eGiving with Faith Direct

In October 2017, we introduced a new and exciting way for you to support our parish offertory and second collections: Faith Direct.

You can begin supporting OLGC electronically today by completing the enrollment form, enrolling online or downloading the Faith Direct App!

Se Puede Inscribirse por completar el formulario de inscripcion o en linea o por bajar la App de Faith Direct para empezar apoyando OLGC hoy!

Faith Direct enables parishioners to make your Church contributions through either direct debit from your checking/savings account or through your credit/debit card. No more writing checks or searching for envelopes on the way out the door. Now you can apply the convenience of direct debit to your parish offerings in much the same way as you may now use it to make your mortgage, car or tuition payments.

With the support of the parish finance council, we have selected the Faith Direct program for many reasons, including:

• For 10 years, Faith Direct has worked with hundreds of Catholic parishes throughout the United States and is recognized as the leading eGiving program.
• Faith Direct provides the critical third party security needed. This limits the liability for our parish and keeps your information in secure hands.
• Faith Direct also offers you personalized offertory cards to replace your envelopes for the collection basket.
• In the near future – all events and other non-offertory transactions will also be faith direct. This will be make transactions like Fish Fry much easier.

Faith Direct offers the best user experience interface we could find. You will find it much easier than our previous system for all transactions.

Sign up now

Contact: Tom White, Pastoral Associate, 703-896-7405

Parish Offertory - The Parish Offertory Program invites parishioners to reflect upon the blessings in their lives, their current level of offertory giving, and to consider whether or not that amount is appropriate as a sign of their gratitude to God and yet remains within their means. Every year, each OLGC parishioner or family is invited to increase, decrease, or keep their annual offertory commitment the same, based on their gratitude and their financial ability.

Second Collections and Holy Days (now available for electronic giving) - Some of these collections serve special OLGC parish needs, but most of them directly help diocesan, national, and international organizations to spread the Gospel in word and deed.

Gifts of Stock - One of the most advantageous ways of making a gift to OLGC is through a gift of stock or other securities. Making a gift of securities is simple and offers a number of valuable financial benefits. You will need to contact your broker in writing to provide the proper documentation for a gift of stock. This can be accomplished by writing them and simply providing the information they need on this OLGC Stock Donation Form. Please send a copy of your completed form to your broker and to the Diocese of Arlington, their broker of record, and Our Lady of Good Counsel in any of the ways provided on the form. Contact: Amy Schlanger, 703.896.7424

Matching Gifts - There are many corporations or businesses that have established programs to support the philanthropy of their employees, although they usually have restrictions regarding the eligibility of a charity for these funds. While churches are often excluded, elementary educational programs are usually eligible for support. Please ask your employer if they have a matching gift program.

Corporate and Foundation Gifts - Owners of businesses and directors of foundations (especially Family Foundations) are often able to make contributions through these entities. These donations are most often cash donations, but contributions of products and services are also welcome.

Planned Giving - You can remember OLGC in your estate plans. Although most people think of an estate gift as a direct bequest in a will, there are other ways to designate OLGC in your estate plans. These include gifts from a retirement program and gifts of life insurance. There are also giving mechanisms which can provide a source of income, including charitable annuities and trusts. Lastly, there are giving mechanisms which can protect your assets.

The Diocese of Arlington has a wealth of information regarding all of these giving opportunities on their Planned Giving webpage. If you choose this as a method of supporting OLGC, you are eligible for membership in the Arlington Diocese Catholic Heritage Circle, which recognizes your commitment to the future of OLGC and/or the Catholic Diocese of Arlington.

Also, you can read how one parishioner decided to include OLGC in his estate plans.

The Wildcat Fund

TRANSFORMING LEARNERS TO LEADERS

"The Lord delights in every little step you take." ~ St. Francis de Sales

Cultivating faith while achieving academic excellence is a tradition at OLGC. Teachers challenge students to become confident, faith-filled, life-long learners, transforming them into the leaders of tomorrow. We invite you to reflect on the impact that OLGC has had on your life and take the steps to support a new investment in the mission of our school.

The Wildcat Fund will:

• Recruit, recognize, and retain faculty and staff
• Advance technology & innovative classrooms
• Address the needs of our growing campus
• Deliver need-based tuition assistance

Give to The Wildcat Fund

Bishop’s Lenten Appeal (BLA) - This campaign supports our Diocese in its mission of sharing the love and mercy of Christ through serving the needy, educating and forming youth, encouraging vocations, promoting a culture of life and assisting the clergy, religious, and lay people who help build and strengthen our diocesan Church.

Second Collections and Holy Days (now available for electronic giving) - At various times during the year, the Diocese of Arlington asks every parish to look beyond itself and help support the needs of God’s people throughout other parts of the diocese, the nation, and the world through some of our second collections. These are opportunities for us, as stewards of the bounty that God has given to us, to reach out to certain worthy organizations with our financial support. Some of these collections serve special OLGC parish needs, but most of them directly help diocesan, national, and international organizations to spread the Gospel in word and deed.

Planned Giving - The Diocese of Arlington has a wealth of information regarding giving opportunities on their Planned Giving webpage. If you choose this as a method of supporting OLGC, you are eligible for membership in the Arlington Diocese Catholic Heritage Circle, which recognizes your commitment to the future of OLGC and/or the Catholic Diocese of Arlington.

The IRA Charitable Rollover Gift

Why is this important? This provision allows individuals age 70½ or older to make tax-free gifts from an IRA directly to the parish or school. To complete an IRA Charitable Rollover for 2018 please contact your IRA provider for exact instructions. Such gifts usually take a few weeks to transact.

A parishioner and spouse can make a direct IRA gift if:

1. The donor is age 70½ or older on the day of the gift.
2. The donor transfers up to $100,000 directly from the donor’s IRA to a qualified charity.
3. The gift qualifies as a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) and is not subject to income taxes.
4. This applies only to IRAs and not to other retirement plans.
5. The donor does not receive any goods or services in return for the rollover gift.
6. The gift needs to be made by Dec. 31st for the gift to qualify for that year.

Make a Gift from an IRA Charitable Rollover instead of taking your RMD

Normally, a RMD from an IRA is taxed as income. However, tax laws allow individuals 70½ or older to make a direct IRA distribution to a charity. Such qualified direct distributions to charity are not subject to income tax and can fulfill your RMD.

Contact: Tom White, Pastoral Associate, 703-896-7405