At this time last year, I wrote that we were entering the busy season for SGO giving. We had just "opened our doors" the first of November, and donations started entering our mailbox. We even planned our inaugural SGO Thanksgiving event to coincide with the start of the traditional year-end giving cycle. See our article next week for more information.
How excited we were to raise nearly $290,000 by June 30 for Lutheran schools in Indiana! Fast forward to today. We've already collected more than $300,000 since the start of July, and we haven't even entered the the busy season yet. As we've been telling every principal, donor, and school board that allowed us to promote SGOs, we knew that once donors saw how easy it was to support SGOs, and how SGO scholarships could multiply the benefits for families and schools, the entire Lutheran SGO program would snowball. "No-brainer" is what we're hearing over and over as repeat donors return and new donors have their "a-ha!" moments. For those not yet familiar with the benefits of SGO giving, please allow us to provide the following simple examples. These are very simplified examples; please consult your own tax advisor for your own unique situation.1. Mr. and Mrs. Luther donate $1,000 every year to Martin Lutheran School. They receive the federal deduction for their gift.2. If the Luthers instead donated $1,000 to their school's SGO fund through the Lutheran SGO of Indiana, the Luthers would receive their usual federal deduction, plus they also could receive a $500 credit off their state taxes. This $500 credit reduces or refunds some or all of their state income tax.3. Or, if the Luthers added an additional $1,000 to their SGO giving from their business, for example, they could actually double their support to $2,000, but actually pay less when considering their $1,000 state credit.4. Also, if the Luthers increased their total SGO giving to $3,000, after taxes they could be paying about the same in net costs as the original $1,000 donation to just the school.From $1,000 to $3,000 ... three times the support, three times the benefit to the schools, and not much more out of their pocket. That's some multiplier! Please contact The Lutheran SGO of Indiana for details or to arrange a presentation at (260) 203-4509 or info@LutheranSGO.org.
