wants to designate his/her gift to the foundation to a specific cause or mission clearly not supported by the Vision and Mission of our church? The gift will not be accepted by the Foundation. 11. What if an individual donor perceives the need to have a “sunset provision” for their donated capital? In other words, what if a donor who requires their capital as well as the interest be totally consumed by a specific period in time? We will honor that need. 12. Are gifts to the Foundation tax deductible? Yes! 13. Does Foundation giving compete with traditional Stewardship giving? No. Annual stewardship gifts typically come from current income and current cash flow. Foundation gifts typically come from accumulated assets (i.e. stocks, bonds, life insurance policies, Wills and Trusts etc.) Stewardship gifts are provided with the intent that they be “spent today.” Foundation gifts are provided with the intent that they be “spent tomorrow …. and the day after tomorrow…… forever” 14. Does Foundation giving compete with capital campaign giving? Typically not!
15. What does the Foundation do with non cash gifts? The Foundation will convert most non cash gifts (i.e. highly appreciated stock or property) to cash as soon as possible and invest the proceeds in the professionally managed Foundation investment portfolio. 16. What size of gift does the Foundation typically receive? Obviously there is no upper limit to the size of gifts that the Foundation would like to receive. $1,000 is the lower limit for donations to the Foundation general fund. $25,000 is the lower limit for a designated gift to the Foundation 17. How does the leadership of the church become involved in “gifting” to the Foundation? Elders, Deacons and Staff will all be encouraged to include the Foundation giving in their wills and estate plans. Members of the congregation will follow the example of church leaders with respect to their Foundation giving commitments. 18. What if someone wants to give a gift to SBPC for a specific and immediate cause (ie a new organ, a new van for the Senior High Ministry etc.)? Gifts for immediate needs do not flow through the Foundation. These gifts are made directly to the church for the project or program designated by the donor. 19. What kind of professional help will be made available to members of the congregation who need assistance with developing or modifying an estate plan, procuring an insurance policy that designates the foundation etc.? We will first recommend that potential givers seek professional advice from their current professional financial planning resources. For those without this resource available, we will provide a list of professionals who have the skills, products and services that serve the needs of potential foundation givers. 21. What type of Foundation donor recognition can be expected? Unless anonymity is specifically requested, all donors will be recognized and celebrated professionally, appropriately and frequently. KINGDOM BUILDER FOUNDATION GRANTING FAQ: 22. What is the “granting vision” for the foundation? To provide a source of substantial funding for ministries and missions at SBPC that “dare to dream big for God.” 23. Where does the grant money come from? Donations to the foundation are invested. At least 5% of the value of the invested principle is granted annually. For example, if we have a foundation with a principle of $10,000,000, five percent or $500,000 would be granted annually. 24. How are potential foundation gift needs and requests made known to the Foundation Board? Individuals and organizations can apply for a Foundation grant at any time. At least once a year, the Foundation will publicly announce the availability of grant money and the process used to apply for specific grants. 25. What type of SBPC activities are typically supported by Foundation gifts? There are three broad categories of ministry and mission activities supported by the foundation: - Our church- To grow and strengthen our congregation.
- Our community- To serve the needs of and bring the gospel to those in our community.
- Our world- To serve the needs of and bring the gospel to those throughout the world.
Foundation gifts are generally provided for new ministry and mission initiatives that would not be realized without Foundation participation. Examples may include: -
New mission plantings that require “seed money” to get started. -
Scholarships for seminarians. -
One time challenge grants to launch new ministry initiatives. -
Major disaster relief. -
Launching or growing new missions in other counties. 26. Are there SBPC activities typically not supported by the Foundation? Activities typically not support by the Foundation would include: -
Ministries not aligned with the vision and mission of our church. -
Day-to-day operations of the church. -
Sustained support of already funded ministries and already planted ministries. -
New facility needs. -
Individuals and organizations with narrow political and/or social agendas. 27. Who makes Foundation granting decisions? The Foundation Granting Committee team makes specific granting recommendations annually within the guidelines of the Foundation. Annual Foundation grants will be recommended to and approved by the entire Foundation Board. 28. Does the Foundation provide ongoing or sustaining funding in perpetuity for specific ministries? Typically not! Foundation gifts generally have a well defined life (1-5 years) with a clear “gift termination” date. 29. What are some “granting guidelines” that will be employed by the Foundation? Some overarching granting guidelines include: -
Alignment to the vision and mission of our church. -
Conformance to the Foundation charter. -
Conformance to the Brief Statement of Faith. -
Larger and fewer grants as opposed to more and smaller grants. -
Start up or planting grants as opposed to ministry/mission sustaining grants. -
Grants that conform to donor intent for donor designated Foundation gifts. -
Requests for Foundation grants will include clearly defined goals and measurable deliverables. -
The performance of previous grants will be measured, monitored and reported annually by the Foundation Granting Committee. KINGDOM BUILDER FOUNDATION INVESTING FAQ: 30. What is the “investing vision” for the foundation in the future? The vision is to have $50,000,000 conservatively invested with cost effective, professional and successful money managers by 2020. 31. How is the money raised by the Foundation invested? The Foundation will employ professional money managers to invest Foundation assets. The Foundation will typically invest 40% of the assets in bonds, 40% in equities and 20% in other money market instruments. 32. Who decides where the Foundation money is invested? The Investment Committee, a subset of the Foundation Board, will employ responsible money mangers to carefully invest the assets of the Foundation. The Investment Committee will review the investment portfolio performance at least annually. 33. What kind of rate of annual return can we expect on the Foundation assets? Conservatively invested Foundation funds will typically earn about 7%-8% per year. There will be years with negative growth. There will be years with double digit asset growth. 34. How does a Foundation grow in size? Foundations grow by generating new cash gifts to the Foundation, and receiving the proceeds of insurance policies and estate plans upon the death of the person(s) pledging deferred gifts to the Foundation grant. The Foundation also grows in good years when investment income exceeds the total monies granted that year. 35. Will the Foundation Investment Committee attempt to make “kingdom investments?” The Investment Committee may invest in “socially sensitive” portfolios (i.e. no alcohol or cigarette companies) but generally will not make higher risk “social cause” investments. KINGDOM BUILDER FOUNDATION GENERAL FAQ: 37. Why do churches elect to establish their own foundation? Substantial wealth will be gifted to foundations over the next 25-50 years. Church bodies establish foundations as a means of providing members and friends an opportunity to leave lasting legacy gifts that will forever fund Christian kingdom building initiatives. These gifts provide the givers an opportunity to use their estate assets as a living and perpetual Christian stewardship legacy. The giving, investing and granting is managed by members of the local church. 38. Why do we now need a foundation of any kind at Solana Beach Presbyterian Church? For over 60 years we have not provided an opportunity for most members and friends to leave a SBPC kingdom building legacy. The Kingdom Builder foundation will provide members and friends of SBPC an opportunity to include Christian charitable giving in their estate plans by leaving an enduring gift to forever support the mission of our church by kingdom building. 40. What are the consequences for Solana Beach Presbyterian Church if we don’t provide an effective Foundation option? A significant amount of legacy wealth has already been lost to SBPC because we have not been intentional about attracting those gifts to our church. Many of these gifts will be made to their alma maters and other foundations. The Kingdom Builder Foundation will provide members of the congregation an attractive legacy leaving alternative. 41. How is the Foundation managed? The Foundation will be managed by a 7-12 person Foundation Board. All those on the Foundation Board have “gifted” the Foundation and are members of SBPC. -
The Foundation Chairman -
The Foundation President -
One to six other members of our congregation -
Two members appointed by the Session -
The Senior Pastor of SBPC -
The Executive Director of SBPC Except the Senior Pastor and the Executive Director, who serve as long as they are employed by SBPC, all Directors may serve for a maximum of two consecutive three year terms. 42. Is SBPC ready for a Foundation? Yes! The SBPC Strategic Planning Task Force commissioned a survey of the community and the congregation in 2004. The survey found that our community lines up well with patterns associated with successful foundation participation. While the survey found there is a high degree of giving to secular organizations, the research also discovered the congregation is highly involved in the church, has a high average household income, and has a vision for our church that: “recognizes the physical and spiritual needs of fellow human beings throughout the world and, through the prudent use of our resources, reaches out in Word and deed to address the religious, political, social and environmental challenges that create barriers to Christ’s plan for establishing the Kingdom of God.“ The Foundation will help our congregation to charitably impact the word with Christ’s love and perpetually pursue the mission of our church. 43. Is the Kingdom Builder Foundation associated with the national Presbyterian Church Foundation or PCUSA in any way? No. There is no formal or informal relationship, interlocking administration or co-mingled funds with either the Presbyterian Church Foundation or the PCUSA. The Kingdom Builder Foundation is a separate and stand-alone legal entity. 45. How will we pay for these increased costs? We will pay for these increased costs from a fund established specifically to launch and sustain the Foundation. Currently committed church resources will not be used to develop, launch and sustain the Kingdom Builder Foundation. 46. How will Small Groups facilitate the SBPC Foundation? Small Groups serve as an excellent forum to learn about and apply the principles of giving, which then serve as the basis for many subsequent legacy gifting decisions. Furthermore, Small Groups may well be a source of ideas for new ministries worthy of Foundation grant consideration. 47. What type of reporting can be expected by donors and others in the congregation? Foundation donors can expect to receive quarterly and annual reports from the Foundation. Session members and the congregation will receive audited annual Foundation reports every year. The Kingdom Builder Foundation will report quarterly to the Session. |