Welcome to the Unitarian Society of Germantown, A Liberal Church in Northwest Philadelphia, PA

Gifts and donations provide capital improvements, enhanced staffing, and operating support to accomplish our mission. Your gifts support a community that is able to seek within as well as realize the value of supporting others. These gifts are critical in meeting USG's educational, spiritual, social justice and outreach goals.

Thank you for your generous gift. No matter what size or what form, we appreciate your generosity of spirit and your spirit of love. The Unitarian Society of Germantown is a registered Pennsylvania State religious organization and all donations/contributions are tax deductible.

Donate Online
It is easy to make an annual, quarterly or monthly donation to USG by credit card. Just click on this link and follow the simple instructions:



As with all credit cards, USG pays a small fee for this service. It is worth the price -- credit card donations give us a more secure and regular cash flow and it lessens the work of both staff and volunteers.

If you have questions or problems, please contact Mary Lee Keane at mary@samcooks.com).

Amazon.com Profit Sharing Plan
Another way that members, friends and visitors can support USG is through Amazon.com's profit sharing plan. If you buy any books, electronics, music, clothes, tools or other things from Amazon.com, please consider making your purchases through our Website by accessing Amazon and their allied companies with the button below. Through a profit sharing plan, USG receives a percentage of each purchase that goes to Amazon through our Website. Click here:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst/home/home.html/104-6011624-1073559

Acme Receipts
You can help USG's operating budget every time you shop by participating in the cash-back programs run by two supermarket chains which remit 1% of all qualifying purchases! If you're an Acme shopper, bring in your receipts and put them in the can marked "Acme receipts" on the table in the dining room near the courtyard exit.

Genuardi's
If you're a Genuardi's customer, you need to register your Genuardi's card online at www.escrip.com, at your local Genuardi's customer service desk, or call or e-mail Cynthia Claus with your number and she will register it for you. Our group # is 150400432. When you're registered, all of your purchases will become eligible for the rebate. Contact Cynthia Claus for additional information on any of these programs.

Trash to Cash
Bring in your used printer ink cartridges and cell phones for our Trash to Cash program. We get paid handsomely for used printer ink cartridges and old cell phones that we send in to be re-cycled in a program also run by eScrip. Put those items in the green and black plastic container under the nametag board.

Memorial and Special Occasion Gifts
A gift to USG honoring or memorializing your loved one is a thoughtful and meaningful way of expressing your sympathy or good wishes. Remember a loved one or recognize a special day such as an anniversary or birthday with a donation to our Memorial Fund. Gifts in honor of a special occasion or accomplishment may also be directed to USG. Send your check, made out to USG Memorial Fund, to the church office. Indicate the name of the person you are remembering, and your gift will be acknowledged. The Memorial Fund supports special church projects.

Planned Giving
Have you included USG in your will? Here's how.

This outlines the most common bequest options. It is not intended as a substitute for qualified legal advice.

You can always change your will at any time if your personal circumstances change.

Types of Bequests
Here are the most common types of bequests.

• A specific bequest directs that USG receive a specific item or items, such as a specific stock.
• A general bequest directs that USG receive a specific dollar amount of money or a percentage of your estate. For example, a bequest of $5,000 or $10,000, or 5% or 10% of your estate, is a general bequest.
• A residuary bequest directs that USG receives all or a part of what remains in your estate after all debts, taxes, expenses, and other bequests have been paid. It is possible to give USG both a general or specific bequest and a residuary bequest. This ensures that USG will receive at least a certain amount and a higher amount if the size of your estate allows.
• A contingent beneficiary may be chosen to receive bequests intended for someone else if that person dies before you. For example, you might leave a bequest to a sibling, and to USG if that sibling dies before you do. Not-for-profit organizations are often named as contingent beneficiaries.
• Life Insurance, IRAs and Retirement Plans: You can name USG as the first, second, or third beneficiary of your life insurance policy or retirement plan. This, too, can be changed or revoked by you at any time.

What if I already have a will?
If you already have a will, your lawyer can usually add a codicil to include USG. It should not be necessary to redo the entire document.

What are the tax implications of a bequest to USG?
It will lower your federal estate taxes, since the donation is deducted before the estate tax is calculated.

Should I earmark my gift for a special project? If you wish to restrict the use of the gift to a specific purpose, you can. Please consider, however, allowing the board of trustees to apply the bequest to other purposes as close as reasonably possible to the spirit and intent of your bequest. Circumstances can change, making it impractical or undesirable to stick to your original intent.

What is the proper wording?
Here are typical wordings for a bequest:

Please note that these are only samples. They do provide appropriate language for making a bequest, but an attorney should always be consulted.

Please let USG know.

If you have already remembered USG in your will, or are planning to do so, we encourage you to let the financial secretary, the treasurer or the minister know. A single bequest is unlikely to be enough to support a new initiative. But in aggregate, bequests are important to our church, and aggregate knowledge of members' intentions helps us to plan for the future. Of course, the information you provide will be held in strict confidence.