North Georgia United Methodist - Multiplying Financial Resources for Mission and Ministry

The Rev. Chris Barbieri, minister of discipleship at Sandy Springs UMC, faced a dilemma. He needed to dispose of appreciated stock, but wanted his charitable contributions to be spread out over time to benefit multiple Christian-based organizations.

After meeting with the North Georgia United Methodist Foundation, the Rev. Barbieri discovered that a donor advised fund was the perfect vehicle for accomplishing his charitable giving needs. “The Foundation was extremely helpful in explaining how the donor advised fund works,” he said. “It took a potential tax liability and turned it into a tax advantage.”

The Rev. Barbieri appreciated how easy it was to establish a donor advised fund. “All I had to do was bring in a statement and the Foundation took care of all of the paperwork and transfers. That was wonderful,” he said. “This is an intangible factor, but I also had a very high trust factor knowing that I was dealing with a Methodist institution.”

According to the National Philanthropic Trust, donor advised funds, which hold approximately $21.7 billion in assets, are the fastest growing charitable giving vehicle. If you would like more information regarding the benefits of establishing a donor advised fund, please call the Foundation at 770-449-6726.