FAMILY
CONFERENCE TOOL KIT
At Landmark, we don’t take lightly the sacrifice that each individual or family will make in choosing to give, whether through a one-time gift or a commitment over the next three years. Every act of generosity represents a step of faith and partnership in what God is building through Rise Up.
We are praying for and deeply thankful to every family who is seeking the Lord’s direction and choosing to be part of this journey. Your willingness to pray and believe with us makes an eternal difference.
Below, you’ll find a Family Conference Tool Kit designed to help guide your prayer, planning, and conversations. Inside are practical resources including:
Creative Ways to Give
Giving Your Tax Savings to the Campaign
A Different Way to Give
Family Conference Guide
These tools are meant to inspire and equip you as you consider how God is leading your family to participate in the Rise Up campaign.
Creative Ways to Give
10 Ways to Give to the Campaign Without Taking a Second Job
Many people hear a phrase like "Not Equal Gifts, but Equal Sacrifices" and say, "If they only knew how little money I have," or “I'm giving all I can, I can't give anymore," or "I'm single, going to school, and I'm in debt up to my ears; I can't give much," or “I’m a single parent and I can barely feed my kids. There's no way I can give to the campaign." Believe me, we understand the concerns and empathize with you. That is why we have come up with a list of creative ways to give that you may have overlooked. Each one requires sacrifice on your part, but like King David said, “I will not offer up to the Lord anything that costs me nothing!” You may want to combine one or more of these to represent your commitment, or come up with some of your own!
Skip lunch.
This is Not as bad as it sounds. Some polls say that Americans average $8 - $15 per day on lunch, and that’s roughly $240 - $450 per month. Over a 3-year period, you can very well spend $12,420 just on lunch. Here’s a plan: Skip lunch 2 days a week. Consider healthy alternatives that are more cost effective or even FAST from one meal and use your lunchtime for devotion. At 2 days a week, you would save $1196 per year and $3588 over a 3-year period.
Give up a habit.
Easier said than done, but not impossible. Instead of purchasing gourmet coffee 1 or 2 times per day, make your coffee at home or the office. Give what you would have spent to the campaign. Giving up a $5 coffee twice a week could save $1560 over three years.
Commit an estimated raise in salary to the Lord for the next three years.
If you anticipate a raise or bonus in the near future, prayerfully dedicate that increase to the campaign. Since it’s additional income, you likely won’t feel the difference in your current budget—but your commitment will make a lasting impact.
Cancel a streaming subscription.
On average most TV streaming services can cost anywhere from $8 - $25 per month, depending on if it includes ads or not. That means over a year, you could save between $96-$300 for canceling one service. Imagine if you did more than one for three years….
Adjust your vacations.
For one or more of the years, do something close and inexpensive like day hikes, picnics, or take a three-day vacation instead of a week and save on the airfare and hotel costs. This could save $2,500 easily.
Make a commitment to drink only water at a restaurant.
By choosing water over soda two times in a week, one person could save $7.50 a week or more. That's a minimum of $1170 over 3 years just for drinking water!
Put off a discretionary major purchase.
Redirect the money to the campaign.
Continue a bill payment.
If you will be paying off a car or school loan in the next year, commit to continue to “pay the bill" by redirecting the money to the stewardship campaign after the bill is paid off. A $100 payment per month over three years is $3,600.
A dollar increase per week.
This is a great idea for those who have never given or do not see a way to increase current giving. Start by giving one dollar the first week, then two, then three, etc., praying all along that the Lord would show you a way to add that next dollar and increase each week. If you were to keep this up for three years, you would give $12,000!
Sell something.
And give the proceeds to the Rise Up Landmark Campaign. Examples could include jewelry, furniture, electronics, collectibles, toys, bikes, etc.
Giving Your Tax Savings to the Campaign
Savings From the federal tax legislation passed this year will impact what we pay in early 2026 for 2025 income tax. Consider giving all or a portion of your tax savings to the Rise Up Landmark campaign. You might save thousands of dollars because…
• For the next few years, the cap on the federal SALT (State And Local Tax) deduction increases from $10,000 to $40,000 (for a married couple). So if you can now start deducting $15,000 instead of $10,000 for these expenses, that could very well save $1,000, depending on your tax bracket.
• Effective for 2025 through 2028, individuals who are age 65 and older may claim an additional deduction of $6,000 ($12,000 for married seniors). This new deduction is in addition to the current additional standard deduction for seniors under existing law. The deduction is available for both itemizing and non-itemizing households and phases out for taxpayers with modified adjusted gross income over $75,000 ($150,000 for joint filers). For households that qualify, an increase of $12,000 in deductions will likely result in well over $1,000 in federal income tax savings per year.
• Effective for 2025 through 2028, individuals who receive qualified overtime compensation may deduct the pay that exceeds their regular rate of pay, up to a maximum annual deduction of $12,500 ($25,000 for joint filers). The deduction phases out for taxpayers with modified adjusted gross income over $150,000 ($300,000 for joint filers) but is available for both itemizing and non-itemizing taxpayers. A new deduction of $12,500 will likely result in at least $1,000 in tax savings.
• Effective for 2025 through 2028, employees and self-employed individuals may deduct qualified tips received in IRS-designated occupations that are reported on a Form W-2 or Form 1099. The deduction is available for both itemizing and non-itemizing taxpayers, and phases out with higher income (as above).
A Different Way To Give
Consider using a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) to make a donation to Landmark Church, especially for the Rise Up Landmark campaign. Taxpayers over 70.5 years old can use a QCD to transfer up to $108,000 (for 2025) directly from their IRA to a qualified charity, tax-free. This method is often more beneficial than a standard withdrawal, as it can count towards your required minimum distribution (RMD) and avoid income tax on the distribution.
Tax Benefits:
• The distribution is not counted as taxable income.
• It can satisfy all or part of your annual Required Minimum Distribution (RMD).
• You don't have to itemize deductions to benefit, making it useful for those who take the standard deduction.
How to do it:
Contact your IRA trustee and request a QCD to Landmark Christian Church. It is important to initiate this with your trustee well before year-end to ensure the transaction is completed on time.
Important considerations:
• QCDs can only be made from IRAs, not 401(k)s or other qualified plans, unless the funds are first moved to an IRA.
• QCDs are not available for 403(b), 457, or other qualified plans unless you roll them into an IRA first.
• While the 1099R tax form may not specifically code a QCD, you must inform your tax preparer that the distribution was a QCD to avoid being taxed on it.
