Planned Giving
Stewardship of the Annual Budget
Members of our church join together to meet the ministry and material needs of the congregation. Annually, we ask all members to participate in the Annual Giving campaign that will fund the next year’s budget to cover the costs of our programs and ministry to the congregation, outreach to the community as well as the salaries of our staff and day-to-day operations. All donations are tax-deductible.
Ways to give:
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- Pledge now for calendar year 2025. Click this Pledge Form and donate later. We ask every member to make a pledge of financial support by Harvest Sunday, November 24, 2024, in an amount as generous as your circumstances allow.
- Donate online by credit card via MYFIRSTCHURCH (
) either:
One Time or with
Automated Payment Periods: First Sign In to MYFIRSTCHURCH. Then click Automated Payment Periods.. On the next page click [Add New Gift]. On the “Select a Fund” pulldown list, click “Annual Giving“. Enter the amount-per-frequency and choose a frequency with its options. See if your credit card that is showing is your preferred one. If it’s not, click Add a New Payment Method to enter your preferred credit card. Click [Give] to finalize the gift.
NOTE: If you have never used MyFirstChurch before, please follow these Instructions.
- Donate by check payable to FCCOG with “Annual Giving” in the memo field. You can place it in the Sunday offering plate or mail it to Attn: Greg Girolamo, Financial Administrator at the church address in the footer of this webpage.
- Donate by transfer of securities. Email Greg Girolamo, gregg@fccog.org, for a stock transfer form.
Other Ways to Give: Endowment Fund, Wills and Bequests, Pooled Income Fund, Donor Advised Fund and Special Gifts.
A Handy Payment Calculator
To see the impact on all frequencies, enter a Payment Amount and Frequency, then hit [Tab].
Other ways to Give
Endowment Fund
Income from the Endowment Fund is used for building maintenance every year; the fund itself is the church’s emergency reserve. Gifts, bequests and a longstanding policy of reinvesting at least one-half the earnings on the fund keep this essential source healthy and current.
A gift to the endowment helps guarantee the church’s financial future. There are many ways to structure planned gifts to secure tax advantages for you while benefiting our church.
Wills and Bequests
Call the church office at 203-637-1791 or Philip Wentworth, Director of Planned Giving, at 203-992-9500 for sample wording and consult your lawyer to revise your will or add a simple codicil.
Pooled Income Fund
Our Church has created a planned giving vehicle which benefits the church and offers many economic and tax advantages to donors.
Church members donate property to the Pooled Income Fund, get a tax deduction, and then have the use of the income from the Fund for the rest of their lives (or you can name other beneficiaries). This irrevocable gift benefits you in the present and the church in the future. (At this time, the minimum gift to participate is $10,000.)
For more information on the Pooled Income Fund, contact Philip Wentworth, at 203-992-9500.
Donor Advised Fund
This is a charitable investment account that allows people to contribute money to support charities while receiving tax benefits. These funds are becoming quite popular.
Special Gifts
There are many special projects, like air conditioning the Meetinghouse or installing the Liftovator. Our church is blessed to have members who have stepped forward in the past to finance special projects or provide “angel” support to ongoing programs. The church maintains a wish list for just such situations. Spread your wings!
At First Congregational Church of Greenwich, every member is a minister and every minister is a giver.
Pledge Form for Annual Giving