2021 Annual Report

Helping Christians steward their resources, even the ones that won’t fit in the offering plate.

Giving is theological. People who study God to know him are generous. It is part of God’s very nature to give good gifts to his children and even his enemies. As we study the Word and the Spirit conforms us to the image of Christ, it is natural for us to exemplify this part of God’s heart. As David wrote, “the righteous is generous and gives” (Psalm 37:21).

We often think of giving in purely functional terms. It is a practical way to support worthwhile efforts while also providing tax relief. Those things are true! Giving serves a very practical function in America. However, for Christians, giving is more than functional. It is an organic outflow of living in fellowship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Just as we resemble our biological parents, Christians begin to resemble the One we call Father.

As president of the PCA Foundation, I spend most of my days focused on very practical issues pertaining to generosity: helping donors give all types of assets (cash, stocks, business equity, etc.) to all types of churches, ministries, and organizations. I have to take a step back and be reminded that our work is very theological in nature. We are helping God’s children continue the family tradition established by their Father!

We’re excited to report that we have seen record-setting giving over the past year. We saw a 20% increase in grants to churches and ministries. At the same time, we saw a 130% increase in overall donations to the Foundation, which will lead to even greater grants out in future years. God’s children are being more generous with more types of assets than ever before. In fact, the PCA Foundation set a record for non-cash donations last year. We are experiencing an increase in complex gifts as business owners donate business-related assets.

At the Foundation, we’re committed to being gift-givers, not just gift-facilitators. We send checks every week to churches and ministries across the country and around the world. As we look to the year ahead, we are excited to announce a new granting initiative to spur even more giving for the work of the Great Commission by the PCA. We are providing a matching grant to every PCA committee and agency over the course of the next twelve months. Our hope and prayer is that even more Christians will be inspired and incentivized to give in order to see their donation doubled.

We thank you for your continued co-labor as we seek to help Christians imitate the God who abundantly provides us with every good gift. Our prayer is that we will all grow closer to the Lord and that our faith in his gracious gift will increase.

Giving Opportunities in the Family Business

For 75 years, the Resslers have passed down the family business from parent to child. Ressler Propane is now under the fifth generation of leadership, with continuous service to the residents of Lancaster, Pennsylvania and surrounding areas.

The fifth generation took over when Jim Ressler transferred ownership to his son Bryce. But the transfer wasn’t done the usual way. Instead, Jim worked with the PCA Foundation to use the transfer as an opportunity for giving. Through this collaboration, he was able to donate business assets before the sale to Bryce, thereby avoiding capital gains and nearly doubling his effective deduction and the tax savings he was able to give.

“Working with the PCA Foundation, we both had the same desires and goals,” Jim said. Like some other donor-advised funds, the PCA Foundation can handle the donation of complex assets, such as Jim’s business stake. But unlike most other donor-advised funds, the Foundation encourages Jim’s desire to see this money stewarded for the Kingdom.

Many church members have been blessed with assets beyond the cash in their bank account. Churches are not equipped to help members donate these assets, and that is where the Foundation steps in. To learn more about the Ressler’s story and how the PCA Foundation facilitates the donation of complex assets, visit pcafoundation.com/familybusiness.

We typically think of our wealth by the dollar amount we see when we open our bank account. In reality, most people’s wealth is in other assets, such as property or business equity.

The offering plate is equipped to receive our cash, but God invites us to be generous with all kinds of assets.

The PCA Foundation helps believers donate these non-cash, “complex” assets in tax-efficient, Kingdom-minded ways. With the PCA Foundation, you can give more than if you simply donated the proceeds of a sale.

The process is conceptually simple: you open a PCA Foundation donor-advised fund, and contribute assets before entering a sale agreement. PCAF sells the assets and places the proceeds in your donor-advised fund. Then you donate to Christian churches and ministries at your own pace.

To learn more about giving a complex gift, click here.

Summarized Financial Information Tables

Download an overview of our 2021 financials.

Download

Looking Ahead

The U.S. economy has encountered a number of headwinds in the first part of 2022: inflation at home and volatility abroad. Though we don’t know how it will affect the record volume of new donors we’ve been experiencing over the past few years, we are confident that our granting will continue unabated. Many of our donors use their donor-advised funds to build up charitable giving dollars for increased charitable needs in down years. As a result, they are prepared to support the church and favorite ministries at the same levels as previous years.

Though there may be uncertainty surrounding the economy, we are moving forward with plans to expand and improve our giving and granting tools and solutions. Here are a few things on our agenda for the coming year:

1. Complex Gifts Service. Over the past three years, we have facilitated several complex gifts, including gifts of privately-held businesses. As business owners have sold their interests to new owners, they’ve discovered the tax savings one can experience by donating shares of the business prior to entering the agreement to sell. Since we have completed a number of these transactions, we are able to streamline the process and provide helpful suggestions along the way. We will continue to promote and expand our capabilities, especially as an entire generation of business owners is looking to sell their businesses.

2. Matching Grants. The PCA Foundation has launched an initiative to provide matching grants for PCA committees and agencies. Each committee and agency will have every dollar matched up to a prescribed limit over a thirty-day period for new initiatives and special projects it is undertaking. The purpose of the program is to incentivize giving and increase the base of supporters for each of these important ministries of the church. It is the first time in the Foundation’s history where matching funds have been designated in such a manner.

3. Tax-Efficient Giving Seminar. Many people in our pews are not aware of what they are able to give or the advantages of particular charitable solutions offered through the Foundation. We are launching a giving seminar for church members to be presented in-person or online that will provide not just education but an avenue for donors to ask questions particular to their situation. Our goal is to enable Christians to maximize the gifts prompted by the love of Christ placed in their hearts.

Of course, we make our plans, but it is God who orders our steps. We are prayerful and hopeful that these endeavors will lead to greater giving and thanks to God among his people.