Introduction to Financial Giving
Whether you are an existing or new member to the congregation we hope your chosen way of financial giving is of convenience to you. Within this website we wish to promote both regular and tax efficient giving as it greatly helps the Parochial Church Council to know what income can be relied upon as we seek to plan our part in God’s ministry and mission, here in the parish and further afield.
Planned regular giving can be achieved most easily by setting up a Standing Order mandate with your bank, or by opting to use Free Will Offering (FWO) envelopes. If you wish to receive a set of FWO envelopes please contact the Gift Aid Secretary (contact details below). If you wish to set up a Standing Order facility please complete the mandate and return to the Gift Aid Secretary (contact details below). You may amend an existing Standing Order direct with your bank or by using the Standing Order mandate form and returning to the Gift Aid Secretary.
However you give, please consider whether you are able to complete a Gift Aid Declaration under the Gift Aid scheme. This will enable your gifts to be increased and become tax efficient as the charity will be able to reclaim, on your behalf, basic rate income tax from HMRC. If appropriate, please return a completed Gift Aid Declaration form to the Gift Aid Secretary. Further explanation of the Gift Aid scheme is given on this website
If you wish to receive further information about any of the methods of giving, or tax efficient donations, please contact the Gift Aid Secretary. Alternatively use the ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ on the Gift Aid scheme page to further learn about the processes of financial giving.
Once again, thank you for your generosity and for the understanding you show by your consideration to regular planned giving and tax efficient donations.
Frequently Asked Questions about Financial Giving
This section provides some answers commonly asked questions about financial giving.
Why do some members of the congregation use envelopes when making a financial gift?
Am I restricted in my giving by using envelopes?
What should I do with my Free Will Offering envelope(s) if I attend worship occasionally?
I find it very difficult getting to services of worship and yet want to make gifts, what can I do?
What happens if I put the wrong code on the orange Gift Aid envelope?
Who knows the amount I have donated?
How long will my records be kept?
Should I contribute to the offertory on each and every occasion?
Does the amount I put into the offertory on each occasion have to be the same?
Why do some members of the congregation use envelopes when making a financial gift?
There are two types of envelope available for making donations: i) the orange Gift Aid envelope and ii) the ‘Free Will Offering’ envelope which will be of different colour. The Gift Aid envelope allows donations to be made tax efficiently when you wish to specify the purpose for which you would like your donation to be used. To enable Nursling & Rownhams PCC to reclaim the tax paid by the donor, the giver must have paid sufficient UK tax and complete the declaration on the envelope or a separate Gift Aid Declaration .
The Free Will Offering envelope is helpful in supporting regular giving and is available to any member of the congregation. The envelopes are available in boxed sets consisting of (normally) 52 envelopes printed with the date of each Sunday throughout the year. On each envelope is printed a number which is unique to the donor (eg 123). This system provides a convenient method of the donor establishing planned and regular giving. A donor using the Free Will Offering envelope system may also make tax efficient donations by completing a Gift Aid Declaration form.
This is entirely up to you. The two types of envelope systems are provided for your convenience and also as a method of maintaining statutory records for those donors making tax efficient gifts. Donations can be made also by monthly standing order or by placing cash in the offertory. Please note that tax efficient donations cannot be made without the gift being uniquely identified to a donor by use of envelopes or by standing order mandate.
Am I restricted in my giving by using envelopes?
No. You can use one or more of the methods of giving at any time. For instance, you may make already regular donations using a Free Will Offering envelope: this can be supplemented by placing cash in the offertory or making tax efficient donations (where eligible) using the orange Gift Aid envelopes. The amount donated can be varied at anytime: you don’t have to inform anyone!
What should I do with my Free Will Offering envelope(s) if I attend worship occasionally?
The envelopes are provided for your convenience and you may wish to set aside your regular gift in each weekly envelope until you are able to attend worship, and then place all envelopes in the offertory. Alternatively you may wish to put the corresponding donation into a single envelope. There is no benefit in placing empty Free Will Offering envelopes in the offertory!
I find it very difficult getting to services of worship and yet want to make gifts, what can I do?
You could perhaps entrust your gift to a friend or other member of the congregation attending the service of worship, or alternatively consider setting up a Standing Order facility.
Yes, there is! If you have made donations previously using either of the envelope systems or by standing order, you will have been assigned within our records a unique code (eg NR1537). This is not the same number that is used on the Free Will Offering envelopes. Please contact me if you wish to use your ‘NR’ code as a means of identifying your donation when using orange Gift Aid envelopes.
What happens if I put the wrong code on the orange Gift Aid envelope?
It is likely that your donation will be assigned to whoever has that code! (It is sometimes possible to identify when someone has used their Free Will Offering envelope number instead of the ‘NR’ code: but not always!). If you are unsure of your code it is best always to complete the details on the envelope.
Who knows the amount I have donated?
Unless you write your name on an envelope, then the only person to have direct knowledge of your donation is the Gift Aid Secretary when entering the amount(s) into an electronic database used with restricted software. The database is backed up (by several methods) and periodically an electronic backup is shared with the Treasurer. In addition, a quarterly record of donors making tax efficient gifts is sent to HMRC as part of the reclaiming of tax.
How long will my records be kept?
The envelopes, paper and electronic records will be kept for the time period as required by HMRC to operate the Gift Aid scheme: this is currently 4 years.
Should I contribute to the offertory at each service I attend?
The method, frequency and value of your donation is for your prayerful consideration. You should not feel awkward by not placing your gift directly into the offertory during a service of worship: you may be one of the many members of the congregation making gifts using a monthly Standing Order facility!
Does the amount I put into the offertory on each occasion have to be the same?
No. The value of your gift can be varied and is for your prayerful consideration.
No. The amount you give on each and every occasion is for your prayerful consideration: give joyfully.
Peter C Jackson
- 023 80735523 pcjhome@gmail.comSeptember 2010