From one generation
to the next:
MW USA Endowment Fund

For years, you’ve volunteered and served, and your women’s organization has been an important part of your faith journey. Now, through your estate planning, you can help assure that the women’s ministries you have cherished during your lifetime will continue on after you are gone.

Contrary to what many people believe, estate planning is not just for the very wealthy. God has entrusted resources to all of us. Even women of modest means often have the financial wherewithal to make a charitable bequest. When you designate Mennonite Women USA as a beneficiary in your estate plans, you pass forward a legacy of faith and service to generations of women to come.

As we share our stories, our passions, our gifts, and our money, Mennonite Women USA will continue to meet the needs of body, mind, and soul.

For Leota Mann the decision to name Mennonite Women USA as the beneficiary of a charitable gift annuity was a natural extension of her commitment to women’s ministries in Africa and later as president of Illinois Mennonite Women.

“Ministry with women was a big part of my life in Zambia through Bible studies and friendships. It was also while we were in Zambia that I became aware of the wonderful women’s group in place at the Freeport Mennonite Church — women who serve and pray together,” she said.

Leota chose a gift annuity in part because of the tax advantages it offers and also because of the assurance of a steady, stable income source for the remainder of her lifetime. The real attraction, however, was that an annuity made it possible for her to express appreciation through her giving for what Mennonite Women has meant to her over the years.

Reflecting on her decision, Leota noted, “In recent years, I have become concerned with unfilled needs of women worldwide. Naming Mennonite Women USA as part of my gift annuity plan is a way to continue meeting needs of women for generations to follow.”

In 2001, Mennonite Women USA received a bequest from Nellie Kaufman of Freeman, South Dakota. Her gift became the seed of what we hope will grow into a meaningful operating fund endowment for the organization.

Nellie had a special interest in children and her door was always open to them, especially her grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. She was a quick wit and creative quilter and generously shared her gifts with her family and church. As a member of Salem-Zion Mennonite Church, Nellie served on various church committees and ministry projects including the Daughters of Zion, an organization aimed at encouraging young women in high school to become involved in missions and community service.

Today, through her careful estate planning, Nellie’s commitments to service, to women’s ministries, and to world needs live on through her bequest to Mennonite Women USA.

The board of directors of Mennonite Women USA is committed to building an endowment of $1.2 million over the next 10 to 15 years—an ambitious goal to be sure, but one that is doable as women come to understand the importance of careful and faith-filled estate planning.

All estate gifts, large or small, will go toward the endowment goal, to be invested with Mennonite Foundation. And our conservative spending policy ensures that your gift will continue to grow, even as earnings from it support current ministries, including Sister-Link, International Women’s Fund leadership training scholarships, and teaching resources for women in our churches.

The following language is all it takes to create a legacy clause in your will:

“I give _____________ (insert dollar amount) or (real or personal property) or ___________ (percentage of estate after all debts, taxes, expenses and other bequests have been paid) to Mennonite Women USA as an unrestricted gift. I understand that all estate gifts will be placed in an operating fund endowment to further the mission for generations to follow.”

Please let us hear from you.  To learn more about how to include Mennonite Women USA in your estate planning, contact executive director Rhoda Keener or your Mennonite Foundation representative. To request a brochure, contact the MW USA office.

Gifts toward the ministry of Mennonite Women USA are tax deductible.