Welcome to the Planned Giving pages for the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington. This is the place to learn how to help us build our long-term financial strength, so that the diocese can successfully meet the challenges and opportunities that the future will bring.

We gratefully count on your regular weekly contributions in our parishes and your support of our Annual Catholic Appeal and special collections. In the pages that follow we will talk about creative ways to use assets rather than cash to make those outright gifts. But we will also focus on gifts for the future, gifts that will help us in the years to come to serve the faithful and make a difference in the community in an even greater measure than we do now.

We help build the long-term financial strength of the Church through the diocese's Endowment program. Setting up an endowment within the diocese to benefit a parish, school or program of your choice promotes our longevity and financial health. One program in particular that would welcome an endowment gift is Vision for the Future. For more information on Endowment Funds within the diocese, please click here.

You have many options when you plan your gift:

• You don't have to use cash to make your gift — you can give us appreciated securities instead, and use an asset that costs you less than the tax deduction you'll get for it today.
• You may be holding assets that would benefit the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington itself or a local parish, a Catholic school, Catholic Charities, etc. more than they do you — such as a life insurance policy that you no longer need, a parcel of real estate like a second home or undeveloped land, or a collection of books or artwork that you no longer have room to display.
• You can make a gift that costs you nothing during your lifetime — make us a beneficiary of your will or revocable trust, or a beneficiary of your retirement plan, and leave your cash flow and current financial planning uninterrupted.
• You can make the Diocese a partner in your giving — you can deed us your home but continue to live there, you can sell us property at a charitable discount, and you can make a gift that pays you lifetime income.

In supporting the Church within the diocese - its parishes and schools, Catholic Charities or any program sponsored by the diocese, you are working with us as we:

• Reach out with courage and love to needy families and individuals,
• Bring a seed of hope to those struggling with the difficult situations in their lives,
• Educate both young and old in the Catholic faith,
• Make a Catholic education possible for families struggling to make ends meet.

Your prayers and financial support make this possible and we are indeed grateful. Please remember the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington, your local parish, a Catholic school, Catholic Charities, a special cause (e.g. tuition for a student to receive a catholic education) in your will or through one of the financial tools listed in this web site.

When you're ready to hear more, complete the Information Request Form for follow-up information from us.