Category Archives: Giving

Donation procedure charitable giving

• Doesn’t the church have an endowment?

  Posted on October 23, 2020 by Sarah Marino in Giving

  Yes it does. The endowment currently contributes less than one-quarter of the church’s operating budget.  Reliance on pledging is a positive aspect of healthy church life, as it ensures that we are all regularly committed to the vitality of our church and maintenance of its resources.

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• Can’t I practice stewardship without pledging—by just putting money in the plate during the Sunday offering?

  Posted on October 23, 2020 by Sarah Marino in Giving

  Sure, but annual pledging is so helpful to us for maintaining operations, and pledges in the fall clarify how much money will be available to carry out the church’s mission for the year, and thereby helps us plan our budget. This is critical information for making careful, purposeful decisions about church activities, ministry and maintenance. […]

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• Does my pledge really make a difference?

  Posted on October 23, 2020 by Sarah Marino in Giving

  Absolutely. It often comes as a surprise when people learn that First Congregational relies almost entirely on the annual pledging that members of our faith community provide.  About two-thirds of the income needed to operate and maintain our church comes from pledges.  No financial resources come to the church from our larger denomination, the UCC.  […]

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• What if I haven’t pledged before?

  Posted on October 23, 2020 by Sarah Marino in Giving

  We are thrilled and grateful to have your participation!  Any pledge is greatly appreciated.  Our stewardship campaign materials will provide some information about how to decide the amount of your pledge.

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• Do only those who have “officially” joined the church as members pledge?

  Posted on October 23, 2020 by Sarah Marino in Giving

  Absolutely not!  Our church needs the support of all of its faith community, whether “official” members or not.  All who participate in the life of the church are welcomed and encouraged to pledge.

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• What is a pledge?

  Posted on October 23, 2020 by Sarah Marino in Giving

  Each year, we are all asked to make a thoughtful, prayerful and intentional commitment to financially support the mission and ministries of our church.   Your pledge is for the entire year; however, you can change your pledge amount at any time (more below), and you can pay your pledge in any way that is […]

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  Join us for Worship This Sunday (October 25, 2020)

  Posted on October 23, 2020 by Sarah Marino in Giving, Latest News, Ministries/Task Force News, Worship

  Join us this Sunday on YouTube for our worship service where we’ll be meditating on the passage from Ephesians 3 that speaks of the church being “rooted in love and built on love” and we all know that what the world needs now is love, sweet love. It’ a good thing that we as a church have plenty […]

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• Can I give appreciated stock to FCCW to pay all or some of a pledge?

  Posted on October 13, 2020 by Sarah Marino in Giving

    Yes!  Again, consult your tax advisor regarding the benefits, but in general, using appreciated securities to make a charitable donation can have favorable tax benefits to the donor (in addition to serving important charitable purposes!).  For assistance with the logistics, please contact treasurer Bruce Lauterwasser.

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• Can I pay my 2021 pledge in 2020?

  Posted on October 13, 2020 by Sarah Marino in Giving

  Yes.  We routinely have a number of members who pay their new pledges before the end of the calendar year.  For tax purposes, any donation to the church paid before December 31, 2020 is considered a charitable contribution for tax year 2020.  For church record keeping purposes, pre-paid pledges are credited toward the appropriate pledge […]

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• Are there particular tax benefits I might receive from making a charitable contribution in 2020?

  Posted on October 13, 2020 by Sarah Marino in Giving

  Also under the CARES Act, Congress passed some provisions intended to promote additional charitable giving in 2020.  Check with your own tax advisor, but in general, the legislation increased the amount of charitable deductions that can be claimed (for itemizers) by lifting the ceiling to 100% of AGI.  For non-itemizers, there is a new deduction […]

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