Plan Now for Your Future with Write-a-Will Month

Dear Wisconsin,

In 2021, my husband and I decided to update our will. We talked about it again in 2022. A new estate plan became our New Year's resolution in 2023. We finally wrote our new wills in 2024.

Four years!

I'm not the only one who procrastinates when it comes to important life-planning tasks.

That’s why many nonprofits promote August as a Write-A-Will Month. A will creates a legacy. By focusing on the importance of a will or other estate plans, we can help the people in our congregation care for their loved ones and support charities close to their hearts. Promoting Write-A-Will Month can provide the encouragement people need to complete this important life plan.

Creating our will allowed my husband and me to think about the legacy we want to leave. We found ways to balance care for our young adult children with our commitment to charities. Planning together allowed us to talk through our goals, the places that shaped our lives, and the impact we want to make on the world. Encouraging the people of your congregation to write a will can be an expression of pastoral care.

The Wisconsin Foundation and the Pension Boards partnered to provide additional resources to make the promotion of planned giving more accessible in your congregation. We created a new website where people can create a will or draft one to take to their lawyer. The site prompts people to consider a charitable gift in their estate, but it doesn't require it. You can learn more about this resource by visiting www.freewill.com/wisconsinucc.

Here's what you can do to promote planned giving:

• Share the “Bequest” brochure with every church member and encourage them to complete a will if they haven't.
• Attend the "Planned Giving in Your Congregation" course I'm offering through the Damascus Project for practical ideas and strategies on planned giving.
• Promote Write-A-Will Month in your congregation with personal testimony during worship (and record and send it to everyone in the church). A testimony by someone who wrote their will and included a gift to your congregation can motivate others to do the same.

It shouldn't take four years to write a will. In fact, with our new website, you can create one in 20 minutes.

Take time this summer to promote planned giving, with a particular push during August.

Yours in faith,

Andrew

Webinar:

Narrative Budgets: Telling your story by the numbers

A narrative budget translates the line items of a traditional budget into a story of how your congregation makes a difference in the world. It can be a helpful tool for a stewardship campaign or annual meeting. By telling the story of our congregations’ impact, we can inspire generosity in our donors.

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Generosity Forward Print Newsletter - another resource for your generosity practices

Did you receive the Generosity Forward Print Newsletter in your mailbox recently? This 8-page quarterly publication provides unique content that highlights the impact of our giving, lifts up ways people can make gifts, and reflects on the practice of giving in our faith. Sharing our stories of giving helps us feel hope as we see the difference we make together. Stories help us feel connected, and give us a deeper understanding of how and why to give. You're sure to find these insights helpful in your own generosity practices. Download the Generosity Forward Print Newsletter HERE.

Want to make sure you get this newsletter mailed to you each quarter? Send your name and mailing address to resourcecenter@wcucc.org and we'll include you in future mailings.