Donor Stories
by Mary Tindall
Thirty years ago, Robert Bugenhagen set off on an adventure. As a trained linguist, he planned to help translate Scripture in Papua New Guinea, a nation where more than seven hundred languages are spoken.
At the time, Robert's parents, Roger and Shirley, of Annapolis, Maryland, were skeptical of their son's plans. They thought he would probably return to the U.S. in a few years, perhaps disillusioned by the enormous task he had undertaken.
But Robert stayed in Papua New Guinea much longer than his parents anticipated. It was there he met his wife, a Finnish nurse named Salme. The couple settled down on Umboi Island, and spent the next three decades helping to translate the Bible into two minority languages. Today they’re working on a third.
In 2000, Robert’s mom passed away. That’s when his dad, Roger, began to think about incorporating Wycliffe into his estate. Naturally the senior Bugenhagen wants to support his son, but he has also developed a personal passion for Bible translation after seeing a video of a Scripture dedication in Papua New Guinea.
"It was really quite moving to see how the people really appreciated having the Bible," Roger shared.
As Roger considered the best way to organize his estate, he knew investments played a critical role—something he had learned during his years at the U.S. Census Bureau, where he retired as assistant director of economic programs.
"I was trying to lessen my exposure to the stock market, I was looking for some alternatives, and I had read something about charitable gift annuities. I decided to explore that directly with Wycliffe," Roger said.
Roger eventually established two charitable gift annuities (CGAs) through Wycliffe Foundation. With these charitable gift annuities, he made a gift of cash and now receives fixed payments for life.
"It worked out very well for me in several aspects because I donated appreciated stock, which is transferred," Roger said. "By not selling it, I save myself a lot of capital gains taxes."
"The income from my annuity was far greater than I was receiving in dividends from the stock," Roger explained.
Upon Roger's passing, the remainder of the CGA will benefit his son and daughter-in-law. This decision was an easy one for Robert.
"As they get older, a lot of their support that they've gained over the years has dissipated," Roger said. "People die off, so it's not an easy situation. So I felt really good that this would probably help them in their later years. I've seen the work, I've seen the results of the work, and I'm able to support them."
« Read More Stories
