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Is Trinity an "Endowed" church?
Yes and no. Trinity has a small endowment that provides for Roughly, 1/4
to 1/3 of our operating expense. For the other 2/3 to 3/4 of our
budget, we rely on the stewardship of our parishioners. Trinity would
not last long without the support of our congregation.
Where does the money I pledge go?
Each year, Trinity releases an annual report. In that report there
is a pie chart that shows how each dollar received was spent. The nature
of the chart varies from year to year, but any contributing member of
Trinity can request a copy of the report. Major portions of that chart
include Building Repairs, Utilities, Staff, Education, Mission &
Outreach, Diocesan Support, and Music.
How much money goes beyond our walls?
Funding for projects that go beyond Trinity happen in various ways
and vary from year to year. Each year, a portion of the general budget
gets set aside for Mission and Outreach. In addition, several fund
raising events generate funds for M & O programs as well. The best
example of this is the Carnival. Also, we pay money to the Diocese for
their projects as well. Our Mission and Outreach does not stop
there. Each summer, the Middle School Youth Group endeavors on a Summer
Service Camp to help with projects outside of our church. (The last two
years have been spent helping the less fortunate in Chester.) The average
expenditures over the last two years have exceeded $30,000.00 per
year. Trinity also is part of the Episcopal Youth
Mission, which
has it's own fund raising efforts for yearly mission trips to the far
reaches of the US.
How is my pledge accounted for?
The weekly offering, once blessed, goes to a group of volunteers
called Tellers. The tellers open each envelope and write on the outside
of the envelope what they found inside. The money is then deposited. During
the following week, the envelopes are then entered into a computer which
generates your quarterly contribution statement. In order to receive a
statement, you must have at one point filled out a Pledge Card so that
you are in our system. (The pledge card has provisions for those who
wish to contribute but do not want to make a pledge.) In addition, the
total deposit each week is entered into our accounting system, which is separate
from the system that produces your statement. The reason there are
two systems is that individual contribution data is not made public, but
our general accounting information is available to any member on
request, and is published in our annual report.
How can I help make my statement accurate?
The simplest way is to use our envelope system for making
contributions, and to clearly write the amount on that envelope. Without
the envelope, the tellers may mistake your contribution as a "loose
offering." This is the loose money found in the plate each week. This
money is reported by the tellers as a total only, and is not recorded in
our parishioner contribution database. If you did not bring an envelope to
church, write your envelope number in the memo field on your check. This
is not a foolproof system, but it will help the tellers notice that you
have a contribution account.
What is the "Week / Month / Year" thing on
the pledge card for?
Some people pay their entire year off with one check. Others may only
write one check a month. Most people use the weekly system. When you receive
your contribution statement, the totals will be compared to the whole
year, or prorated to the month or the week depending on what you checked
off. If in doubt, use the "weekly" option.
What is the Commerce Affinity Program?
Trinity has an affinity program set up at Commerce Bank. Basically, if
you have an account or are opening an account at Commerce, Trinity may be
eligible to receive a small donation from Commerce based on the total
dollars of all parishioners who bank there. There is no cost to you
whatsoever. To read more click here. You can
print out the document and receive $25 for opening an account at the
bank.
Why are certain contributions not listed on my
statement?
At times, Trinity will collect funds for outside organizations. If
this is the case, you should ask the organization for any receipt you may
need for tax purposes. (Examples of this: Ambler Food Cupboard,
Interfaith, Etc.) Also, any fees or dues collected,
or payments for purchases would not show up on your statement. Special
collections, and flower donations will be listed on your statement, but
not under the "pledge" heading. Sometimes, a parishioner may
make a donation of goods or services and ask for this to be reflected on their
statement. This can be done, but will appear on your statement in the
"Other" category, and not the pledge contributions
portion. Collections made on Good Friday are forwarded to the Diocese
and are not part of Church income. Therefore, Good Friday collections do
not appear on your statement. Please Note: Effective 1/1/06,
contributions to the Episcopal
Youth Mission Group are now applied to your contribution statement as
"other contributions." Goods and Services, such as the Mother's
Day Plant Sale, are not tax deductible and will not appear on contribution
statements.
How do I get a receipt for a major donation?
Simply put, ask. We will write you a letter indicating the nature and
date of your donation. Note: The IRS will not let us establish a value for
this type of gift. Donations to events such as our Rummage Sales may
also be tax deductible. Simply contact the event organizer for a donation receipt.
Once again, we cannot appraise the value of used goods, but we can
indicate they were donated to the church. To assess the value of your
donation, please contact your accountant or consult IRS
publication # 561.
Can I pay off last year's pledge once the new year is
started?
Two answers: Yes you can, and Thank You! But... The IRS will not
let you use the deduction for the prior year. Once December 31 comes and
goes, a new contribution year starts. The money will be listed on your
current year statement in the "Other" section.
What audit systems does Trinity use?
There are many internal and external audit systems used by the church.
Here is an overview: Our tellers are audited in two fashions, the first is
on the tellers worksheet. The totals of all types of contributions received
must match the totals of the cash and checks deposited. The bank deposit as
reported by the bank must equal the total on the tellers worksheet. Our
data entry is then audited in two reconciliation formats, The numbers
entered in our parishioner database must equal the numbers entered from
the worksheet in our accounting database. These numbers must then
reconcile against our monthly bank statements. Money the church spends
must also be reconciled and audited. We laser print our checks directly
from our accounting software. The numbers in our system must match the
detailed bank statements each month. Once a year, an independent
professional auditor then audits our accounts as well as our business practices
and reports to the diocese.
How do I get reimbursed for money I spent on the
church's behalf?
First, and above all else, you must have received approval to spend
the money on the church's behalf! Department heads of budgeted departments
must give this authorization. You can submit a Request
for Reimbursement, or Request
a Check for a vendor online by using these forms. Please fill out
all fields. There are three accounts we write checks from listed on the
top of the form. 1) General Checking (This is most likely the
one you need.) 2) Mission and Outreach, and 3)
Episcopal Youth Mission. Your department head must sign for your check
when you pick it up and you must supply a receipt for all out of pocket
expenses. You cannot request a check for yourself! The person
signing or authorizing a check must be different then the name on the
check! If are a department head and need personal reimbursement, you
must have a warden or the rector authorize your request. (These are
rules from our auditor and exceptions cannot be made.)
Are gifts to the Refugee Family tax deductible?
The short answer is no. You are giving gifts to another family. When
this family leaves, they will be taking these items with them. It is the
same as giving a gift to your neighbor. To be tax deductible, the donation
must be made to a chartered non-profit organization. An undesignated gift
made to Trinity, or a gift made to Trinity's Mission and Outreach Program
would be deductible. If you supplied repair work to a church structure
such as the Sexton's Cottage, expenses incurred in this work may be deductible
as it is a gift to the church.
Is money I spent on or at the Carnival
tax deductible?
Money spent at the Carnival is not tax deductible, it is entertainment.
Money spent on required preparation for the carnival is reimbursable by
the church (see above.) If you make donations to one of the events, such
as gifts for the Parson's Porch, you may be able to deduct these on your
personal income tax filing. In this case, ask the person running the event
for a receipt showing the goods donated. We are not allowed to assess a
value on any gifts given. If you purchased something new, keep your
original store receipt and staple it to your gift receipt for when you
file your taxes.
Are donations to the Rummage Sales tax
deductible?
Yes. You may be able to deduct these on your
personal income tax filing. When you donate goods ask the person running the event
for a receipt. We are not allowed to assess a
value on any gifts given. To assess the value of your used
donation, please contact your accountant or consult IRS
publication # 561. If you purchased something new, keep your
original store receipt and staple it to your gift receipt for when you
file your taxes.
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