“Everyone thinks in terms of passing wealth onto their kids,” says Marianne Walker. “But what I want to pass onto my kids is the blessing that God has given me so that they can continue giving.”

One key tool Marianne has employed to help achieve this is the Great Commission Donor Advised Fund (GCDAF), which she learned about from Cru Foundation. Over the years, Marianne and her family have enjoyed many opportunities to support ministries and causes through GCDAFs, including a local pregnancy resource center that was in desperate need of an ultrasound machine and a nurse to go with it.

“We had one GCDAF that was kind of all of us combined and we called the pregnancy center and said ‘we can do that!” Marianne says. “That was such a blessing to be able to do that. It’s not about being seen giving, it’s about the excitement you have in your own heart of being able to give.”

Since then, Marianne has worked with our team to establish Great Commission Donor Advised Funds for all 11 of her grandchildren, who range in age from 18 to 28. “They all have a GCDAF and they all use it … from the oldest down,” she says. “One of my granddaughters was able to fully fund a missions project.”

Today, Marianne is passionate about using GCDAFs to support ministries such as Jesus Film and Young Life. But more than anything, she wants her kids and grandkids to understand that everything they have truly belongs to God. “He has given it to us to take care of,” she says. “And we are called to not be selfish with it, but to be generous.”

“It’s not about being seen giving, it’s about the excitement you have in your own heart of being able to give.” —Marianne Walker