Baptist Children’s Homes of North Carolina | Advancement
Quick answer: What is a legacy gift? A legacy gift is a charitable gift you arrange now that takes effect later, usually through your will, a trust or a beneficiary designation on an account you already own. At Baptist Children’s Homes of North Carolina (BCH), there is no minimum gift size, most legacy gifts cost you nothing during your lifetime, and you can change your plans at any time.
Ready to start a conversation? Call Alan Williams in BCH Advancement at (336) 474-1277.
Most people who love this ministry give the way they can today. A check in the offering plate. A monthly gift. A carload of backpacks in August.
A legacy gift works differently. It is a decision you make now that keeps caring for children long after you are gone.
It is also the kind of giving people understand least, usually because no one has ever walked them through it in plain language. So here is that walk-through: what a legacy gift actually is, how one gets made and what happens when you pick up the phone.
Key Facts at a Glance
- Organization: Baptist Children’s Homes of North Carolina, Inc.
- Ministry: Foster care, residential cottage care, adoption and family support across North Carolina
- Minimum legacy gift: None
- Cost during your lifetime: None, in most cases
- Can you change your mind? Yes, at any time
- Who to contact: Alan Williams, BCH Advancement — (336) 474-1277
- Does BCH give legal or tax advice? No. Your own attorney or advisor handles that.
What Is a Legacy Gift?
A legacy gift, sometimes called a planned gift, is a charitable gift you arrange as part of your will or your long-term financial plan. Unlike a gift you write a check for today, a legacy gift takes effect later, which means you keep full use of your assets during your lifetime.
Most legacy gifts to BCH take one of four forms.
Gift in Your Will or Trust
You leave a specific dollar amount, a percentage of your estate or whatever remains after your loved ones are provided for. Your attorney can add the appropriate language to your will or trust.
Beneficiary Designation
You name BCH as a beneficiary of a retirement account, life insurance policy or bank account. This can usually be done using a short form from the company holding the account and may not require a change to your will.
Gift of Appreciated Assets
Stock, land or other property can become a gift to the ministry. These gifts begin with a conversation with BCH and your financial or legal advisor.
Gift to an Endowment
You can add to an existing BCH endowment or establish one in your name or in memory of someone you love. BCH Advancement can help you understand the available options.
What Is an Endowment, and How Is It Different From a One-Time Gift?
An endowment is a permanent fund. The gift is invested and the original amount stays intact. Each year, a portion of what the fund earns is used for ministry. Because the gift itself is never spent, it keeps working.
A one-time gift is used to meet ministry needs today. It helps children and families currently in our care.
An endowment gift is invested permanently. The principal stays intact while a portion of the fund’s earnings supports ministry year after year.
A one-time gift meets a real need this year, and we are grateful for every one of them. An endowment meets a need every year, including years none of us will see.
The Shirley Abbott Endowment is one example. It was established in 2026 by 94-year-old Vernon Abbott in memory of his wife of 72 years, a woman friends at BCH called Saint Shirley. It is a permanent fund supporting BCH’s ministry to children for generations, and it is open to anyone who wants to add to it.
Do I Need to Be Wealthy to Leave a Legacy Gift?
No. There is no minimum gift size at BCH, and you do not need a large estate. This is the single most common thing that stops people, and it is not true.
Shirley Abbott’s own giving is the example. She served as treasurer of her Sunday school class, and every time the class treasury reached $100, she mailed it to BCH. She did that for decades.
Her philosophy could hang over the door of any ministry: she would rather give to two who did not need it than pass by one who did.
“A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children.” — Proverbs 13:22
How Do I Leave a Gift to BCH in My Will?
There are five steps, and only one of them requires a lawyer.
1. Decide What You Want Your Gift to Do
Some people want their gift used where the need is greatest. Others want it directed toward a particular ministry, such as foster care, residential care, adoption or a specific BCH home. Others want it to carry a name, either their own or that of someone they loved. Any of these is a good answer, and you do not have to have the answer before you call.
2. Have a Conversation With BCH Advancement
There is no obligation and no paperwork at a first meeting. It is a conversation, and mostly we listen. You describe what you have in mind and what you are hoping your gift will do, and we explain the options that fit. If it is helpful, we put those options in writing so you can think and pray about them. If you decide the timing is not right, that is a perfectly good outcome.
3. Talk With Your Attorney or Financial Advisor
This is the step where a legacy gift becomes real. BCH does not draft your documents and does not give legal or tax advice. Your own attorney or advisor makes sure the gift is structured correctly and fits the rest of your plan.
4. Put It in Writing
For a gift in your will, your attorney adds the appropriate language. For a beneficiary designation, you complete a form from the company holding the account.
5. Tell Us, If You Are Comfortable
You are never required to tell BCH about your plans. But letting us know helps BCH plan responsibly for the future, and it gives us the chance to thank you properly while you are here to hear it.
What Information Does My Attorney Need From BCH?
Your attorney will need BCH’s full legal name, mailing address and tax identification number in order to name the ministry correctly in your will. BCH Advancement can provide the needed information in writing.
We do not publish sample bequest wording. The right language depends on what you want your gift to do, how your estate is structured and what your attorney recommends. Call us, tell us what you have in mind, and we will send your attorney exactly what is needed.
How Long Does a Legacy Gift Take to Set Up?
A beneficiary designation can often be completed in an afternoon. A gift through your will usually moves from the first conversation to signed documents in a few weeks, depending on your attorney’s schedule and how much you want to think it through. There is no clock running.
What If I Am Not Ready Yet?
Then you are in good company, and there is no wrong pace for this. Some of the most meaningful gifts in BCH’s history started with a phone call that went nowhere for years. Vernon Abbott called BCH once or twice a year for nearly two decades before he was ready.
More Questions About Legacy Giving
Can I Give to an Endowment That Already Exists?
Yes. The Shirley Abbott Endowment is open to anyone who wants to contribute, as are other established BCH endowments. You do not have to create your own fund to be part of a permanent one.
Can I Choose What My Gift Supports?
Yes. Gifts can be directed to a particular ministry area, such as foster care, residential care or adoption, or to a specific BCH home. Gifts can also be left undesignated so they can be used where the need is greatest.
Does a Legacy Gift Cost Me Anything Now?
In most cases, no. A gift through your will or through a beneficiary designation takes effect later, and you keep full use of your assets during your lifetime.
Can I Change My Mind After I Have Arranged a Legacy Gift?
Yes. A gift in your will or a beneficiary designation can be updated or removed at any time, for any reason. Telling BCH about your plans does not lock you into them.
Do I Have to Tell BCH About My Gift?
No. You are never required to. Letting us know simply helps the ministry plan responsibly and gives us the chance to thank you while you are here to hear it.
Start a Conversation About Your Legacy
You do not need to have everything figured out before you call. Whether you already know what you would like your gift to accomplish or you simply have questions about what is possible, BCH Advancement would be glad to talk with you.
Call Alan Williams at (336) 474-1277.
There is no obligation, and a conversation is simply that: a conversation.
Information provided by Baptist Children’s Homes of North Carolina is not intended as legal, tax or investment advice. For such advice, please consult a legal or financial professional.
