Every church has individuals who are emotionally connected to the way in which they give to their church. This may be; cash on the collection plate, by envelope, or by standing order.
If you are reading this, then you will know that the money from these donations doesn’t magically float into the bank, or claim its own Gift Aid. There are hundreds of volunteers in our diocese who, each week, devote themselves to the counting of cash, reconciling accounts, and claiming Gift Aid with HMRC.
As we look to the future for more efficient ways to do God’s mission, we hope to free up those volunteer hours to enable them to volunteer in other areas of church life that they may be passionate about.
The Parish Giving Scheme (PGS) is one of the tools to do this, and asking all your givers to move across to give in this way, will significantly decrease the amount of time that Gift Aid Secretaries currently spend claiming the Gift Aid on tax-efficient gifts.
3 P’s of how to get people to join the PGS:
- Make PGS your primary way to give. Any new givers should not be offered a standing order or envelopes, but directed to the Parish Giving Scheme. Why offer something that doesn’t do the work for you?
- Promote the PGS and its benefits. Flyers and pew cards to edit and download are available on the diocesan website, under ‘Publicising the PGS’ here. Support is always available.
- Add a personal touch. An emotional connection is not easily broken. Personally ask those who remain giving by envelope and standing order to join the PGS, explaining how it will enable more time for mission and how it will benefit you as a finance officer of the church.
As always, please contact the Resources Team for further support, and thank you for all you do.
Lucia Miller, Digital Giving Advisor