PLANNED GIFTS
Leave a Legacy and support thoughtful dialogue by including the Westminster Town Hall Forum in your estate plans.
A Gift That Lives Your Values
Planned gifts provide enduring support for our discussion that shape our thinking and behavior. By remembering the Forum in your will, trust, or retirement plan, you extend your financial support and values beyond your lifetime—helping others wrestle with the moral and ethical issues that define our time.
Simple Ways to Include the Westminster Town Hall Forum
Bequest in your will or trust: Designate a gift of a specific amount or percentage to the Westminster Town Hall Forum.
Beneficiary designation: Name the Westminster Town Hall Forum as a beneficiary of your IRA, 401(k), or life insurance policy. This option is simple, flexible, and can offer tax advantages to your estate.
Endowed gift: Create an endowment that supports the Westminster Town Hall Forum every year in perpetuity, ensuring the dialogue continues for future generations.
Why It Matters
Ethical questions—about justice, health, human dignity, and stewardship of our planet—require an open forum for ethical conversation. Your estate gift helps the Westminster Town Hall Forum continue to offer that forum: a forum for learning respectful dialogue grounded in ethical values.
We’re Here to Help
If you’ve already included the Westminster Town Hall Forum in your plans or would like guidance on how to do so, please contact Richard Olson, Esq. Richard can provide sample language or work with your professional advisor to ensure your intentions are fulfilled.
Your thoughtful planning today will ensure our community members continue to gather, reflect, and grow in wisdom—and are inspired by the ethical challenges of our world.
REQUIRED MINIMUM DISTRIBUTIONS (RMDS)
You can help sustain and grow this meaningful program through a simple, tax-wise way to give: Required Minimum Distribution (RMD).
What Is an RMD?
Once you reach age 73 (or 72 if you turned 72 before 2023), the IRS requires you to withdraw a minimum amount each year from your traditional IRA or other qualified retirement accounts. These withdrawals are taxed as ordinary income.
However, you can direct up to $109,000 per year from your IRA directly to a qualified charity—including the Westminster Town Hall Forum—through what’s called a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD). The gift counts toward your RMD but is excluded from taxable income.
Why It Matters:
For many donors, a QCD is one of the most tax-efficient ways to give:
- You avoid paying income tax on the portion of your RMD sent directly to the church.
- You may lower your adjusted gross income, potentially reducing taxes on Social Security and Medicare premiums.
- Your gift makes an immediate and lasting impact on the speakers the Forum is able to bring into Westminster’s sanctuary.
How Your Gift Supports the Forum:
Gifts from RMDs help the Westminster Town Hall Forum:
- Bring nationally recognized speakers on faith, ethics, and community topics.
- Offer free admission so everyone in our community can participate.
- Promote dialogue among parishioners and the wider community.
How to Give:
- Contact your IRA administrator and request a Qualified Charitable Distribution payable to the Westminster Town Hall Forum, EIN: 41-0695506.
- Have the check sent directly to the Forum’s office: Attn: Sara Wilhelm Garbers – 1200 Marquette Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55403
- Notify the Executive Director – Sara Wilhelm Garbers at swilhelmgarbers@westminsterforum or or 612-332-3431 so your gift can be properly acknowledged and designated for the Westminster Town Hall Forum.
Your RMD gift can transform a required withdrawal into a meaningful witness of faith—supporting education, conversation, and spiritual growth in our community. Thank You!