November 17, 2009 – 9:47 pm
Report: Finances Steady at Two-Thirds of Churches
New research: Giving flat or growing for many congregations.
by Matt Branaugh
New research released this week by Indiana University’s Lake Institute on Faith & Giving and The Alban Institute suggests giving remained steady–or grew–during the first half of 2009 for two-thirds of the 1,540 churches they surveyed.
More than three-fourths of those surveyed hail from Protestant denominations, the two organizations said.
Nearly 37 percent of congregations said their collections grew during the first half of 2009 compared to the same period of 2008, while another 34 percent said their collections remained flat year-over-year, the research showed.
The remaining respondents said giving declined in the first six months of 2009 compared to the same period a year …
October 31, 2009 – 8:44 am
The Third of the “Big Three” of Itemized Deductions – Charitable Contributions
One of the major things that distinguish us as a great people is the generosity and philanthropy of Americans. We are, very simply, the most generous people in the world (go to my Web site, click on News and then Charitable Gifting).
Although not the leading factor in our generosity, certainly the tax benefits afforded charitable contributions under the Internal Revenue Code are a contributing factor. Here are the basics on optimizing your Itemized Deductions for your charitable contributions.
Most of us make our gifts to our church, synagogue, mosque and other charitable organizations in cash. Always make your cash gifts to these charities by check so …
October 17, 2009 – 6:35 pm
PowerChurch Plus Training – Accounting
Date: November 14, 2009
Cost: $112.50
Accounting module will be taught basic functions to add chart of accounts, financial reports, making changes to accounting setup, etc. PowerChurch Plus versions 10 and 9 will be reviewed and taught.Accounting module will be taught the basic commands and functions. Setup of charts of accounts, financial reports, changes, etc.
October 5, 2009 – 6:54 pm
Handling Contributions for Specific Missionaries
BY RICHARD R. HAMMAR
Church members make contributions to missionaries in a number of ways. Unfortunately, many church members and church treasurers are not familiar with the tax rules that apply. This article summarizes the key rules.
Rule #1—Direct Gifts To Missionaries
Church members sometimes send a check directly to a missionary. Occasionally an interested person will even give a missionary an item of property, such as a car, a home, or an item of jewelry. These gifts are not tax-deductible by the donor as charitable contributions. To be tax-deductible, a charitable contribution must be to or for the use of an organization the IRS has recognized as tax-exempt.
This requirement is not met when gifts are given directly …
September 25, 2009 – 5:59 pm
The Church Media Community
Question: I was wondering how many of you track weekly member attendance? Not talking about general numbers, but specific individual attendance. I’ve thought about this in the past, but couldn’t see how it could work smoothly without being cumbersome, distracting, etc. If you do it successfully and think it’s worth it, how?
Reply: Mustangnaz
New Church Media Member
We actually started something this week in staff meeting where we all get a list of people and together we go through it to check everyone that was there. It goes really fast with everyone working together, we got all 300ish people done in less than 5 minutes.
But here is the new system I am looking …
September 14, 2009 – 8:57 pm
Church Audit: How to Prepare for a Nonprofit or Church Audit
Whether it is an external or internal nonprofit or church audit, there are certain steps you can take to prepare for it. First of all…take a deep breath… an audit is not a reflection on the competence or integrity of your financial staff. Rather, it is a routine procedure designed to protect both your staff and your church or nonprofit. Second…you need know what your nonprofit or church audit should accomplish. An audit should:
* Independently verify the reports of the treasurer(s);
* Follow the funds and see if proper steps are being taken in handling them;
* Document that …
September 14, 2009 – 8:54 pm
Annual reports are as much for the church as for business today
No doubt as investors or participants in an employer’s 401(k)or IRA retirement fund, many congregants are used to perusing financial statements that affect them. They may or may not understand the fine details, but many a financial advisor has remarked at how good people can be at getting to the bottom line. With the current economic crisis placing challenges for people from all walks of life, the discussion of financing has become nearly a national obsession.
From the pulpit, the plea for donations is increasingly followed by the expectation on the part of church members of accountability and transparency. People may still be willing to give, some more and …
September 14, 2009 – 8:49 pm
PowerChurch Plus Regional Training-St. Louis Area
Friday, October 16, 2009 at 9:00 AM – Saturday, October 17, 2009 at 4:00 PM (CT)
Edwardsville, IL
As Authorized PowerChurch Teaching Consultants, Books in Order training seminars include thoughtfully prepared presentations, background materials and tools that walk attendees through each aspect of the setup and use of this powerful church management system. The objective of all Books in Order training seminars is to ensure that at the conclusion of the seminar attendees are prepared to:
* Implement new or make adjustments to existing PowerChurch installations;
* productively use this feature rich program to address the membership, contributions, accounting, recordkeeping, reporting and event/volunteer management needs of the ministry;
…
September 6, 2009 – 9:22 pm
PowerChurch Plus Regional Training-Kansas City Area
As Authorized PowerChurch Teaching Consultants, Books in Order training seminars include thoughtfully prepared presentations, background materials and tools that walk attendees through each aspect of the setup and use of this powerful church management system. The objective of all Books in Order training seminars is to ensure that at the conclusion of the seminar attendees are prepared to:
* Implement new or make adjustments to existing PowerChurch installations;
* productively use this feature rich program to address the membership, contributions, accounting, recordkeeping, reporting and event/volunteer management needs of the ministry;
* provide secure access to share all or select information stored in PowerChurch with other …
September 6, 2009 – 9:21 pm
PowerChurch Plus Regional Training-St. Louis Area
As Authorized PowerChurch Teaching Consultants, Books in Order training seminars include thoughtfully prepared presentations, background materials and tools that walk attendees through each aspect of the setup and use of this powerful church management system. The objective of all Books in Order training seminars is to ensure that at the conclusion of the seminar attendees are prepared to:
* Implement new or make adjustments to existing PowerChurch installations;
* productively use this feature rich program to address the membership, contributions, accounting, recordkeeping, reporting and event/volunteer management needs of the ministry;
* provide secure access to share all or select information stored in PowerChurch with other …
