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Pledging FAQ
As you consider your pledge to Trinity Church, feel free to peruse this list of frequently asked questions. Why are annual pledges important?
Annual pledges support everything we do and are at Trinity Church. Our yearly budget is driven by the generosity of our parishioners through annual pledges. These pledges support all the operating costs of our ministry programs as well as our building and staff operations, and expenses such as heating, outreach grants, worship leaflets, and nursery caregivers. How does Trinity Church spend the money received from annual pledges?
Annual pledge dollars help support more than 100 diverse programs and activities, ranging from individual crisis and care-giving ministries to worldwide hunger relief efforts. Click here for a pie chart breakdown of our 2006 revenue and expenses. Here are just a few examples of the programs that your pledges support:
You can also view this article from Treasurer Stephen Hendrickson explaining the role your pledges play in Trinity's budget, or click here for Senior Warden Al Mulley's financial presentation from a parish update forum in early 2006. How does annual pledging fit in the ministry of stewardship?
Annual pledges are just one part of the practice of generosity and stewardship that undergirds our parish life. An annual pledge supports Trinity's annual budget. Planned giving is a gift or series of gifts that can help secure the church's ministries beyond our individual lifetimes. Special gifts fund additional parish priorities such as building renovation, fine arts preservation, and program and endowment support.
How does it look like we will conclude 2006?
The Vestry concluded last spring, after there was little change in the pledges received, that we would reach between $3.3 and $3.4 million in our '06 annual pledge canvass. As of September 30, 2006, pledges were at $3,313,000, compared to our original goal of $4 million. Engaging the input and hard work of clergy and staff, we set about to identify several immediate expense reductions and structural changes that would help re-balance our finances going forward between the living and legacy parish. We have kept expenses some $400,000 under budget. However, the annual giving shortfalls are projected at this time to increase our budgeted endowment draw by $500,000 or more, leading to a total draw in the vicinity of 8%. The recent staff restructuring will help ensure that we do not stay at such an unsustainable level of reliance on our endowment in future years.
Will the recently announced staff restructuring solve our financial challenges?
(Click here to read about the staff restructuring.)
It will not solve all of the challenges, but it will put us in a position to face them responsibly. The restructuring will go a long way to removing what would have likely become a difficult structural deficit of such magnitude as to constrain ministry and erode, over time, the gifts from parishioners of generations past in our endowment. The announced changes, in addition to some unfilled positions from earlier in the year, will provide reduced spending of over $750,000 compared to this year's budget. However, we know that other operating expenses will increase (health insurance, property insurance, staff cost of living adjustments, etc.) in the magnitude of $350,000-400,000. Therefore, we still need for annual pledging to continue to grow for the "living parish" to pay its way, and not over rely on the generosity of the past.
What is the financial goal of the 2007 Annual Canvass?
The Stewardship Committee and Vestry are encouraging parishioners to consider making a pledge that might allow our parish pledging to grow by 10%. For some, that may mean an increase of 10% or more, for others, that may not be possible. For some, it may mean pledging for the first time. "To each, as we have been given," proportionately, for each parishioner to give generously from the abundance of God's gifts to us is all we can ask every person who calls Trinity their church home to consider. We invite you to pray with us to be better stewards, as individuals and as a community:
Our Stewardship Prayer
Gracious and generous God, everything we have and all that we are comes from you, and you call us to be faithful stewards of our time, talent and treasure.
Help us ground our daily lives in thankfulness for all your gifts and mindfulness of how these gifts shape our material and spiritual well-being, our parish, community and world.
Help us return to you for your work a generous proportion of all your blessings to us, and grant us the courage to give according to your teachings with the Holy Spirit as our guide.
Help us take the next step together to discern and grow into a fuller understanding of what it means to be good and faithful stewards of our time, talent and treasure.
We ask this in the Name of Jesus, our Companion on the Way. Amen.
How much should I give with an annual pledge?
We believe strongly that our standard of giving should reflect our standard of living. We ask each parishioner to consider making a pledge that is both responsible and significant based on his or her financial situation. What does it mean to give proportionately?
Proportional giving is based on the premise that the first fruits are given back to God in grateful response to what God has given us. It refers to a conscious effort to determine an appropriate level of giving. We ask each parishioner to consider making an annual pledge in proportion to income. It is the teaching of the Episcopal Church and the Biblical norm to give 10 percent of one's income. For more information on proportional giving, click here. Can my company match my gift?
Corporate matching gifts are welcome. Giving through the Trinity Boston Foundation makes it possible for companies that are unable to give to churches to help support Trinity. If you have questions about matching gifts, please contact Denise Wilson, 617-536-0944. How can I pay my annual pledge?
Trinity accepts cash (when included in a pledge envelope), checks, MasterCard, or Visa. If you use a credit card, consider adding an additional three percent to your pledge to cover bank processing costs. You may also make a pledge payment of stock or other securities. In most cases, such a pledge payment may be considered a charitable deduction to avoid capital gains on the appreciation of the stock. Please call the stewardship office at 617-536-0944 to learn how to make a gift of securities. When should I return my annual pledge card?
Pledges are gratefully received throughout the year. Do I have to pay when I pledge? Can I pay in installments?
Returning your pledge card is simply a promise to pay. Once you've made your pledge, you can fulfill it in as many payments as you wish throughout the year. The stewardship office offers monthly or weekly pledge envelope booklets designed to help you with your payments. Why should I pledge when I regularly put money in the offering plate?
Loose funds collected each week do help to support the ongoing life of the parish. However, pledges are very important because they enable us to plan responsibly and to establish a parish operating budget for the coming year. I'm not sure what I can afford this year. How can I pledge?
A pledge can be adjusted throughout the year if your circumstances change. We suggest that you pledge responsibly, based on your best estimate of the year's income. A pledge can be increased if your circumstances change.
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