Did you know that 80% of the gifts made by Americans are in the form of cash? The other 20% come in the form of non-cash assets. Although one of the biggest forms of non-cash gifting is publicly traded stock, I encourage you to consider other forms of gifting: vehicles, collectibles, inventory, electronics, art, gold coins, etc.

Indeed, there are many ways to give. I’d like to offer 4 unique ways to make a gift:

1. Make a gift of a vehicle to be used by a person in need.

Did you know that one of the areas of need is that of single moms in need of a decent car to get to work? Or sometimes, when people come out of rehab, they need a vehicle to get their life in order. In some cases, these people in need of a vehicle might be in your church. Or you can connect with facilities that would know of people with this need.

2. Make a gift of talent.

In many cases, nonprofit organizations don’t just need money: They need talent. That talent may be needed in the form of grant writing, technology assistance, website development, strategic planning, etc. Find out the needs of the nonprofit, and make a gift to cover the cost of that talent.

3. Make the gift of people.

Often the hardest job in raising funds for a ministry is finding new donors. The simplest gift is to introduce a favorite ministry to 2-3 friends of yours. Peer influence is the single greatest influence that will lead to new donors.

4. Make the gift of encouragement along with a gift.

The work of ministry is long, hard, and lonely. Often there are few thanks and meager accolades. Passion is the only fuel. So perhaps consider making a financial gift and including a personal note to say thanks for laboring, thanks for ministering, thanks for caring—and to keep pressing on!

This blog is part if a series on “4”: 4 Questions, 4 Things, etc. It’s a way of offering concise commentary. Check out the rest of the series of “4”!

Bill High

Bill is CEO & Founder of Vyne Legacy. He works with families to equip them with tools to build multigenerational legacies, and he teaches givers and financial advisers on transformational biblical generosity. He is the co-author with David Green of Giving It All Away and Getting It All Back Again: The Way of Living Generously.

Published October 3, 2017

Topics: Giving Strategies

Charitable GivingGenerosityGiving Strategies