GIVING FOR LIFE CONTINUING THE JOURNEY KEY POINTS: - introduction - welcome - aim of the session – to help you use the new Giving for Life resources to work with your parishes to review your stewardship practice, and identify some action steps to help you. If a PCC meeting, Participants should each have a copy of the PCC members sheet If a Deanery meeting, we would suggest copies of the PCC Members sheet and the Leaders Guide. Additional copies can be ordered from the Parish Resources website.

The Background Original Report: “Encouraging Generosity in Your Parish” (2009) Widespread take-up: Over 500,000 leaflets and booklets distributed. Four Key Tasks – based on good practice found in parishes. 2016: Survey with 1100+ parishes responding shows strong take up and identifies further good practice. KEY POINTS: - Giving for Life first launched in 2009 alongside a General Synod resolution. - Parishes have found it helpful, and there has been widespread take up of it. - Probably because it was based on good practice found in parishes – and the report featured four things that were known to work (and still are!) - Earlier this year we ran a survey to see what is working for parishes, who’s doing what to understand the levels of take up, and to identify further good practice.

The Context Discipleship focus Response to God’s generosity to us Not just money, but includes money Stewardship challenges PCCs & individuals to adopt good practice KEY POINTS: - Although this report will help parishes with gathering the money needed for mission and ministry, the context is far wider, and it’s important that this is recognised. - First and foremost, we engage with these matters because it is part of our discipleship – of seeking to follow a God who is generous through and through. - Matters of stewardship and generosity are just about money – there are other wider considerations – time, hospitality, compassion, talents – but it is about money. We can’t duck the money question just because we feel we’re generous in another direction. - The challenges of stewardship and generosity apply to us as individuals AND as PCCs – and since responding to the challenges as a PCC requires a common viewpoint, this can sometimes be harder.

Continuing the Journey Two resources for parishes: PCC members’ sheet Leaflet with background Further guidance on Parish Resources website: www.parishresources.org.uk Extends Key Tasks to eight Recommends PCC identifies three areas for action in 2017. KEY POINTS: - This slide provides an overview of the Continuing the Journey resources - That the sheets are for the PCC discussion, which should take around 20 to 30 minutes. - there are support resources on the Parish Resources website, including a short video introducing it. - there are now eight areas of good practice identified - and it is suggested that parishes might identify up to three to action in the forthcoming year.

www.parishresources.org.uk/givingforlife KEY POINTS: - the Parish Resources website provides a wide range of support resources. This slide gives the URL, although it is also on the leaflets. www.parishresources.org.uk/givingforlife

The PCC Review Aims: Circulate PCC members sheet (10 copies provided) Shared awareness of good practice Identify up to 3 actions for focus Circulate PCC members sheet (10 copies provided) Clip available on website Agree most significant areas for improvement (in general, lower numbers have greater impact). KEY POINTS: - This slide explains the PCC review part of the process - It’s helpful to have the PCC discussion rather than the treasurer simply identifying three areas and actioning them, as trustees should have a common understanding of the practice of the PCC. - PCC members should be circulated in advance with the PCC Members sheet, and asked to complete them. Only 10 copies have been provided as this was the maximum we could mail out within the mailing weight limit, so some PCCs may need to copy this sheet. - During the discussion, the PCC should agree on the most significant areas for improvement – noting that in general, the lower numbers have greater impact.

Outline for rest of the Presentation Introduction Summary Getting Started KEY POINTS: - The rest of the presentation will go through the eight tasks, with three slides to each task. - the first slide introduces it, and indicates the level of adoption around the church. - the second slide provides a summary of the point and why it makes a difference - the third slide tells you how to get started.

1. Preach and teach regularly about giving in the context of discipleship KEY POINTS: - Preaching and Teaching was the first key task in the 2009 report – it’s still the one we believe has the most impact on helping church members see giving and generosity within the context of their discipleship. - the levels of adoption are encouraging (and better than previously) but there is still some way to go. 40% of parishes have heard a message on money or generosity in the last six months, and almost two thirds within the last year.

Preach and Teach Regularly Faithraising not Fundraising. Seeing generosity at the heart of God’s character. Responding to generosity and grace received. Focus is much wider than simply increasing giving to the church. Giving for Life – 24/7 in all aspects. Faithraising Fundraising KEY POINTS: - The preaching and teaching ministry aims to build a holistic generosity in response to God’s generosity to us. - It’s not primarily about giving money to the Church – and as such this means that clergy should not feel compromised on account of their stipend. - It’s possibly helpful to see the amazing breadth of the generosity of God as Father (in Creation and in sending Jesus), as Son (in both incarnation and passion) and as the Holy Spirit (in bringing gifts, and indwelling).

Preach and Teach Regularly Preach the whole gospel – including messages on money when they arise in the lectionary. Little and often is better than once a year. Keep a log of key messages when you preach – it may surprise you. Testimony on “why I give” helpful from preacher and others. KEY POINTS: - Here are some tips - Money is throughout the Bible, and particularly the parables in the gospels. Yet often congregations don’t appear to have heard the money parts of these passages. - It’s best to teach issues of money and generosity as they arise, often just noting them in passing, rather than over-emphasising them. - It’s useful as a preacher to keep a log of key messages, and review to check for balance. How often does the generosity of God and our response to that appear? - Finally, “testimony” is good, but this is best focused on why I give, rather than necessarily how much I give (although if this is a natural part of the testimony, then it shouldn’t be discouraged).

2. Communicate with givers from several different perspectives KEY POINTS: - All parishes do some reporting on Cost – even if buried in the APCM report - However, good practice is to balance this with reporting on impact and outcome – what difference are we making in our communities, and in furthering the mission of the Church. - 1 in 5 (probably at best) do this effectively. Whilst all parishes provide some reporting on costs (APCM report), only 1 in 5 parishes communicate the mission and ministry impact of giving.

Communicate various perspectives Distinctive faith perspectives on generosity. Your vision, purpose and impact on mission and ministry. KEY POINTS: Charities are excellent at providing the communication needed to inspire giving We understand there are three elements of communication needed: - the distinctive faith perspectives on giving and generosity (building on the previous point) e.g. the idea of proportionate giving - the vision, purpose and impact on giving, so donors understand the difference the church is making in its community. Ideally this will talk about the difference to peoples’ lives. - finally information on the costs and financial situation so church members can form a realistic understanding of the scale of the challenge. This, however, is where some churches start and finish! The costs and financial situation of your church.

Communicate various perspectives Preaching and teaching. (#1) APCM – exciting and engaging? Thank You letter. (#3) Website – simple and engaging. Giving review material. (#4) Budget communication. KEY POINTS: - Here are some ideas for communicating from these different perspectives. - the (#1) etc refer to the key tasks in this series - Most parishes can improve on at least one of these… if not several!

3. Send an annual, personal ‘thank you’ to regular givers Almost half of all churches sent a thank you letter in the past year, and over 60% have done so within the past 3 years. Excluding the don’t knows, this rises to over 50% within the past year. KEY POINTS: If you never received an acknowledgement from a cause you were giving to over a long period of time, you may be less likely to continue. Givers may not need to be thanked in order to continue giving, but it’s an important part of our corporate stewardship to do so. This is one of the major areas of growth since the 2009 report, and most churches now send out a thank you letter.

Thank givers annually Value givers and their giving Explain impact of giving (in aggregate) Don’t ask for an increase! Can include amount (if from Treasurer or Gift Aid Officer) but not if it comes from wardens or incumbent. Vary practice from year to year Christmas or end of Tax Year KEY POINTS: Doing so provides a way of thanking planned givers (likely to be the only ones you know are giving regularly) and informing them of the impact of giving across the church (Link with previous point). It’s important that this remains as a ‘thank you’ and doesn’t become an ‘ask’ which would devalue the thanking. Don’t send out the same letter each year – that becomes mechanical; but vary practice – who the letters come from, what they say, and possibly the style of the thanking.

Thank Givers Annually Send to planned givers. Templates available at: www.parishresources.org.uk/givingforlife Easy way to get started. KEY POINTS: - This is an easy task to start doing - Template letters are provided.

4. Hold some form of annual review of giving Over half of parishes asked their congregation to review their giving within the last year. However, 10% haven’t run a review within the past five years. KEY POINTS: - An annual review might sound like hard work, but it doesn’t need to be, and it’s an important help to combat static giving. - Most of the 1100 respondents to the survey have asked their congregation to review their giving in the last year. - However, some haven’t done so for five years.

Annual Review Or simpler review. Why annually? How money works for most. Combat static giving. Three recommended programmes: Giving in Grace (L & M parishes). Parish Funding Programme (S, M, L). Simple Giving Programme for Smaller and Rural churches (S). Or simpler review. KEY POINTS: - For many people, money “works” annually – pensions, stipends or wages tend to be adjusted annually; and it is good practice to review household spending and budgets at least once a year – as households, but also as a church. - There are three programmes recommended on the website, and resources provided against each of them - but it can be simpler e.g. getting one of the leaflets in the Giving for Life series; or just a home-made leaflet which follows a presentation of the budget, or a sermon series.

Annual Review WHEN? – similar time each year is good, but dovetail with church calendar. HOW? – perhaps plan a three or four year rolling programme. WHO? – who will lead on this. PCC should endorse strategy. Leave enough time for preparation. KEY POINTS: - Having a similar time of year is good – people know when to expect it, and it means that it’s a year since they last reviewed their giving. - It’s important not to do the same thing every year – changing practice and using alternative ways of reviewing giving can be helpful. Certainly a full programme done every year would most likely be too much, and possibly counter-productive; but it should probably be done once every three or four years. - whichever route you choose, someone (and preferably a small team) will need to lead on this. - it’s important that the PCC own and endorse the strategy / approach, and it’s not solely left to the treasurer, as PCC leadership and support is critical to the success of a programme. - leave enough time for preparation. The materials need to be well-thought through, and provide givers with the information they need to reflect properly on their giving.

5. Agree a legacy policy and communicate this to the congregation KEY POINTS: -The annual level of legacies received by parishes has now exceeded £50 million. - For some of our church members, this is a way of giving that particularly suits them; and there are others for whom its less suitable. - It’s important to let people know that if this is a helpful way for them to give, then the Church welcomes gifts left in wills, and a legacy policy can be a great way of doing this. - The survey showed that one in five parishes now have a legacy policy, although only half of them have communicated it within their churches. One in five parishes now have a legacy policy, although only half have communicated it within their churches.

Agree a Legacy Policy The PCC should agree a Legacy Policy and communicate it to their congregation. A Legacy Policy allows the PCC to prepare and discuss how they would like to see a gift used. Many feel more inspired to leave a legacy, if they think their church will use it for worthwhile projects. KEY POINTS: - This slide is fairly self explanatory. - there are sample policies available on the Parish Resources website.

Getting Started with Legacies 1. Request a FREE copy of our PCC Legacy Toolkit. www.parishresources.org.uk/order 2. For further guidance and helpful information visit. www.parishresources.org.uk/legacies KEY POINTS: - It’s easy to get started – we have a PCC legacy toolkit, and you can request a free copy by going to the Order Resources page on the Parish Resources website. - There are lots of helpful resources and guidance on the site – see the link.

6. Claim Gift Aid regularly, including the Small Donations Scheme (GASDS) KEY POINTS: - Parishes received over £88 million from HMRC in 2014 – the latest year for which we have data - this was a significant step up from 2013 due to the introduction of the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme - the survey shows that nearly every parish claimed on Gift Aid during the past year, but only four in five had started using the Small Donations Scheme. 97% of parishes have claimed Gift Aid in the past year, but only 82% have claimed on the Small Donations Scheme.

Gift Aid and Small Donations Scheme Remind givers to check they are still taxpayers. Check Gift Aid declarations are valid Claim regularly Small Donations Scheme: Now increased to £8k p.a. KEY POINTS: - We’ve produced a simple Gift Aid checklist to help parishes ensure they are following the good practice (It may be an idea to print one out and hold it up) The rest of the slide flows through the guidance on the checklist

Gift Aid and GASDS GASDS: step by step guidance. One guide for single church parishes, one for those with more than one church. (www.parishresources.org.uk/giftaid/smalldonations/ ) Review Gift Aid checklist and carry out actions. Guides available on Parish Resources site to help you. (www.parishresources.org.uk/giftaid/ ) If you need help claiming online, contact your diocese or ask a nearby parish. KEY POINTS: - Brief explanation of GASDS – one guide for single church parishes, one for parishes with more than one church. NOTE – the Government has indicated a desire to improve the scheme from next April, assuming the legislation passes through Parliament. - Some parishes have struggled to claim Gift Aid since it moved online. If you are not claiming Gift Aid, and haven’t done so for a while, then why not either buddy up with a neighbouring parish to get some help in how to do this, or ask the diocese for help – it’s free money!

7. Use the Parish Buying Service KEY POINTS: - The Parish Buying Service was launched in 2012 and most parishes are now registered with it – over 10,000 individuals have registered. A third have bought something through the scheme. Most parishes are now registered with Parish Buying, and a third have bought something. Since launch in 2012, over 10,000 individuals have registered.

Parish Buying Energy Basket – a easy solution for parishes – good pricing, with a focus on customer service. Other contracts available: office products, oil, photocopying, IT, telecoms, software etc. Insurance (£45m spend): get alternative quotes (see guide). Buying guides available. Pooling buying power across parishes. KEY POINTS: - Parishes spend over £300 million a year on things rather than people. This includes £170 million on capital projects and repairs, more than £40 million on utilities and the same on insurance. - It’s part of our stewardship to be wise in how we spend, and the Parish Buying service aims to help us pool our buying power, and provide a service which makes it easy for volunteers to serve parishes – ensuring that photocopying contracts have no stings in the tail, providing an escalation point if the energy company doesn’t deliver what it says it’s going to, offering guidance on parishes on purchasing in certain areas. - A couple of key points: - The Energy Basket offers an easy solution, with good pricing and good customer service. It doesn’t guarantee to be the cheapest possible quote you can hunt down, but it is designed to be a good service year in, year out. - In Insurance we’ve produced a guide to making good decisions. There are now two players offering specialist products for churches, and we’d encourage you to compare both offerings. There may be a good reason why you would choose to make some purchases from different suppliers – supporting local firms, for example, but in the absence of any good reason to buy elsewhere, it would be helpful to make Parish Buying the default.

Parish Buying: Getting Started Visit www.parishbuying.org.uk and register. Start with the major areas of spend: Energy (variety of options available) Insurance (Read buying guide and get more than 1 quote) If doing large capital project see guidance Review contracts available. KEY POINTS: - Getting started is easy – you’ll need to register on the Parish Buying site (this is because some of our pricing is commercially in confidence). - Start by reviewing your major areas of spend – and look at those areas which either haven’t been reviewed for a while, or where you’re not confident that your current solution is a good one.

Summing Up Most churches are now doing much of the original good practice. Nearly every church can improve somewhere. Giving for Life: Continuing the Journey helps you identify where you might focus in the coming year, and builds a common PCC understanding. Support and resources available on the Parish Resources website. KEY POINTS: - Close by summing up that most churches are now doing much of the good practice BUT nearly every church can improve somewhere. - The programme is designed to make the best use of a short PCC review - and there are support resources available to progress with each of these on the Parish Resources website. www.parishresources.org.uk/givingforlife/

GIVING FOR LIFE CONTINUING THE JOURNEY Finally questions and discussion. Close by thanking people for attending. Questions and Discussion