Balanced Fund

The Balanced fund is comprised of both equity and fixed income investments. The target mix for this fund is currently 65% equity and 35% fixed income securities. The Balanced Fund is designed for long-term investments and favors moderately risk-tolerant investors.

Income Fund

The Income Fund is mostly comprised of fixed income investments such as corporate and government bonds and treasury securities. The Income Fund favors risk-averse investors. 

Short Term Investment Fund

The Short-term Investment Fund is a money market fund that pays dividends. As its name suggests, it is designed for short-term investing. It carries very low risk and favors risk-averse investors.

An endowment is a donation of money or property to a charity, which uses the resulting investment income for a specific purpose. An endowment can also refer to the total of a nonprofit institution’s investable assets, also known as its principal or corpus, which is meant to be used for operations or programs that are consistent with the wishes of the donor(s). Endowments are designed to keep the principal amount intact while using the investment income for charitable efforts.¹

An RIA is a Revocable Investment Account. Unlike an endowment, RIAs can only be opened by organizations and the donor organization retains the ability to withdraw any amount of the balance, including the original gift, at any time or close the account in its entirety.

A CGA is a Charitable Gift Annuity. A CGA is a contract between you (the donor) and UMF (a charity) with the following terms: As a donor, you make a sizable gift to a charity using cash, securities or possibly other assets. In return, you become eligible to take a partial tax deduction for your donation, plus you receive a fixed stream of income from the charity for the rest of your life.²

Also referred to as a CRUT, it is an estate planning tool that provides income to a named beneficiary during the grantor’s life and then the remainder of the trust to a charitable cause. The donor or members of the donor’s family are usually the initial beneficiaries. The trust provides variable income to the beneficiary, which is based on a percentage of the fair market value of the assets in the trust. This amount is revalued each year.

A CRUT is usually funded with a valuable asset, such as real property, stocks, bonds or other property. Additional assets can be added to the trust over time. So that the trust is not simply used to avoid taxes, the federal government requires that the charity receive at least 10% of the asset’s value.³

A donor-advised fund is like a charitable investment account, for the sole purpose of supporting charitable organizations you care about. When you contribute cash, securities or other assets to a donor-advised fund at UMF, you are generally eligible to take an immediate tax deduction. Then those funds can be invested for tax-free growth and you can recommend grants to virtually any IRS-qualified public charity. ⁴

Opening an account is easy! Just fill out the new Open New Fund form and one of UMF’s staff members will be in touch to provide to you the applicable account agreement.

You can amend your account name or spending policy by filling out the Amendment Request form and having it signed by at least two authorized individuals. Authorized individuals are those currently serving in the positions of those who signed the original agreement. You may send the completed form to [email protected].

You can request a distribution from your account by completing and emailing the Distribution Request form to [email protected]. The form must be signed by at least two authorized individuals. Authorized individuals are those currently serving in the positions of those who signed the original agreement.

You may sign up for EFT distributions and deposits by completing the Authorization Agreement for Electronic Funds Transfer form. This form should be signed by those authorized on your bank account and mailed to UMF’s office along with a voided check.

DonorCentral is UMF’s online donor portal. Please call (919) 836-0029 or email [email protected] to sign up. You may also visit our DonorCentral page for more information, pdf instructions, and a video walkthrough.

Base will be the 12 quarters ending Q3 (9/30) of the valuation year. For example, the annual distribution made in March 2024 would be based on the Q4 2020 – Q3 2023 average ending value.

Notification of the calculated distribution will be as requested. As a result of using the 12 quarters ending 9/30 as opposed to 12/31, requests to know what your distribution will be for planning purposes can be made as early as November of each year. For example, the 2024 annual distribution made in March can be determined as early as November 2023.

Please refer to the Quarterly Average Implementation Plan for more information.

A Memorandum of Intention for Stock Gift form must be completed before you make any stock transfer. Once completed and submitted to the UMF, a follow up email with account information will be sent to the email address you provide on this form. Please provide this information to your broker to complete the transaction.

You may also find answers to your questions in the Stock Gift FAQs.

When making contributions to your accounts at UMF, MAKE ALL CHECKS PAYABLE to United Methodist Foundation (UMF). Please include on the memo line of the check or in a separate letter the fund name and number. It is most helpful to have the fund number when sending deposits to ensure funds go into the correct account. We are unable to accept checks made payable to specific fund names.

All withdrawal requests must be received by the 25^th of the month in order to end participation within that month. Requests received from the 26^th to the last day of the month will participate in the following month.

To properly close a revocable investment account in a given year, all closure requests must be received by UMF no later than the 15^th of December for the November 30 market value to be paid out in December. If a request is not received by the 15^th of December, payment for closures will not be until mid-February and will be based on the January 31 market values. 

Yes, UMF offers multiple ways to give online, including through our website! In order to donate through our website, you can select the GIVE button on our home page. To donate via an ACH transfer, please fill out the EFT Deposits and Distributions Enrollment form (also on our website under Accounts). Please note, except by expressed request for recurring donations, UMF WILL NOT draft your account for EFT deposits without a completed EFT Deposit Request form each instance, which is available on our website and on DonorCentral. Please contact us if you have any questions.

United Methodist Clergy may apply for a loan by visiting the Clergy Loan Program page. Please read loan guidelines carefully before proceeding with the application.