ABCRGR Resources for Church Treasurers

Resources for Church Treasurers

ABC/RGR Church Treasurer's Guide to Completing Monthly American Baptist Mission Support Report Form

ABCUSA Mission Support Definitions & Mission Receipt Instructions

Monthly Report of Mission Support Form (Blank)

Tax Exempt Number and Church Utility Bills

Does your church have a tax exempt number? If not, you may be paying NY State tax on a lot of things from which you might be exempt, such as your church utility bills. One of our region churches recently (June 2008) recouped over $900 in back tax, in fact, in negotiation with their natural gas supplier. If you have any question about this or we may be of assistance, please call the Region Office at 585-340-9520.

Designated Giving

Designated contributions are those that are made to a church with the stipulation that they be used for a specified purpose. If the purpose is an approved project or program of the church, the designation will not affect the deductibility of the contribution. However, if a donor stipulates that a contribution be spent on a designated individual, no deduction ordinarily is allowed unless the church exercises full administrative control over the donated funds to ensure that they are being spent in furtherance of the church's exempt purposes. Contributions to a church that designate an individual recipient can arise in several ways.

If a donor specifies that a contribution be designated to some specific purpose it can be designated providing that the designation is an existing established project of the church. If the purpose has not been pre-approved the gift is not deductible. If a project has not yet been approved the donor is advised to hold off making the contribution until the church has an opportunity to consider the project.

Stewardship "Help" Now Available at www.abc-usa.org

Churches asked for a usable, more concise location for stewardship news, resources, and support, and we are proud to offer them the new Stewardship Pages on the ABC-USA website. Click above and follow the menu path from the Home Page: For Churches / Financial Support / Stewardship or For Clergy / Stewardship.