Barnabas Foundation Member Organizations

In this conversation, Cindi Riemersma (client services administrator) and Kurt Knoll (director of member relations and investments) share how by gifting commodities – such as grains, soybeans, corn, fruits, nuts and even livestock – or equipment to ministry, you can achieve greater Kingdom impact and experience personal tax savings.

Give more to ministry than you ever thought possible by gifting real estate or business interest! In this conversation, Kurt Knoll, (director of member relations and investments) and Cindi Riemersma (client services administrator) share how you can redirect a business or property you no longer need or want to manage toward Kingdom purposes, and experience significant tax benefits in return.

If you are 70 ½ and older, you can make a sizeable gift from your individual retirement account (IRA) to ministry and reduce your taxable income. In this conversation, Cindi Riemersma (client services administrator) and Kurt Knoll (director of member relations and investments)  share all the specifics of this simple and popular giving option.

Do you have appreciated stock or other securities that you’ve owned for at least a year? In this video, Cindi Riemersma, client services administrator, explains why marketable securities are a much more cost-effective giving option than cash.

In this podcast, Dr. Russell James, director of Graduate Studies in Charitable Finance at Texas Tech University, shares about his latest study on planned giving terminology and online donor behavior. This content is from a video interview with Heather Day, director of marketing, originally took place as part of "Proven Strategies for Planned Giving" member conference held in Grand Rapids, Michigan on March 3, 2020.

Is it all working? In this video, Kurt Knoll, director of member relations, talks about how to measure the overall success of your planned giving program.

Though many things have changed in 2020, some things always stay the same – including the need for ministries to communicate consistently and effectively with supporters about tax-wise end-of-the-year giving options. Join Kurt Knoll and Heather Day, director of marketing, for a practical conversation about marketing in the fourth quarter. Kurt and Heather also explain a new donor-oriented training series that you and your supporters won't want to miss.

In this training, Heather Day, director of marketing, shares how donor stories are a powerful way to explain, inspire and secure planned gifts. But how do you go about sharing them – especially if writing’s not your thing? She explains a proven collaborative approach that pairs the frontline fundraisers who know their supporters with the creatives gifted at telling their stories. This training originally took place as part of "Proven Strategies for Planned Giving" member conference held in Grand Rapids, Michigan on March 3, 2020.

Good news! You’re not in this alone. In this video, Kurt Knoll, director of member relations, explains all of the networking and training opportunities available to you through your Barnabas Foundation membership.

What happens when your supporters seemingly go off script and start talking about their illnesses, griefs and losses, how they want to be laid to rest, and their worries about the people and world they’re leaving behind? Do you awkwardly change the subject, or do you ask questions and draw them deeper into the beating heart of their singular story? Kurt Knoll and Kimberley Pittman-Schulz, planned giving advisor with Michigan State University, discuss how to lovingly serve your donors, as they near their final days.

In this training, Sarah DeYoung, development specialist for Holland Home Foundation, shares how their 1892 Heritage Society operates, and how they pulled off a fun and unique luncheon their supporters won’t soon forget. This conversation with Kurt Knoll, director of member relations, originally took place as part of "Proven Strategies for Planned Giving" member conference held in Grand Rapids, Michigan on March 3, 2020.

A legacy society provides a system to make sure your closest supporters are properly thanked, recognized and served on an ongoing basis. In this video, Heather Day, director of marketing, explains the purpose of a legacy society, and the resources available to help you launch and maintain one for your ministry.

What's keeping your planned giving program from achieving its full potential? Kurt Knoll and Jim Bakke, executive director, discuss the fears, distractions and day-to-day pressures that often get in the way. Come away from the conversation with practical advice about the steps you can immediately take to get things done.

This  classic podcast from Spring 2020 Proven Strategies for Planned Giving Conference. Cindi Riemersma explains how inviting non-cash gifts not only bolsters your organizational growth, but also enables you to serve the social, psychological and financial needs of your supporters more effectively.

Through Barnabas Foundation, you have access to a full “back office” team of planned giving professionals to help you accept and manage complex gifts. In this video, David Schutt, director of finance and administration, explains how to make the most of your membership benefits.

A legacy society will streamline and boost your efforts to honor, thank and serve your closest supporters on an ongoing basis. Join Kurt Knoll and Heather Day, director of marketing, as they discuss the benefits of having a legacy society, resources to help you get started and pro tips for making the most of planned giving's "most valuable program."

This  classic podcast from 2018 features Kurt Knoll, director of investments and member relations, and Travis Morrow, estate planner. They discuss what really happens when you refer a donor to Barnabas Foundation, answering questions like:  • What are donors thinking about?  • What questions are they asking?  • What's discussed in those meetings?  • What topics and concerns are covered in those meetings?

Now that you’ve introduced planned giving to your supporters, how do you keep the opportunities alive? Cindi Riemersma, client services administrator of Barnabas Foundation, offers practical tips for deepening your relationships at all points in the planned giving life cycle, from responding to your supporters’ initial interest through ongoing communication after a commitment is made.

Are you set up to effectively steward some of the largest gifts your ministry will ever receive? Kurt Knoll and Cindi Riemersma explain the various types of estate gifts, and talk about practical ways to improve your program – from gift acceptance and administration to supporting and communicating with family.

Where does planned giving fit when “normal” is completely disrupted? In this Ask the Expert segment, Barnabas Foundation’s Jim Bakke, J.D. (executive director) and Kurt Knoll (director of member relations) will discuss proven fundraising strategies in times of uncertainty. They’ll also cover specific COVID-19 provisions of which you should be aware.