The Smarter Generosity Podcast

In Episode 11, Katie Brubaker and Eric Fleshood explained how a charitable gift annuity works. In Part 2, they answer a question many people ask as they move into retirement: what if I want to give more to ministry but still need the income?

If you're 70½ or older, you can now use a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) from a traditional IRA to fund a charitable gift annuity (CGA). Katie and Eric cover:

• How a CGA differs from a commercial annuity
• Directing your gift to the Cru staff, ministries or projects you support
• The once-in-a-lifetime QCD option, up to $55,000 in 2026, or $110,000 for a married couple funding one joint CGA
• Why there's no tax deduction, why the transfer isn't taxed, and how it can count toward your required minimum distribution
• Why the payments are taxed as ordinary income
• Who can receive payments, the immediate start and the 5% minimum payout rate
• How this differs from a regular QCD made directly to ministry
• Why the money must move directly from your IRA to Cru Foundation

Listen to Part 1, How Does a Charitable Gift Annuity Work?: www.crufoundation.org/podcast/what-is-a-charitable-gift-annuity

Learn more about QCDs and IRA giving: www.crufoundation.org/ira-rollover
Request a complimentary gift annuity illustration: www.crufoundation.org/charitable-gift-annuity

This episode is for educational purposes only and is not intended as legal or tax advice. Please consult your professional adviser.

What if the greatest obstacle to your generosity isn't a lack of resources, but a blind spot in how those resources are being managed?

In this episode of The Smarter Generosity Podcast, Eric Fleshood and Katie Brubaker revisit a special donor briefing hosted during a Jesus Film Project gathering in Vancouver, where Eric and estate planning attorney Brad Gornto explored five common blind spots that can prevent generous families from realizing their full Kingdom impact.

From relying on financial advisors who may not specialize in charitable planning to waiting too long to give appreciated assets, these overlooked decisions can have significant consequences for families who want to steward their wealth faithfully.

Eric and Katie also tackle questions submitted by ministry partners, exploring donor-advised funds, qualified charitable distributions (QCDs), inherited IRAs, charitable trusts, and giving strategies that can provide income while supporting ministry.

Throughout the conversation, they reveal how thoughtful planning can help families align their financial decisions with their desire to advance the Great Commission.

Generosity isn't simply about how much we're willing to give. It's also about how intentionally we steward what God has entrusted to us.

Whether you're preparing to sell a business, planning your estate, or looking for more effective ways to support the ministries you love, this conversation offers practical considerations for putting your generosity into action.

The Smarter Generosity Podcast is for spiritual edification and educational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal or tax advice. Consult your professional adviser before making financial or charitable decisions.

For more information, visit: https://www.crufoundation.org/contact/

What does it look like to surrender everything to Jesus and discover that He is worth more than anything we could ever gain?

In this special 75th anniversary episode of The Smarter Generosity Podcast, Eric Fleshood and Katie Brubaker revisit the lives of Bill and Vonette Bright, co-founders of Campus Crusade for Christ (now Cru), and explore how their journey of faith, surrender, and generosity helped shape a global ministry.

From signing a covenant surrendering their possessions and future earnings to giving away a $1 million award, Bill and Vonette lived out their conviction that Jesus was their ultimate treasure. Their story reveals how wholehearted surrender can transform our relationship with money, possessions, career ambitions, and security.

Eric also shares personal memories of the Brights, including how their joyful generosity shaped their ministry, influenced generations of missionaries, and prepared Bill to face the end of his life without regret.

Their legacy reminds us that surrendering to Christ isn't a tragic sacrifice. It's the bargain of a lifetime.

As Cru celebrates 75 years, we're invited to consider what we might still be holding back from the One who has already given everything for us.

The Smarter Generosity Podcast is for spiritual edification and educational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal or tax advice. Consult your professional adviser before making financial or charitable decisions.

For more information, visit: crufoundation.org/family-giving/

What if the reward God offers us is far greater than a mansion, a crown, or earthly treasure?

In this episode of The Smarter Generosity Podcast, Eric Fleshood and Katie Brubaker explore what Scripture means by eternal rewards and whether Christians should be motivated by them. They discuss biblical images of crowns, mansions, and inheritance, and consider a deeper possibility: that our ultimate reward is God Himself and fellowship with Him.

Eric and Katie also explore the difference between mercenary and intrinsic rewards, how our understanding of reward shapes generosity, and how generosity can form us to enjoy and participate in the life of God—even now.

This episode is for spiritual edification and educational purposes only and is not intended to be legal or tax advice. Consult your professional adviser before making financial or charitable decisions.

For more information, visit: crufoundation.org/family-giving/

What if you could make a meaningful charitable gift while also receiving a lifetime income stream?

In this episode, Eric Fleshood and Katie Brubaker explore charitable gift annuities (CGAs), how they work, and who they may be a good fit for. They discuss the difference between charitable and commercial annuities, immediate and deferred payments, payout rates, potential tax benefits, and how a CGA can combine generosity with predictable income.

A charitable gift annuity can offer a thoughtful way to meet financial needs while also creating a meaningful gift that supports the work God is doing through ministry.

Note: This episode is for spiritual edification and educational purposes only and is not intended as legal or tax advice. Consult your professional adviser before making financial or charitable decisions.

For more information, visit: https://www.crufoundation.org/family-giving/

What does it really mean to leave a good inheritance? For believers, inheritance is about more than passing down money or material possessions—it’s about preparing the next generation to become faithful stewards of what God has entrusted to them.

In this episode of The Smarter Generosity podcast, Eric Fleshood and Katie Brubaker discuss how generosity can be modeled, taught, and passed down through families. They explore practical ways parents and grandparents can involve children in giving, explain why generosity should be visible within the family, and point to the greater inheritance we have in Christ. Discover how simple conversations, family traditions, and intentional generosity can help shape a lasting legacy of faith and stewardship.

Note: This episode is for spiritual edification and educational purposes only and is not intended as legal or tax advice. Consult your professional adviser before making financial or charitable decisions.

A Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) can turn retirement resources into an opportunity for Kingdom impact. In this episode of The Smarter Generosity Podcast, Eric Fleshood and Katie Brubaker explore how QCDs work, who can use them, how they interact with required minimum distributions, and why they can be such a powerful tool for generous retirees.

They also discuss the potential tax benefits, giving beyond the QCD limit, inherited IRAs, and how retirees can use their resources to continue supporting churches, ministries, missionaries, and the Great Commission.

You can learn more about QCD's here: https://www.crufoundation.org/ira-rollover/

Note: This episode is for spiritual edification and educational purposes only and is not intended as legal or tax advice. Consult your professional adviser before making financial or charitable decisions.

In this conversation, Eric Fleshood and Katie Brubaker explore the role of ROI in generosity and why biblical stewardship goes beyond measuring results. Through the parable of the talents, they discuss how our view of God shapes the way we handle what He has entrusted to us. Rather than seeing God as a demanding taskmaster focused only on outcomes, we are invited to know Him as a generous Master who calls us into relationship, faithfulness, and trust. Discover why good stewardship begins with understanding the heart of God—and how generosity becomes a response to His grace rather than a checklist to complete.

Cru Foundation and The Smarter Generosity Podcast exist to accelerate the Great Commission through Smarter Generosity.

To talk through your own stewardship questions, start a conversation with a Cru Foundation specialist.

This content is provided for spiritual edification and educational purposes only and should not be considered legal or tax advice. Please consult your professional advisor regarding your specific situation.

Zacchaeus and the rich young ruler had much in common. Both were wealthy. Both met Jesus. Yet one walked away sad while the other opened his home, his hands, and his resources.

Katie Brubaker and Eric Fleshood explore what separated their responses and what these familiar stories reveal about surrender, identity, and faithful stewardship. Their conversation offers a reminder that generosity begins deeper than a financial decision. It grows from a personal encounter with Christ and a willingness to trust Him with every part of life.

Cru Foundation and The Smarter Generosity Podcast exist to accelerate the Great Commission through Smarter Generosity.

This content is provided for spiritual edification and educational purposes only and should not be considered legal or tax advice. Please consult your professional advisor regarding your specific situation.

How much is enough? It's a question our culture rarely asks, yet it shapes every financial and stewardship decision we make. In this episode, Eric Fleshood and Katie Brubaker explore what it means to define "enough" through a biblical lens, why Christians are called to live as stewards rather than owners, and how answering this deeply personal question can bring greater freedom, intentionality, and joy in managing the resources God has entrusted to us.