Jewish Federation's Endowment Department

 

 

The Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis provides you with the opportunity to establish a legacy that will shape and improve Jewish life for generations. The mission of the Planned Giving and Endowment program of JFGI is to provide the resources to meet the challenges and needs of the Indianapolis Jewish community for today and tomorrow. Gifts to JFGI’s Endowment program can be made outright during the donor’s lifetime or through one of the planned giving vehicles. Your gift can be added to an existing endowment fund or create a new fund to support a specific field of interest, the annual campaign or to support our unrestricted needs. The Endowment program allows our community to maintain a permanent, self-sustaining source of income to support existing programs of Federation and to develop new approaches to address emerging needs here and overseas. 
 

Endowments are not just for the wealthy — they are the means by which ordinary people make extraordinary, impactful gifts.

Types of Gifts


The easiest and most common way to establish an endowment fund during your lifetime is with a gift of cash, simply write a check or use a credit card. Alternatively, giving appreciated assets can offer significant tax advantages. Donations of appreciated, publicly traded securities are the most common, tax-wise method of making non-cash charitable gifts. Securities are easily transferred, and, in most cases, easily valued for deduction purposes. The most common forms of securities gifts are shares of stock, bonds and mutual funds.




Your will is an important element in your estate plan that enables you to protect the people you love, create a lasting partnership with the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis and help ensure the future of the Indianapolis Jewish community. More information about Charitable Bequests.




This vehicle is an excellent way to make a gift. If your life insurance policy is no longer needed or will no longer benefit your survivors, consider donating the policy. You can also purchase a life insurance policy naming the Federation as the owner and beneficiary of the policy and contribute the amount of the premiums to the Federation and receive an annual income tax deduction. More information about Life Insurance.




One of the most costly assets to leave to your family can be an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) or qualified retirement plan, such as a 401(k) or 403(b), pension, or other tax-deferred plan. You can designate the Federation as the beneficiary of a percentage or for the remainder of your retirement plan. More information about Retirement Assets.




Any of the life income gifts described below will provide years of income for you or a loved one before creating an enduring legacy to benefit the Jewish community.

Charitable Gift Annuities provide you or your loved one with a guaranteed annual income stream for life before creating a permanent legacy in your name. Charitable gift annuities are straightforward and easy to set up and may offer significant tax benefits.

Charitable Remainder Trusts offer a flexible way to create a significant legacy in your name and receive income from the trust for life or for a specified term of years. Charitable Remainder Annuity Trusts (CRAT) provide you or a loved one fixed annual income based on the initial value of the trust, while Charitable Remainder Unitrusts (CRUT) offer you or a loved one variable annual income based on the annual value of the trust.




Charitable Lead Trusts are both an income—and wealth—transfer vehicle, enabling you to transfer income-producing assets to the next generation at a significantly lower tax cost, while meeting your philanthropic objectives. Charitable lead trusts provide income to the Endowment Fund for a specified term of years, and then return the assets in the trust to your loved ones.




Contact us for more information on gifts of private equity or real estate.

Types of Funds


When you create a PACE fund, your annual gift will endure forever to carry on your charitable goals. In order to fully endow your annual gift into the future, consider an endowment which is twenty times your Federation Annual Campaign gift. A minimum gift of $10,000 is required to establish a PACE Fund.




Women who have created an endowment of $100,000 or greater are recognized as LOJE. Their endowment ensures a contribution at the Lion of Judah level ($5,000) is made to the Federation's Annual Campaign each year. More information about LOJE gifts.




You decide how your gift is to be used. Grants from your fund are awarded in your name or in honor or memory of a loved one to benefit a field of interest or designated Jewish agency or synagogue.




Donor advised funds are owned and invested by JFGI to provide donors the opportunity to place contributions into a charitable fund where recommendations can be made immediately or over time to Jewish and general charities.

Donors receive a charitable deduction for the value of their contribution at the time deposited into the donor advised fund, not when it is distributed. However, some Donor Advised Fund holders choose their own investment advisors to manage their funds. Click here for more information on JFGI's Outside Investment Advisors program.

Donor Advised Funds are generally pooled with JFGI's Endowment portfolio and managed by our professional investment manager, Commonfund. Click here to review JFGI’s current administrative fee schedule.




Named Funds - Restricted/Unrestricted are owned and invested by JFGI and have been established in honor or memory of a community member, typically have a designated purpose, and are distributed automatically or brought to the Endowment Committee for review. For some funds, only the interest is distributed, while for others, the principal can be used. The Federation Board of Directors reviews and votes on all Endowment grant recommendations.

Programs


LIFE & LEGACY is an endowment program designed to help create permanent legacy gifts, demonstrating your belief in the continuity of Jewish life for generations to come. In partnership with Jewish organizations and local synagogues, this program helps individuals and families create ongoing support for the Jewish causes that are most dear to their heart. All of us, regardless of age, wealth, or affiliation, have the ability to help sustain a vibrant Jewish community now and in the future. We focus on the future of the Indianapolis Jewish community, driven by the core belief that when we support financial stability in all our organizations, we ensure a strong community across Indianapolis for generations.

For more information on starting or creating your legacy, contact Brian Hoffman at bhoffman@jfgi.org or 317-715-6968. To make a gift, please complete our Letter of Intent. If you are interested in formalizing your Letter of Intent, we ask that you please complete our Legacy Gift Formalization form.

"As my parents planted for me before I was born, so do I plant for those who will come after me." - Talmud




Involving the next generation in family foundations, donor advised funds, or other forms of family philanthropy is more important than ever. Engaging multiple generations in family conversations around philanthropic giving is an important but challenging enterprise. We offer facilitation services to guide families as they seek to engage in productive and collaborative decision-making together, while navigating generational family dynamics. For more information, contact Josh Lodolo at jlodolo@jfgi.org or 317-715-9266.




A network of Greater Indianapolis professional advisors dedicated to building relationships and integrating charitable planning as a strategy for achieving their clients' overall goals. Click for more information, to meet our Professional Advisors, to join the Professional Advisors Group, or to learn about the Outside Investment Advisor program.

 

 




The JFGI Legacy Circle includes members of the Indianapolis community who have made legacy commitments to JFGI with a planned gift. Although the LIFE & LEGACY program has been the focus of the Endowment program in the last few years, it is important to acknowledge that JFGI’s endowments exist because of the foresight and the legacy commitments of many donors prior to LIFE & LEGACY. These individuals are part of JFGI’s Legacy Circle, which serves to recognize all of JFGI’s endowment donors through a variety of stewardship activities, including an annual legacy commitment celebration.

 


 

 

 

 

 

If you have any questions, or you would like to get started creating your plan, please contact:

 

   Josh Lodolo
   Senior Director of Planning Giving & Endowment
   317-715-9266
   Email: jlodolo@jfgi.org

 

 

 

The Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis does not provide legal advice. Donors are encouraged to seek independent financial, tax, and legal counsel.