Frequently Asked Questions regarding RRUMC’s Endowment Fund and the Theo & Belle Moll Society

1. What is an endowment? An endowment is a specified fund established by a non- profit organization, such as a church, which invests donations to the fund and uses the income generated from the fund for specified purposes. The assets donated to the endowment are the “principal” or “corpus” of the fund.

2. What is the Rocky River United Methodist Church Endowment Fund? The endowment fund was established pursuant to a 1982 letter from Theo Moll to create a benevolent fund. The Special Belle and Theo Moll Fund was designed to distribute investment income to be used for benevolent causes to extend the outreach ministry of RRUMC. The Special Belle and Theo Moll Fund became the RRUMC Endowment Fund.

3. How is the RRUMC Endowment Fund governed? The fund is governed by the Trustees of RRUMC. The Trustees created an investment committee to provide oversight of the outside investment advisor, which is currently Winslow Asset Management. Also, an Investment Policy Statement (IPS) was created to provide guidance and a spending policy for the Trustees to follow. The Trustees employ a Director of Endowment Ministries, who is currently Lisa Sierk. Mrs. Sierk focuses on enhancing donor interest in contributions and bequests to the RRUMC Endowment Fund. The Director has an endowment committee to aid in communication, education, and donor stewardship.

4. How are distributions from the RRUMC Endowment Fund handled? Any gift designated to the RRUMC Endowment Fund may be restricted by the donor, meaning that the principal and any income generated from that principal may be spent only for certain uses specified by the donor. On the other hand, unrestricted gifts may be used for any purpose approved by the Trustees of RRUMC and in accordance with the IPS’s spending policy and limits.

5. Why give to the RRUMC Endowment Fund? Giving to the RRUMC Endowment Fund, particularly through planned giving, will help to fund RRUMC and its ministries over many years. As the endowment’s principal grows, it produces increasing income so that RRUMC can continue its work for countless generations to come.

6. What is planned giving? Planned giving refers to structured gifts made either during a donor’s lifetime or as a legacy gift, effective upon the donor’s death. Lifetime gifts to the RRUMC Endowment Fund may be one-time or installment gifts. Installment lifetime gifts generally span multiple years and involve a pledge by the donor at the outset. Legacy gifts are made by donors through their will, trust, estate plan or as a designated beneficiary on a financial asset.

7. What form can gifts take? Gifts may be traditional or non-traditional. The most common type of a traditional gift is cash or cash equivalents. These include checks, electronic withdrawals from checking and savings accounts and credit card or debit card payments in the form of a one-time or recurring payment. Non-traditional gifts include a wide variety of financial assets and instruments other than cash including stocks, bonds, IRAs, equity securities, crypto currency, real estate, art, vehicles, boats, planes, and other personal property. Non-traditional gifts also include financial assets where the RRUMC Endowment Fund is designated as a beneficiary and/or survivor on retirement accounts, pensions, annuities, and life insurance policies.

8. How does planned giving differ from “everyday” or current giving? The typical “everyday” gifts to RRUMC are contributions to support the current on-going operations and ministries of the church on an annual basis. These contributions include traditional gifts of cash, checks and electronic fund payments, as well as some non-traditional gifts of stocks, bonds, and IRA transfers. These types of gifts are usually unrestricted in nature and aredeposited into the church’s general fund upon receipt. Most of these gifts are typically spent in the fiscal year in which they are received, or in the following year. By contrast, planned gifts are typically made on a pledge basis over several years or bequests made at death. These gifts may be unrestricted or restricted as to their ultimate use or purpose.

9. What are the duties and responsibilities of the Director of Endowment Ministries? The Director of Endowment Ministries, along with the Endowment Committee and RRUMC’s Trustees, are responsible for:

   1. Providing general information to members and friends of RRUMC about the endowment and other giving options, restricted and unrestricted gifts, planned giving, legacy gifts, lifetime gifts, and estate planning;

   2. Assisting prospective donors by presenting options and opportunities for establishing a gifting program;

   3. Referring prospective donors to subject-matter experts to assist with estate and gift planning;

   4. Informing Pastors about planned gifts and their donors;

   5. Ensuring that gifting expectations are recorded; and

   6. Ensuring that donors receive stewardship for their generosity and that their commitment receives the appropriate acknowledgement through recognition in the Theo & Belle Moll Society.

10. How can I learn more about the RRUMC Endowment and/or become a member of the Theo & Belle Moll Society? Please consult the endowment page on the RRUMC website: www.rrumc.org/endowment-ministries.

If you have questions or need more information, please contact any of the following individuals:

• Senior Pastor: Rev. Daniel F. Bogre; dbogre@rrumc.org

• Associate Pastor: Pastor Paul A. Bennett; pbennett@rrumc.org 

• Director of Endowment Ministries: Mrs. Lisa Sierk; lsierk@rrumc.org 

• Endowment Committee Members:

  • Andy Henton; ahenton@hentoncpas.com 

  • Gary Lanzen; lanzen@sbcglobal.net

  • Cynthia Schafer; cschafer@ameritech.net

  • Karen Weger; karen.weger@att.net

Endowment Reports

Theo & Belle Moll Society

The Theo & Belle Moll Society is named in the memory of Theo and Belle Moll, who exemplified faithful stewardship through their generous gift to establish the endowment funds at Rocky River United Methodist Church. Members of the Theo & Belle Moll Society share their testimony to our trust in God and faith in providing RRUMC with additional resources that will give in perpetuity. Anyone who has a plan to give through their estate, regardless of the amount, is considered a member of the Moll Society. Learn more about the Theo and Belle Moll Society.