About Us - Charitable Giving - History - Leadership

Every gift given to Concordia Lutheran Ministries
makes a significant difference in the lives of our
residents, especially to those who cannot afford to
pay for their care.

Concordia Lutheran Ministries has remained true to its mission
“To serve our aging community with a continuum of high quality caregiving options, provided in a Christian environment, and to serve those with limited funds to the best of our ability.” How? Because of our commitment to benevolence.  Concordia Lutheran Ministries provided over $1,000,000 of charitable care, assisting over 100 residents. We would like to help more people and you can help too! A gift to Concordia Lutheran Ministries can go a long way in helping people who don’t have the funds to pay for their care. In fact, you can provide gifts in a variety of ways.

Good Samaritan Endowment Fund
Concordia Lutheran Ministries cares for more than 120 residents each year who do not have sufficient resources to pay for the full cost of their care. In skilled nursing, the Pennsylvania Medical Assistance Program pays for most, but not all, of the care of residents without funds. In Assisted Living, however, there are no government programs to make up the shortfall between residents’ resources and the cost of care. Established in the early 1990s the Good Samaritan Endowment Fund provides the organization with additional funds to help meet obligations of the organization. As of February 2003, the fund has a balance of nearly $2 million. Donations to the Fund are never used to help pay the bills. Each year at least 3% of the Fund is transferred to the operating divisions to help offset the shortfall of income versus expenses. Annual transfers from the Good Samaritan Endowment Fund have ranged between $40,000 and $65,000.

Charitable Gift Annuities
A charitable gift annuity is a vehicle by which a donor can support the work of Concordia Lutheran Ministries and receive in return monthly or quarterly annuity payments for the rest of his/her life. An annuity can also be established with two people listed as beneficiaries of the periodic payments. Annuity rates are dependent on the age(s) of the donor(s). Concordia follows the annuity rates established by the American Council on Gift Annuities. There can be significant federal income tax advantages in establishing a charitable gift annuity. Charitable gift annuities are very flexible in that they can be funded with cash, stocks, bonds, mutual fund shares and so on. In fact, a portion of the potential capital gains tax that may be realized if the donor sells an investment can be avoided if the security were transferred to Concordia in order to establish a charitable gift annuity.

Bequests
Concordia has also been a named beneficiary in many estate plans over the years. Decedents have named Concordia to receive a specific bequest of a certain amount of money or as a residuary beneficiary of the remainder of the estate after all debts and other beneficiaries have been paid. Concordia has been bequested the ownership of a mortgage with property as collateral and Concordia is receiving monthly payments in satisfaction of the mortgage. Proper estate planning can have major tax benefits when charitable organizations are included in the estate.

Life Insurance Policies
Some donors have made Concordia Lutheran Ministries the beneficiary of their life insurance policies. In fact, if structured correctly, premiums paid for the policy may also be tax deductible.

Other Planned Giving Options
Although not currently administered by Concordia Lutheran Ministries, we would be glad to work with potential donors if they are interested in establishing other planned giving options such as unitrusts, charitable remainder trusts, and pooled income funds. Concordia has contacts with national foundations and major brokerage firms and banks which have individuals who can help guide us through these sometimes complex arrangements.

General Gifts
Annually Concordia receives thousands of dollars of general gifts to be used by the organization as it sees fit. Gifts come in many forms including cash, stocks, bonds, mutual fund shares, gifts-in-kind of clothes, craft supplies and food, and used cars which are then auctioned to the highest bidder. Concordia has even had its own employees cash in sick, vacation or personal days with the value of those days donated to the organization.

Named Gifts
Concordia has been blessed over the years to have many generous donors that support our ministry.

There are times when a donor would like to acknowledge a gift in memory of a family member past or present or a particular Bible verse.

Concordia provides several named gift opportunities that will place honor on your gift.

Located outside the Good Shepherd chapel in the Lund Care Center is Concordia's Giving Tree. This memorial provides several levels of name recognition for donors to acknowledge their gift.

Each leaf of the Giving Tree is a place to engrave a message for your gift to Concordia. Leaves are color-coded and matched to a particular gift range, detailed below.

A. A Copper Leaf can be honored with a gift of $500.00 to $999.00

B. A Brass Leaf can be honored with a gift of $1,000.00 - $4,999.00

C. A Silver Leaf can be honored with a gift of $5,000.00 - $9,999.00

D. A Dove Memorial can be honored with a gift of $10,000.00 - $24,999.00             

E. A Bronze Location Plaque Memorial can be honored to dedicate a place within Concordia Lutheran Ministries.

If you would like to consult with a development officer please call
Shirley Freyer   (724) 353-1571 ext 8266

A group of people committed to the health and well-being of senior adults.  
The Legacy Society of Concordia Lutheran Ministries allows individuals to participate in shaping tomorrow's long term health care for senior adults by making estate or other gifts supporting the work of Concordia Lutheran Ministries.

Beginning with a gift of land in 1881 by Christian and Margaretha Oertel to start an orphanage, Concordia Lutheran Ministries has benefited from the generous support of far-sighted caring friends and supporters.

The ministries' benefactors have understood the value of quality long term senior care - and the level of investment required to sustain Concordia's future. Over the past century, their gifts have become an enduring legacy.

Because of the growth of these enduring gifts, Concordia Lutheran Ministries has sought an appropriate way to recognize these significant donors and in 2000 established the Legacy Society.

Private philanthropy is an integral part of Concordia's success. Legacy Society gifts assure continuation of the progress made in the last century, so that future generations will have access to quality long term health care.

The Concordia Legacy Society members are applauded for their vision, generosity and dedication to building a better future for our aging population.

By remembering Concordia Lutheran Ministries with a bequest in your will, you can have an impact on senior adult care beyond your lifetime. Your gift will leave a lasting witness to your faith of serving those in need. Your bequest will qualify for an estate tax charitable deduction.

Members of the Concordia Lutheran Ministries' Legacy Society enjoy special privileges, including invitations to special events and updates on Concordia's growth and expanding ministries beyond our main campus. They also receive a premium gift as a symbol of our gratitude. Most of all, the Concordia Lutheran Ministries' Legacy Society members share their pride and satisfaction of participating in the advancement of adult senior care.

We invite you to join the Concordia Lutheran Ministries Legacy Society.
Also included as members, are donors who have made a gift of $5,000 or more to the Capital Campaign “A Time to Build” for the Lund Care Center Expansion. This includes pledges until November of 2007.

Charitable gifts are sometimes only limited by your imagination. If you are interested in supporting our ministry through a gift and have any questions, please feel free to contact our office at
724-352-1571 or Toll Free at 1-888-352-1571.

For more information, contact Shirley Freyer Director of Public Relations and Strategic Development at sfreyer@concordialm.org

Concordia Lutheran Ministries is a qualified charity listed under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations to Concordia qualify for the charitable contribution deduction on federal income tax returns, subject to limits as established by the Internal Revenue Service.