Wycliffe Foundation Blog

By Steve Davis, Director of Gift Planning, Wycliffe Foundation

We are here to serve each of you in discovering and implementing God’s plan of stewardship for what He has entrusted to you. As a result, we don’t ask people to make current gifts. However, one of the things that we frequently hear from God’s stewards is “I wish I could give more to the work of Bible translation,” or “I wish my gift were larger.” I’d venture to say that most of you would be interested in finding a way that you could do that today and in the future as well.

Additionally, one of the other concerns of the missionaries that you support is “Who will replace the resources provided by my supporters when they go home to be with the Lord?” These two issues are at the heart of the principle of laying up treasure in heaven. Let me show you a way that you can solve both of these problems by funding the future using a gift that keeps on giving. This concept will also enable you to make your largest gift ever to impact the future of Bible translation.

This gift is called a “bequest endowment,” and here’s how it works: As part of your planning, you include a Wycliffe organization or missionaries serving in Bible translation in your will or trust in the form of a bequest. A bequest can be completed several ways. For example, you can name one of the Wycliffe affiliates to receive a certain percentage of your estate. You can also gift a specific property, or you can designate that all or a portion of “what’s left” go to impact the work of Bible translation. Any of these will allow you to use these assets while you’re alive, provide for your family and impact the work of Bible translation in a significant way. In essence, it allows you to make the largest gift you’ve ever made.

In making this decision, the question then becomes “How much should I leave?” This is where the “bequest endowment” comes into the picture. This will enable you to continue supporting your favorite missionary or project after you’ve gone home to be with the Lord. To determine the amount of your “funding the future” gift, simply take the amount of your annual gift and multiply it by 25.

For example, if your monthly gift is $500 then your annual gift would be $6000. Multiplied by 25, this yields a total of $150,000. This would be the amount of your “bequest endowment.” You would designate the appropriate percentage of your estate that would produce this type of gift, or simply designate “what’s left” as the funding of your endowment. This gift of $150,000 with a 4% yearly distribution would then produce an annual gift of $6000, enabling you to continue supporting your favorite missionary or project. In this way, you’ve funded the future by making a gift that keeps on giving to the work that you are so passionate about—the work of Bible translation.

For more information on supporting the work of Bible translation through a will or bequest, contact us by phone at (877) 379-7131 or visit us online at WycliffeFoundation.org/wills.

Creating your Bequest Endowment

• Step-by-step:
  • Calculate your annual gift
  • Multiply this amount by 25
  • Designate a bequest in your will or trust equal to this amount. This designation can be
    • A percentage of your estate
    • Specific property
    • The remainder or residue (what’s left after other wishes are met)
• Here’s an example of how it works:
  • Annual Gift = $6,000 Current impact
  • X 25           = $150,000
  • X 4%          = $6,000 Future impact
• The result:
  • The largest gift you’ve ever made
  • Joy of laying up treasure in heaven
  • Continued impact
  • Encouragement for the missionary or ministry