Your gift can change someone's life

November 17, 2021

In a spirit of Thanksgiving, there are countless opportunities available for individuals,  families and businesses to make a difference in someone’s life by making a contribution before the end of the year: cash and noncash gifts.

For individuals and families that qualify, there may be tax advantages as well.
Gifts can benefit seminarians, students, parishes, schools, ministry and outreach programs.

For instance, the late Jeanine Rothermel, who through her estate, left funds for her parish, Catholic Charities, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Joseph Educational Center and the Diocese of Des Moines Deaf Ministry. It was a gift that did not cost her anything in her lifetime, but will help many in her memory.

As a direct result of her generosity, a child who is hearing impaired was able to go to Catholic Youth Camp for the first time aided by interpreters and an assistant. 
There are multiple ways to make a gift. Donors can speak with their local parish to learn of the greatest needs. For diocesan ministries, a donor can go to dmdiocese.org/give. There, one can find opportunities that range from a general disaster relief fund to the seminarian special collection, and more options.

If you prefer electronic giving, gifts may be made online through credit card, through a donation of grain or stock, IRA distributions, memorial gifts or planned gifts. With grain at an all-time high, a gift of grain can help reduce your income. For more information, contact the Catholic Foundation at 515-273-5044.

For gifts such as stock, it typically takes a few days to process, said Sue McEntee, executive director of the Catholic Foundation of Southwest Iowa. It’s recommended that such gifts are initiated by Dec. 23 to ensure they are fully executed by Dec. 31.

For those who are interested, the foundation is offering a webinar Dec. 2 on creative ways to use noncash assets as a giving tool. To register, go at cfswia.org and click on “webinars” at the top of the homepage.

Catholic Charities is grateful for donations it has received throughout the year and welcomes end-of-the-year gifts for its general fund that supports its shelters, counseling program, food pantry and refugee resettlement program.

“We thank all of our friends and colleagues who have provided support to Catholic Charities this past year, including financial contributions, in-kind donations, and volunteer service,” said Barbara Decker, executive director. ”This expression of dedication and hope to help others in need enables Catholic Charities to serve our 23 counties in southwest Iowa. We appreciate the ongoing commitment by many to advance our mission to empower individuals and strengthen families.”

The Catholic Tuition Organization has had an exceptional year in the Des Moines Diocese. It has used all of the tax credits earmarked for the Diocese in 2021. CTO is accepting pledges for the 2022 calendar year to help families afford a Catholic school education for their children. With a recent change in Iowa law, 75 percent of a donation to the CTO is returned in the form of Iowa tax credits. 

Options for making an end-of-the-year donation:
dmdiocese.org/giving
cfswia.org
CTOIowa.org
catholiccharitiesdm.org
svdpdsm.org/donations