Ways to Give

There are many ways you can give to St. Paul’s to make a positive difference in the lives of our residents. In addition, the way you give can also benefit your own financial and tax situation. To find out what giving option is right for you, please talk to your financial planner.

You can also learn more about the giving opportunities available by contacting Dawn Hartman, Director of Planned & Major Giving at 724-589-4611.

Here are some of the most common ways to give:

Check/Credit Card

The simplest way to give is an outright gift by check or credit card. Simply click on the link below to get started.

Donate Now

Text-to-Donate

Give on the go by using your mobile device to text-to-donate. Simply text the word SPGIVE to 44-321. Follow the simple steps to complete your gift.

Appreciated Securities

Gifts of stock or appreciated securities can be transferred to St. Paul’s. There can be several benefits to you for doing this, including an immediate charitable deduction and avoidance of capital gains tax. Learn more.

Donor Advised Fund

St. Paul's welcomes charitable gifts from donor advised funds. A donor advised fund can be established through a community foundation like the Community Foundation of Western PA or Eastern OH, commercial companies like Fidelity Charitable or Schwab Charitable, or other non-profit organizations.

You will receive an immediate income tax deduction for gifts to your donor advised fund, and avoid capital gains tax if funded with appreciated securities.

A donor advised fund can be permanently endowed to continue for perpetuity after your lifetime. A permanently endowed fund makes charitable gifts to St. Paul's from the fund's annual earnings. This type of fund qualifies as a legacy gift and would grant you membership to St. Paul's Legacy Society.

Recurring Gift

If it’s in your heart to give to St. Paul’s on a regular basis or you’d like to spread out a large donation over time, you can set up a recurring gift. Such an easy way to give! Just set it up and then forget it. Your regular support will be sent to St. Paul's automatically. The simplest way to do this is to donate online and check the box "Show my support by making this a recurring donation." Choose the donation amount, when you want your recurring donations to start, and how often you'd like to give - weekly, monthly, quarterly or yearly. You can change your recurring donation at any time by contacting the Charitable Giving Office.

Corporate Matching Gifts

You could potentially double your donation if your employer offers a matching gifts program. Many large employers, such as Verizon, General Electric, Home Depot, Starbucks and Google, will match charitable gifts made by their employees. Some companies will even match your volunteer hours with a cash grant for your favorite charity. Check with your HR department to find out if this option is available for you.

IRA Charitable Rollover or Qualified Charitable Distribution

If you have a traditional IRA, at the age of 72, you will have to begin withdrawing a minimum required distribution each year, which is taxable income. If you don't need that money for your personal use, another great option is gifting it directly to St. Paul's from your IRA tax-free. More info.

At the age of 70 1/2, you can begin to make qualified charitable distributions from your IRA. This is a way to make a charitable gift directly from your IRA to a charity without having to pay income tax for the withdrawal of the funds. You can make qualified charitable distribution gifts from your IRA up to $100,000 annually.

Legacy Gifts

Also known as a planned gift, a legacy gift is a charitable donation that you set up as part of your estate plan, which will benefit St. Paul's after your lifetime. This type of gift enables you to create a meaningful legacy that will continue to make a difference, supporting a mission that was important to you in your life. There are several advantages to making a legacy gift:

  • Costs you nothing in your lifetime
  • May enable you to make a more impactful gift than you could in your lifetime
  • Can be altered if you change your mind
  • May provide you with an income stream
  • Reduces estate taxes and inheritance taxes for your heirs
  • May give you an income tax deduction or capital gains tax reduction today
  • You'll gain membership to St. Paul's celebrated Legacy Society

Click on the options below to learn more about the most common types of legacy gifts.

A charitable bequest in a will or trust is the most common type of planned gift arrangement. You can elect to leave St. Paul’s a specific dollar amount, a percentage of the total value of your estate, or a percentage of the remainder of your estate. Charitable bequests cost you nothing during your lifetime, can be changed at any time and can minimize potential estate costs and taxes.

  • Sample Bequest Language
    This sample language can be used to help you and your attorney draft your charitable bequest.

If you do include St. Paul’s in your estate plans, please let us know so we may thank you for your gift and add you to our Legacy Society. Simply complete the form below.

A charitable gift annuity is an irrevocable agreement with St. Paul’s that pays you and/or a spouse a fixed income for life, part of which may be tax-free. A CGA can be established with a gift of $10,000 or more. In exchange, you will receive fixed, annual payments from the annuity for life. The amount that remains after your lifetime will go to St. Paul’s. You can also choose one other charity to benefit if you desire. When setting up a charitable gift annuity, you are entitled to a charitable contribution tax deduction that year. More info.

There are two kinds of charitable remainder trusts - annuity and unitrust. Both are irrevocable and offer charitable tax deductions similar to a charitable gift annuity.

With a charitable remainder annuity trust, you receive a fixed annuity payment from the trust each year, which is calculated by a percentage rate of the original gift. For example, if the rate is 6% of a $150,000 gift, the annual annuity payment would be $9,000, regardless of the amount of the principal. With this kind of trust, there is a possibility that the donor could outlive the principal available in the trust.

With a charitable remainder unitrust, you receive a fixed annual percentage of the balance of the fund each year. Because of this, the payment will vary from year to year as the fund goes up and down. For example, if the fund starts out at $100,000 and your rate is 5%, your pay-out that year would be $5,000 (S100,000 x .05). If the fund grows the following year to $115,000, the pay-out would go up to $5,750 ($115,000 x .05).

With both kinds of trusts, after your lifetime, the remaining principal would become a charitable gift to St. Paul's.

There are several ways to make a charitable gift using life insurance. You could gift a paid-up life insurance policy you no longer need. You could name St. Paul’s as a beneficiary of your life insurance policy. You could make St. Paul's the owner and beneficiary of an existing policy, while you continue to pay the premiums. Depending on the option you choose, you may claim an income tax deduction for the cash surrender value of the policy and the premiums.

A pooled income fund is a type of charitable trust that St. Paul's offers as a giving option. Your gift of cash or appreciated securities to the pooled income fund will be invested and managed together with other donors' contributions. You will receive quarterly dividends for life based on your share of the fund. After your lifetime, the remainder of your share of the fund would come to St. Paul's as a charitable gift.

Another tax efficient way you can make a donation is to name St. Paul’s a beneficiary of all or a portion of a retirement account, such as an Individual Retirement Account (IRA), 401(k), 403(b), etc.

Retirement plans are some of the most heavily-taxed assets if left to heirs. In addition, recent changes to the law have eliminated stretch IRAs for non-spouse beneficiaries. Because of these reasons, some donors elect to leave other assets to their heirs, and name a charity as the beneficiary of their retirement plan instead.