Smart Church Finances

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Smart Church Finances

• 11 Keys to

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Smart Church Finances

• 1. The Right Stuff www.ucc.org/finance

I n t r o d u c i n g
a new webpage
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Smart Church Finances The Right Stuff

• www.ucc.org/finance

Navigating
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Smart Church Finances
2. Equipped Leaders

• Leadership exists to
• serve the churchs mission

• Treasurer, Trustees, Financial Secretary
• Position Descriptions
• Separation of duties
• Bonding
• The Ministers Role (coming soon)

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Smart Church Finances - Leadership
click on Trustees
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Smart Church Finances - Leadership
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Smart Church Finances
3. Effective Procedures

• Start with Best Practices for Handling Church
  Offerings!

• Clear, workable procedures help
• People perform well
• Safeguard assets property and people
• Enhance trust and confidence

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Smart Church Finances - Procedures
Great resources
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Smart Church Finances
4. The Right Accounting System

• The right system
• fits the churchs needs
• seeking church input

• Computerized or manual, it helps
• Manage the finances
• Track progress to goals
• Produce timely, accurate reports that communicate
• Must be user friendly

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Smart Church Finances
5. Reports That Communicate

• Financial reports that
• communicate put people at ease and in control
• being developed

• Financial reports for members should
• Be kept simple
• (MTD, YTD, Budget)
• Be timely, accurate, and complete
• Compare (actual/budget)
• (current year/prior year)
• Identify restricted funds
• Give the full picture

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Smart Church Finances
6. Budgets That Inspire Giving

• Mission Spending Plan

• Invite support by
• How you build it
• What you call it
• How you present it
• Try a narrative or picture format
• www.ucc.org/stewardship/picture-budgets.html

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Smart Church Finances - Budgeting
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Smart Church Finances
7. Multiple Sources of Funding

• Does your church offer multiple giving
  opportunities?

• ASK!!!
• Nurture annual giving
• Cultivate major gifts planned giving
• Capital campaigns
• Grant writing
• Make it easy to give
• www.ucc.org/e-giving

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Smart Church Finances - Fundraising
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Smart Church Finances
8. Commitment to Giving

• People give to ministry
• that transforms lives

• How does your church model giving?
• Tithe to OCWM
• My church is 5 for 5
• Basic Support, OGHS, NIN, STC, Christmas
  Fund
• Support community UCC seminaries

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Smart Church Finances
9. Informed Investing

• Investing church funds
• a BIG responsibility

• You can invest with confidence
• UCC Cornerstone Fund
• Flexible Demand Term Notes for
• Individuals, Churches, UCC Entities
• United Church Funds
• A Family of Investment Funds for
• Churches UCC Institutions
• Both provide socially responsible investing

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Smart Church Finances - Investing
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Smart Church Finances
10. Empowered Borrowing

• Borrowing can be challenging expensive

• UCC churches have great options
• Church Building Loan Fund
• for your first house of worship
• Partners in Building Program
• UCC Cornerstone Fund
• Repair, remodel, build, accessibility
• EcoLoans, Revolving Line of Credit

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Smart Church Finances - Borrowing
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Smart Church Finances
11. Problems Addressed / Accomplishments
Celebrated

• Its how you handle them that counts!

• Every system
• experiences problems