Below are some questions that are frequently asked about the WLHS Foundation. If you have another question that you do not see below, please email your questions to Mr. Eric Ruh, Director of Planned Giving, at eric.ruh@wlhs.org.
The Wisconsin Lutheran High School Foundation is an independent organization that mobilizes the resources, leadership, ideas, and financial support necessary for enabling the mission and vision of Wisconsin Lutheran High School.
Yes. As a 501(c)3 charitable organization, the WLHS Foundation is qualified to receive tax-deductible donations. A receipt will be issued promptly after your donation is processed. Please note that if you are setting up a repeating monthly or quarterly donation, your receipt will be sent in January of the following year.
Yes. Doing so may allow you a tax deduction of the entire current value of the stock while avoiding capital gains taxes. Consult your broker about stock sold as a charitable gift. The process for donating stock is simple, contact Mr. Eric Ruh for details.
There is no minimum amount for a gift – it is a personal decision. Every gift is meaningful to the Foundation regardless of size. It is the participation in building something great together that is so appreciated.
Although people can give at any time, most donations to the WLHS Foundation come by making a gift in their will or trust or by naming the Foundation as a transfer-on-death beneficiary upon the death of the donor.
The WLHS Foundation Board of Directors is guided by its established investment and distribution policies as well as the specific donor’s intent. The Foundation Board does not write a blank check to the high school. Instead, the Foundation Board makes a commitment to provide funds for tuition assistance and specific faculty positions and programs based on the recommendations of the Board and the intent of the donors as expressed in their estate gift instructions. The high school’s administration then reports to the WLHS Foundation’s Board how the funds were used.
There is no WLHS Foundation without donors. Every donor makes a difference, and each gift deserves to be acknowledged. However, you can give anonymously by noting it on your donation. We will honor your request.
The Foundation sends a thank you letter/tax receipt to the donor.
The donor's gift information is added to a database.
The donation is deposited into the appropriate fund in the Foundation’s assets which are managed by the Foundation’s Investment Advisor under the supervision of the Foundation’s Board.
An endowed scholarship is a donor-restricted gift that is invested in a diversified investment portfolio. An annual distribution from the endowed scholarship is used to provide a source of ongoing financial support for an area of the WLHS ministry as identified by the donor. Through the WLHS Foundation, an individual, family, or congregation can establish an endowed scholarship, such as the Jones Family Memorial Scholarship Fund or the St. Peter’s Scholarship Fund. Endowed scholarships can be established with current gifts or testamentary gifts (i.e. wills, trusts, beneficiary designations on retirement accounts, insurance proceeds, etc.).
The WLHS Foundation’s endowed scholarship program has grown because of donors’ interest in encouraging and empowering future Christian leaders. Naming an endowed scholarship is an opportunity to perpetuate your own interest in WLHS or to recognize or memorialize a loved one, friend, classmate, or business. All students who receive a named scholarship are made aware that others share a commitment to their education and are given an opportunity to meet the donor when possible.
Although gifts of any size can be contributed toward general tuition assistance, an endowed scholarship that will give out an annual scholarship requires a minimum gift of $25,000, as the preferred minimum scholarship is $1,000. Each scholarship is then funded annually with the investment earnings from that principal. The principal remains intact to grow in perpetuity.
No. The WLHS Foundation does not financially compensate its Foundation Board members. The Board members not only donate their time and talent to the WLHS Foundation, but also a measure of their treasure. They serve out of a sense of commitment and dedication to the gospel ministry of WLHS.
Generally, charitable giving principles and the IRS, with its “personal benefit” clause intend that individuals should not benefit personally (at least intentionally) from a gift made to a charitable organization. The only intentional benefit should be the joy of helping others. It would not be ethical, nor possible, to designate a gift and then claim it as a tax deduction, when it is intended as a reward for a specific person. For this reason, donors are welcome to establish scholarships, but the determination and awarding of scholarship are controlled not by donors but by the WLHS administration following a specific set of guidelines that are related to each individual scholarship.
Eric Ruh Director of Planned Giving 414-453-4567, Ext. 2011 eric.ruh@wlhs.org
Mark and Wendy Reinemann
WLHS can do a great deal to win souls for Christ. Students during their high school years are extremely impressionable and are at one of the riskiest times of their lives. The pressures on them are immense and their experience dealing with those pressures are minimal. The impact WLHS can have on these kids is enormous. In addition, in recent years the Lord has given WLHS a wonderful opportunity to reach souls that otherwise may not know their Savior through the School Choice program. So now, WLHS can play both offense and defense winning souls for Christ!
Ray Mueller
What prompted me to support WLHS is my love of God, the love of the Christ-redeemed teenagers, and the love for our dear Wisconsin Lutheran High School.
Rich and Michelle Mannisto
We simply love the ministry of WLHS! After we had children, we determined it was a good time to set up our estate plans. Working with our attorney, it was easy to set-up a bequest for WLHS and provide for our children should something happen to us both. Not only was the gift easy to set up, it's the right thing to do. God gave us all that we have; you can't take it with you. Ensuring that future generations will have a Christian education is important to Michelle and me. Leaving a legacy gift to WLHS supports our goals of Christian stewardship. We encourage more young couples to set up your estate plans; you'll have more peace of mind knowing that your children and your charities will be well cared for when you are called to Heaven!