Illustration by Abe Gurvin

The Anglican Church of Canada’s newest department—the Department of Philanthropy—is organized to serve as a resource for the whole church. Its mission is to combine stewardship education and financial development initiatives into an integrated, collaborative approach involving parishes, dioceses, General Synod, and national partners.

A thoughtful reading of both the Baptismal Covenant and the mission statement of the Anglican Church of Canada reveals that part of being a faithful Anglican Christian is understanding the theology of generosity. There are three areas where the Department of Philanthropy can help parishes and diocese express generosity:

1. Strategic planning

“'For surely I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord…'to give you a future with hope.'”  Jeremiah 29:11

Every parish and diocese needs a strategic plan. This document should answer several questions: What is God calling us to do and become as a community of faith? What is our mission? How can we live out the Baptismal Covenant? How can we make a difference in the lives of other people, especially the vulnerable?

The Department of Philanthropy can help your church build on the great work already done in diocesan pilot projects and partners-in-action programs. This typically involves focusing on a planning study, built upon a vision that parish and diocesan clergy and lay leaders have for their life and work. The study helps focus on areas of strength and opportunity, which in turn help develop local and regional ministry resources.

2. Stewardship education

“God does not want us to do extraordinary things; He wants us to do ordinary things extraordinarily well.”  — Bishop Charles Gore

Every parish and diocese needs to make stewardship education—in all its fullness—a priority. That means having well-equipped lay and clergy leaders who take this aspect of ministry seriously.

We have found some very fine new stewardship education resources that should be required reading for every priest and lay leader prepared to work in this field. They include:

a) The S Word: Reflections on Stewardship with Practical Programme Suggestions by Archbishop Douglas Hambidge (The Episcopal Network for Stewardship, 2009).  Drawing on decades of worldwide experience, Douglas Hambidge brings us the stewardship theology he has taught in congregations and at diocesan, ecumenical, and international events. He uses familiar scripture as well as heartwarming stories to teach that money is sacramental, our own need to give is the basis for our stewardship, and our love for God is shown through our offerings. The S Word can be used in stewardship committees, parish councils, adult classes, training and planning sessions, on retreats, or in diocesan gatherings.

b) “New Consecration Sunday Stewardship Program” by Herb Miller (Abingdon Press, 2007). There are two versions of this resource: a Guest Leader Guide with CD-ROM, and a Team Member’s Manual. An Estimate of Giving card is also available for parishioners to make an annual pledge or commitment. This proven-winner resource suggests that parishes approach their finances by teaching stewardship from a spiritual perspective rather than a fundraising one.  It focuses on the question, “What is God calling me to do?” rather than “What does the church need in order to pay its bills?” The original program has helped thousands of congregations in North America increase financial giving by 15% to 30%, and has been used in parishes in the Diocese of Rupert’s Land for some years. The revised version features a CD-ROM with the audio overview of the program, a PowerPoint presentation, editable letters, and communication tools. The program calls for an outside guest leader to give strong guidance to the local parish.

c) Another excellent resource is A Program to Encourage Sacrificial Giving In Your Parish (Stewardship Development Department, Diocese of Toronto, 2008), published after four years of wide use and impressive tangible results in the Diocese of Toronto. One real strength of this program is its sound theological base.

3. Gift planning

“Consider your possessions loaned to you by God.” — St. Catherine of Siena

Gift planning (or “planned giving”) refers to the faithful and responsible stewardship of accumulated assets. Our diocesan consultants, working with departmental staff, professional advisors, and above all, our faithful donors, have made an amazing contribution to the life of our church through planned gifts, largely through bequests, gift annuities, and gifts of listed securities.

In many places we are still missing opportunities to help people to grow in their understanding of generosity. In many parishes and dioceses in the past decade or so we have seen wonderful results of careful, pastoral education in this emerging aspect of vital ministry.

In the Department of Philanthropy, our staff and volunteers are prepared to work with your parish and diocese in each of these three key areas. We have resources, experience­­­ and expertise. We are offering to be a partner with you as you respond faithfully to God’s call to be generous.

For more information, please email me, Archdeacon John Robertson, or call toll-free, 1.888.439.GIFT (4438).

If Charles sold some listed securities, 50 per cent of the gain would be taxable. However, as he has learned, when you contribute qualifying securities to the Anglican Church of Canada or to any charity other than a private foundation, none of the gain is taxable. For example, if you donate securities that originally cost you $2,000 and are now worth $10,000, you recognize $8,000 of capital gain but pay no tax on the gain.

Your donation receipt will be issued for the full fair market value of the securities on the date they are transferred to the church. In computing the amount of your charitable tax credit, you receive the benefit of all the appreciation that can now be applied to reduce taxes payable on other income.

Planning opportunities with listed securities

1. When it’s time to sell

You may own securities you don’t think will perform in the future as well as they have in the past, or maybe you expect a correction in the entire market. Nevertheless, you hesitate to sell because you don’t want to pay tax on the gain. If you have been planning to make a charitable gift, these securities could be the ideal asset to use for that gift. The net cost of the gift could be relatively low.

Consider this example: Charles thinks it is time to sell some stock now valued at $10,000, for which he originally paid $2,000. He has decided to make a $10,000 gift to the Council of the North Trust administered by the Anglican Foundation. His combined federal and provincial tax rate and charitable tax credit are both 45%.

If Charles sold the stock, he would have to pay $1,800 for the tax on his capital gain (50% x $8,000 = $4,000; the tax on this capital gain works out to $1,800: 45% x $4,000).

But Charles knows better. He will give his securities to the Anglican Foundation.

As he does so, he receives a tax credit of $4,500 (45% x $10,000). There is no tax on his capital gain of $8,000.

2. When you want to hold

Unlike Charles in the previous example, you may have a stock you think has a great future. While you like the idea of exempting part of the gain from taxation, you don’t want to lose out on likely future appreciation. Thus, you are more inclined to hold the stock and make this year’s charitable gift with cash.

If you hold such stock, you might consider giving it and using the cash, which you otherwise would have given, to repurchase the stock on the market. Thereby, you would have established a higher value (cost base) for the stock, and when you sell it in the future you will be taxed only on the gain accruing after the repurchase.

3. Bequest of securities

The full exemption from taxable gain applies to charitable bequests and to lifetime gifts. If you intend to make bequests to the church as well as to family members, it could be advantageous to fund your charitable bequest with appreciated, listed securities and your family bequests with other assets. You can do this by making a specific bequest of certain securities, or by empowering your executor to select the assets for the charitable bequest.

Suppose, for example, that your estate consists of your principal residence, plus cash, plus $100,000 of listed stock with an adjusted cost base (original cost) of $40,000, and that you want to leave $100,000 to the Anglican Foundation and the balance to your children. If the stock goes to the children, $30,000 of the gain (50% x $60,000) will be taxed, but if it goes to the Anglican Foundation, the full $60,000 gain will be exempt from taxation. Better, then, to give the church your stock and your children your cash and principal residence, neither of which is taxable.

It’s amazing what one can do when one is feeling generous, visionary, and thoughtful.

For more information about gift planning, please contact Archdeacon John M. Robertson at 1.888.439.GIFT or jrobertson@national.anglican.ca

Our hope is to encourage Anglicans to understand that “stewardship is living into a vision of mission in a concrete way” as someone once said. Or to put it another way, “stewardship is what we do after we say, 'We believe'.” We help make it possible for people to live out lives of faithful, responsible and generous stewardship – in order to make a difference – in the life of their parish and wider church, and in the lives of those who need support the most.

We have learned that people grow spiritually when they give generously. Generous giving gives people a sense of happiness and fulfillment, knowing they are expressing their response to God's generosity. These are people who have prayerfully reflected on thoughtful sayings like, “When we can share, that is poetry in the prose of life” (Dr. Sigmund Freud), or “Consider your possessions loaned to you by God” (St. Catherine of Siena, 14th century.)

We have learned that people grow spiritually when they give generously. Generous giving gives people a sense of happiness and fulfillment, knowing they are expressing their response to God's generosity.

We have also learned over the years that parishes, dioceses, General Synod and other Anglican entities which have developed a compelling, visionary case for support, with a clear sense of mission and purpose, are those which are likely to receive gifts – ranging from outright annual gifts of cash, or “planned gifts” of listed securities, gift annuity proceeds, to insurance policies, and above all, bequests. Where there is strong lay and clergy leadership, where the theology of generosity is emphasized, rather than a theology of scarcity, there we will find healthy communities of faith and programs with strong financial foundations.

Following the approval by General Synod 2004 of the document, Serving God's World, Strengthening the Church: A Framework for a common journey in Christ, our office now focuses on stewardship education and financial development in partnership with dioceses and parishes, and continues to include a strong emphasis on gift planning. The Anglican Appeal is also a part of the work of this department. But we don't stop there. We work very closely with the Anglican Foundation of Canada, The Primate's World Relief and Development Fund, and the Anglican Journal Appeal, encouraging gifts, bequests and charitable gift annuities.

It may sound surprising, but working closely together this way is a relatively new development . We have discovered over the years that there tends to be some confusion as to who does what. This edition of MinistryMatters is intended to help sort that out. The wonderful thing is that we have options, choices, so that donors can direct their gifts to the areas of greatest personal interest. So staff and national boards are committed to working together, sharing calendars, resources and learning what works – all in the interest of our donors and prospective donors.

The Office of Financial Development helps coordinate all this and, particularly, helps all components of our church focus on the emerging, exciting opportunities of gift planning – the responsible stewardship of accumulated assets. In addition to having three staff members at Church House, the Office of Financial Development works closely with 14 regional or diocesan financial development consultants and a number of diocesan and parish volunteers. These include many allied professionals – lawyers, accountants, insurance brokers, and estate planners. We provide print resources, now all available on CD for local adaptation, and personal quotations or illustrations for prospective donors. We provide educational opportunities through regional or local workshops and actually visit donors upon request to offer guidance and to explain how their gifts will make a significant difference for the work of God.

Our big challenge during the next six years will be to give strong, practical leadership to “raising the funds required to implement the Framework.” The implementation of this plan will require new funding to support both existing work and new areas of mission and ministry. We have begun this initiative, with the full support of the national Financial Management and Development Committee, the Council of General Synod, and key, visionary leaders of our church. Stay tuned!

For more information about the Office of Financial Development and resources available for stewardship education and gift planning, contact -

Archdeacon John Robertson
Telephone 416.924.9199 ext. 268
Toll-free 1-888-439-GIFT
Email: jrobertson@national.anglican.ca