Texas Catholic Letters
August 24, 2007
Mr. and Mrs. William Brundige
Dallas, Texas
Dear Bill and Sharon,
It was nice to visit with you both a few weeks ago. Thank you for the opportunity to make The Catholic Foundation a little more “real” for you. The whole idea of a “foundation” causes many people to think that it is not something in which they can participate.
Well, that is far from the truth in regards to The Catholic Foundation. We try to make charitable giving easy and a way of life for everyone. We have many different charitable giving programs and none require a lot of money to establish. The most common type of fund we have is one we call a charitable gift fund and it is very easy to set up. The agreement is two pages long and the amount required to establish a fund is just about any amount you would like to set aside for charity. Once established you can add to it and make gifts from it at any time. The Foundation handles virtually all of the administration for you. Charitable gift funds are also a great tax planning tool as all gifts to the fund are tax deductible to the maximum amount allowed. Many individuals start their fund with appreciated stock and cash windfalls such as bonuses and inheritances.
As I said, having a charitable fund at the Foundation is like having a personal foundation, but without any of the red tape the government imposes. I hope you will join us in carrying out your “Catholic Philanthropy.”
Sincerely,
Edwin M. Schaffler
President and Chief Executive Officer