Planned Giving

Throughout the years generous parishioners who love Saint Thomas Church and its Choir School have shown their support by including the Church or Choir School in their estate plans. Indeed, both the church and school could not exist in their present forms without the estate contributions of previous generations. There are many ways to include Saint Thomas in your plans, including through wills and gifts of life insurance . The Rector and the Vestry encourage all members of the Parish to remember the Parish in their estate plans and through gifts.


Funeral and Memorial Workbook

At Saint Thomas, we believe that all parishioners should carefully think about their funeral plans and convey their wishes to their family and clergy. The Funeral and Memorial Workbook has been designed to help in this process. You can download this workbook or contact the Development Office and ask for one to be mailed to you. It is our hope that planning for your final service will give you and your family peace of mind.


Wills

All adults should have a will and decide upon the legacy they leave for the people and institutions they love – if you don’t define your estate provisions, state law will do so. If you would like to make a provision in your will to leave a specific sum to the Church, the language of the bequest to Saint Thomas Church should read:

I give to Saint Thomas Church in the City and County of New York, for its corporate purposes, the sum of _______________ dollars.
If you decide to leave a percentage of your estate, your will could include the following language:
I give to Saint Thomas Church in the City and County of New York ______ percent of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate.
The form of bequest to Saint Thomas Choir School would read:
I give to Saint Thomas Church in the City and County of New York, for the support of the Saint Thomas Church Choir School the sum of ________________ dollars or ______ percent of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate.

These forms of bequest may be changed on consultation with the Rector to reflect other types of gifts. It is important to talk with your family and your financial adviser before making a decision about including a gift to Saint Thomas in your will. Saint Thomas cannot render any type of legal or tax advice.


Life Insurance and Other Gifts

It is possible to support Saint Thomas through gifts of life insurance either by:

    • Naming the Church or School as the beneficiary, in whole or in part, of an existing policy or as a contingent beneficiary, or
    • Cashing in a policy and donating all or part of the cash value to Saint Thomas.

It is also possible to make significant gifts to Saint Thomas through Charitable Remainder Trusts, Charitable Lead Trusts and retirement plans, such as 401 (k)s and IRAs.