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More Ways To Give

Matching Gifts

According to Wikipedia, “A matching gift fund or matching gift, also known as a matching fund or matching donation is a charitable gift made toward a nonprofit organization by matching the donor’s gift under the provision that an original donor first makes a gift toward that organization.” View a list of employers who are known to match employee gifts.

An example: an employee of a bank which matches gifts gives $100 to the church. Since this bank is a matching gift corporation, it will match the donor’s $100 gift to the church one-on-one, for a total of $200. While the church member doesn’t get credit for the $200 on her contribution statement, she has the satisfaction of knowing she increased the value of her gift to the church.

In order to procure the matching funds for Saint Bernard, please check with your employer (usually your human resources department is a good place to start) to see if they have a matching gift program in place. Check to see what paperwork is required for you to double your gift to Saint Bernard Parish..

If you have any questions about matching gifts please contact Christine Meyer, 414-258-4320 Ext 103.

St Bernard Federal Tax ID: 39-0806326

Stocks & Securities

Gifts of appreciated securities include stocks, bonds, mutual funds and other assets. Smart gift planning combines charitable intent with cost-effective planning techniques. Of critical importance is the kind of asset used to fund the gift. Usually, long-term appreciated property can generate the most favorable tax benefits. Reason: Gifts of securities provide a double benefit to the donor, a charitable deduction, in most cases for the full fair-market value of the security, plus avoidance of any potential capital gain tax. Donating securities to the church is easy!

How do I donate securities to the church?

After consulting with your attorney, tax professional or financial advisor, and your have determined you want to make a donation of securities to St Bernard, please contact your stock broker. St Bernard has a brokerage account at Morgan Stanley, The account information is below. Please give this information to your broker to aid in the transfer of the securities to the church.

Next please notify the church office of your intention by calling Christine Meyer at 414-258-4320 Ext 103 or click here to send an email message with the information. It is important to notify the church office because there are rules of confidentiality involved with the brokerage industry (to protect its clients) and the church wants to be able to acknowledge the gift upon receipt. While most brokerage firms will send a letter to the church notifying them of the donation, sometimes the letter is received after the funds have been deposited into the church bank account.

If you have any questions please call Christine Meyer at 414-258-4320 Ext 103 or send an email message.

Morgan Stanley, Account #312-125594 & DTC #0015

Charitable Checking

Do you bank with WaterStone Bank (WSB)? Our bank, WSB is starting a new program called “Charitable Checking” for it’s bank customers. St Bernard has been selected by the State Street Branch to participate in the pilot of this new program. Each Spring, the bank will make a donation to St Bernard based on the consolidated average annual balances of all those customers who have named St Bernard Parish as their choice recipient for their active checking account.

If you are a WSB customer, please pick up the phone and call the State Street Branch of WSB at 414-459-4302 and let them know you want to list St Bernard as your recipient for their “Charitable Checking” program. This is your opportunity to give support the church without lifting a finger! If you have any family members or friends who bank with WSB, please be sure to let them know about this opportunity to help your parish.

If you have any questions about this program please don’t hesitate to call Christine Meyer in the church office at 414-258-4320 or send an email message.

Honorariums and Memorial Gifts

When someone dies or there is someone you wish to celebrate or even a significant milestone in your life you can give a lasting tribute to that person by making a donation to the church. Gifts can be designated for a variety of uses including operating expenses, the Father Hentzner fund for scholarships for Religious Education students, the Mortgage Mission (to payoff the mortgage debt) or the endowment fund. Make a memorial gift or donation.

Vehicle Donation

Do you or someone you know have a vehicle that isn’t being used? Costs too much to run or store? Want a tax deduction for a charitable contribution? 

Saint Bernard Parish and Charitable Auto Resources, Inc. (CARS) have partnered together to allow individuals to donate their used cars, trucks, motorcycles, trailers, vans, boats and RV’s to benefit the parish! All you have to do is to call the toll free number 855-500-7433. 

You will be contacted with 24 hours of your notification of the donation to schedule a pickup. Typically we an pick up your vehicle within 2 to 3 business days. Your vehicle will be sold and the proceeds donated to benefit St Bernard Parish. You can donate your car online using the handy form by clicking here.

For more information please review the Frequently Asked Questions.

You will receive the proper IRS donation form to take the charitable deduction on your income taxes. There is no effort on your part and your generous gift will benefit the programs at Saint Bernard Parish.

Advertise in our Bulletin

Advertising in our weekly bulletin is extremely important to the Saint Bernard Parish. The ad dollars you spend allow the Parish to have the weekly bulletins printed and delivered to the parish and other services free of charge. Contracts for ads are for one year and are an extremely affordable to get your business or company noticed by 600 families each week.

Please consider an ad in our bulletin. You may also sponsor a space as a memorial or donate a space to a community organization. Some suggestions would be any of the local Catholic High Schools, Big Brothers Big Sisters, St Vincent de Paul, The Macc Fund or Make-A-Wish, just to name a few.

If you are interested please give our LPi sales person, John Delahunty a call at 1-800-477-4574 Ext 6657 or send him an email by clicking here.

Thank you so much for your support of Saint Bernard Parish and its programs.

Create a Legacy

A planned gift is a lasting investment in the future of Szint Bernard as a viable, contributing parish to the residents of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Your support and commitment to Saint Bernard during your lifetime is greatly appreciated. We invite you to strengthen that commitment by considering one of the planned giving opportunities featured here.

We encourage you to discuss which giving opportunity option best fits your needs with your financial planner, tax professional or your estate planning attorney. Keep reading to find options you might consider.

Please let us know if you have already included Saint Bernard Parish as a beneficiary of your estate. We would like to thank you and recognize you for your gift.

If you have any questions please call Christine Meyer 414-258-4320 Ext. 103.

Gifts by Life Insurance

A life insurance policy may be attractive because it affords you the opportunity to make a gift at a sizeable face value value for a minimal outlay of cash. You may give an existing policy, either fully paid or partially paid, or a new policy. Similar to the retirement plan designation, the proposed gift to Saint Bernard is accomplished by naming Saint Bernard as a beneficiary of the policy on the beneficiary designation form. Upon death, the parish will receive a portion of, or all, the proceeds from the policy. You are entitled to a charitable income tax deduction equal to the cash surrender value of the property and any future premiums paid only if the parish is named as the owner and beneficiary of the policy. Your insurance agent or financial planner can help you make the correct ownership and beneficiary changes.

Saint Bernard Parish Federal Tax ID #39-0806326

Saint Bernard Parish Mailing Address: 7474 Harwood Avenue, Wauwatosa, WI 53213

*The information we have provided above is for estate planning purposes and is not meant to be legal or tax advice. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to consult your financial planner or estate attorney.

Gifts by Retirement Benefits

Donating part or all of your unused retirement assets, such as your IRA, 401(k), 403(b), pension or other tax-deferred plan, is an excellent way to make a gift to Saint Bernard Parish.

If you are like most people, you probably will not use all of your retirement assets during your lifetime. You can make a gift of your unused retirement assets to help further our mission.

Benefits of gifts of retirement assets

  • Avoid potential estate tax on retirement assets
  • Your heirs would avoid income tax on any retirement assets funded on a pre-tax basis
  • Receive potential estate tax savings from an estate tax deduction

How to make a gift of retirement assets

To leave your retirement assets to Saint Bernard Parish, you will need to complete a beneficiary designation form provided by your retirement plan administrator or custodian. If you designate Saint Bernard Parish as beneficiary, the Parish will benefit from the full value of your gift because your IRA assets will not be taxed at your death. Your estate will benefit from an estate tax charitable deduction for the gift.

More on gifts of retirement assets

Did you know that 60%-70% of your retirement assets may be taxed if you leave them to your heirs at your death? Another option is to leave your heirs assets that receive a step up in basis, such as real estate and stock, and give the retirement assets to Saint Bernard Parish. As a charity, we are not taxed upon receiving an IRA or other retirement plan assets.

Saint Bernard Parish Federal Tax ID #39-0806326

Saint Bernard Parish Mailing Address: 7474 Harwood Avenue, Wauwatosa, WI 53213

*The information we have provided above is for estate planning purposes and is not meant to be legal or tax advice. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to consult your financial planner or estate attorney.

Gifts by Will

Through various types of bequests to Saint Bernard, you may secure an estate-tax charitable deduction for the value of your gift while providing much-needed support to Saint Bernard Parish for years to come.  You may prefer to include in your will or trust a sum of money, a percentage of your estate, a specific item, or a piece of real estate that you wish to give to the church.

Whatever form of bequest you choose, this gift would not be subject to federal estate taxes and therefore significantly reduces the tax burden of the estate. The value of the bequest may be deducted when the taxable estate is determined, and there is no limit on the deduction amount.

Including Saint Bernard in your will

A bequest may take the form of cash, securities, real estate or other property. You should specify that the Parish is to receive a certain amount or percentage of your estate, specific assets or the remainder of your estate after providing for heirs.

Following are some examples of bequests:

  • Specific bequests makes a gift of a specific dollar amount or specific assets, such as securities, real estate or personal property.
  • Residuary bequests give all or a portion of the rest, residue and remainder of your estate after payment of expenses and any specific amounts designated to other beneficiaries.
  • Contingent bequests result in a gift to the Parish only in the event of the death of other beneficiaries or the fulfillment of certain conditions describe in your estate plans.

In addition gifts can be specified for a specific purpose:

  • General Parish operating budget. This is an unrestricted gift and would be used for Parish operating expenses at the discretion of the pastor after receiving advise from the Finance Council.
  • Father Hentzner Scholarship Fund which provides scholarship and tuition assistance to religious education families..
  • Facilities, Buildings and Grounds fund which is used for the improvement and upkeep of the buildings and grounds.
  • Endowment Fund which provides continuing support of Saint Bernard Parish.
  • Retirement of long term debt, i.e. Parish mortgage

Example Bequest Language

The following includes several examples of suggested bequest wording to benefit Saint Bernard Parish. Each individual situation is unique and, therefore, these examples include only some of the possible gift opportunities. We encourage you to consult your attorney, tax professional and/or financial advisor when determining the best verbiage for your intention.

Percentage of Estate-for unrestricted purposes

I hereby give, devise and bequeath to Saint Bernard Parish, a nonprofit Catholic Church in Milwaukee Wisconsin, ______ percent (%) of the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate as an unrestricted gift to be used in the area of greatest need at the time the gift is received. I may choose at a later date to may choose at a later date to enter into a separate agreement between myself and the Parish related to the use of this gift and would request that the Parish utilize the gift in accordance with the terms of that agreement.

Percentage of Estate-for a specific purpose

I hereby give, devise and bequeath to Saint Bernard Parish, a nonprofit Catholic Church in Milwaukee Wisconsin, ______ percent (%) of the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate to be used for ______________________ at the Parish. It is understood and agreed that should the purpose for which this bequest is instituted cease to exist, then the Parish may devote said bequest for other such uses and purposes as it determines to be in accordance with my original intent in making this gift.

Specific Amount-for unrestricted purpose

I hereby give, devise and bequeath to Saint Bernard Parish, a nonprofit Catholic Church in Milwaukee Wisconsin, the sum of ______ dollars ($) as an unrestricted gift to be used in the area of greatest need at the time the gift is received. I may choose at a later date to may choose at a later date to enter into a separate agreement between myself and the Parish related to the use of this gift and would request that the Parish utilize the gift in accordance with the terms of that agreement.

Specific Amount-for a specific purpose

I hereby give, devise and bequeath to Saint Bernard Parish, a nonprofit Catholic Church in Milwaukee Wisconsin, the sum of ______ dollars ($) of the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate to be used for ______________________ at the Parish. It is understood and agreed that should the purpose for which this bequest is instituted cease to exist, then the Parish may devote said bequest for other such uses and purposes as it determines to be in accordance with my original intent in making this gift.

Saint Bernard Parish Federal Tax ID #39-0806326

**The information we have provided above is for estate planning purposes and is not meant to be legal or tax advice. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to consult your financial planner or estate attorney.