Gifts of Life Insurance: The Details

A life insurance policy is a wonderful asset that can be used to create a much greater philanthropic impact at the church than you might have thought possible.

If you are carrying more insurance coverage than your family obligations now require, or if you would like to explore a low-cost/large-impact gift generally, consider using life insurance to create a meaningful legacy at the church for relatively little cost.

Donate an Existing Policy

You can irrevocably designate the church as the owner and beneficiary of an existing policy. If the policy is fully paid up or otherwise has an internal value, you will be able to claim a current income tax charitable deduction at the time of contribution for approximately the cash surrender value of the policy. In addition, if the policy is not yet fully paid up, you will continue to make annual premium payments as they are due and will be able to claim a tax deduction for each payment.

Designate the church as Beneficiary

If you have a policy that is not yet ripe for outright donation, you can create a wonderful legacy by designating the church as a partial or full beneficiary of an existing policy. You will retain ownership of the policy and the flexibility to change your beneficiary designation later if your circumstances change, but any policy proceeds distributed to the church will be exempt from estate tax in your estate and create a wonderful legacy at comparatively low cost.

Designating a policy is real simple. Here's how.