Donor Stories

Donor-Advised Fund Helps Desperate Ukrainian Refugees

After Charlie and Sarah Greer of Dunwoody watched a Year-End Giving and Wills Webinar hosted by the Georgia United Methodist Foundation and Zoe M. Hicks, Atlanta Author and Attorney, they established a donor-advised fund (DAF) with the Foundation.

A DAF is an irrevocable gift that allows the donor to take an immediate income tax deduction but defer deploying contributions to a future time. As account advisors, the Greers have the privilege of making grant recommendations. The first grant was distributed in 2022 to the United Methodist Committee on Relief to assist the Ukrainian people.

"God's command is to go and make disciples of all nations. Sometimes that's not physically possible, but our giving to missions can help others go out into the world," said Charlie and Sarah Greer. "What's happening in Ukraine breaks our hearts. We knew we needed to support them through this donor-advised fund."

Roland Fernandes, General Secretary, Global Ministries and United Methodist Committee on Relief, shares the impact of the Greer's generosity. "Without gifts like this to the Foundation, UMCOR would not be able to assist the people who have been displaced by the war in Ukraine," he said. "The generosity of people in, and associated with, the United Methodist Church never ceases to amaze me."