Legacy Giving

fellowship illustration

What is the Legacy Circle?

The Fellowship established the Legacy Circle to celebrate individuals who have either:

  • made cumulative gifts of at least $2,500 to the UUFWS Endowment or
  • have included the Fellowship or UUFWS Endowment in their estate plans.

Members of the Legacy Circle are recognized in a framed listing in the Foyer. (Members may request to remain anonymous.)

What is the UUFWS Endowment?

The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Winston-Salem Endowment (“UUFWS Endowment”) was created by the UU Fellowship of Winston-Salem in 2002 at The Winston-Salem Foundation as a permanent fund, from which annual distributions are used to support the mission of the Fellowship. The endowment stands at $287,992.33 as of 7/31/23 and, under the Foundation’s Total Return Spending Policy, distributes approximately $12,000 annually to the Fellowship (2023). The UUFWS Endowment is invested in the Foundation’s Socially Responsive Investment Pool.

Leaving a Legacy Gift Is Easy

The Legacy Circle recognizes individuals who are planning for gifts today that will provide significant benefits to the Fellowship in the future. Here are a few ways to leave a legacy to the UU Fellowship of Winston-Salem:

  • Give cash or other liquid assets (stocks, bonds, mutual funds) of $2,500 or more to the UUFWS Endowment at The Winston-Salem Foundation. This gift should be in addition to your annual giving for current operations.
  • Leave a bequest to the Fellowship or UUFWS Endowment through your will or living trust. A charitable bequest can be a specific dollar amount, a percentage of your estate, or what remains after other bequests are made.  Suggested language is: “Upon the death of (donor), (assets named in the bequest) will be distributed to THE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST FELLOWSHIP OF WINSTON-SALEM, EIN 58-1310111, for its general purposes (or ‘to add to the UUFWS Endowment’).”
  • Make the Fellowship or UUFWS Endowment a beneficiary of your retirement account, life insurance policy or annuity. It is generally as simple as adding the Fellowship as a beneficiary or contingent beneficiary and specifying either a percentage or dollar amount of the benefit you are committing. You can contact your insurance company or retirement account manager and request a beneficiary change form (many of these forms are online).
  • Use the IRA Qualified Charitable Distribution – this can be used by individuals age 70½ and older to direct up to $100,000 each year to nonprofits, including the Fellowship. This distribution is not considered federal taxable income.

Please consult with your financial advisor to identify the most appropriate way for you to leave a legacy gift.

We hope you will consider joining the Legacy Circle! For further information, please contact the Stewardship Committee at stewardship@uufws.org or call the Fellowship office at 336-659-0331.