Please Give This Month to PHLF’s HRP Program

When we think about October, we think about tricks and treats. We are also reminded at PHLF that making a gift now to support the historic religious properties in Allegheny County could help avoid the tricky problems associated with the neglect and decay of important religious properties. That’s why your support is so important to the success of PHLF’s annual appeal.

Please help us reach our goal of raising $75,000 in support of PHLF’s Historic Religious Properties (HRP) program by making a cash contribution or a planned gift.

• For a cash gift, please click here to make a tax-deductible donation. Go to “Contribute” on the home page; select the amount of your gift; and direct it to Historic Religious Properties.

• Planned giving: There are other ways to make a gift that will not only help us in 2013, but could maximize your tax benefits. For example, when you donate appreciated stocks, bonds, or mutual fund shares, you get the same tax deduction as if you had given cash. That’s because your deduction is based on their market value, so you incur no capital gains liability on the transfer to us. It’s one of the best tax incentives left, and we can work with your broker to make a gift of securities simple.

To learn more about the advantages of making gifts of appreciated assets to  support our HRP Program,  visit:http://plannedgifts.phlf.org/wisely.php or contact  our planned giving office at plannedgiving@phlf.org or 412-471-5808, ext. 538.   Other creative giving ideas can also be found at plannedgifts@phlf.org.

PHLF’s matching grant program is the only place most historic religious properties can turn to for help in making critical exterior repairs to their buildings. By encouraging careful, informed, and economical stewardship, PHLF helps ensure that these architecturally-significant places of worship will be taken care of for future generations.

During PHLF’s Technical Assistance Workshop for Historic Religious Properties on September 21, we were reminded of the program’s importance. More than 65 people attended the workshop and many of them brought photos showing gaps in sandstone steps, stained glass in need of repair, loose masonry, missing mortar, and steeples in need of repair. Participants were inspired by PHLF’s commitment to help and are grateful for its program of matching gifts and technical assistance.

However you choose to support the HRP program, please remember that your gift is leveraged. “Each grant from PHLF is matched by the congregation, making donations from our members and friends even more valuable,” said Mr. Dorman. Whether you choose to support the HRP program or another important PHLF project or program, thank you for helping to make possible our many preservation successes.