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Giving Info for Ames UCC

People give to Ames UCC in several ways for a variety of purposes. This page was prepared to help answer any questions that you may have about the different options. Gifts are typically received by the church Financial Secretary (finsect@amesucc.org) who keeps a record of all gifts to the church and provides an annual summary of your gifts for tax purposes.
 
Format of Gifts

• Cash/Checks – The traditional method of giving cash or writing bank checks still works. You can place your gift in the offering on Sunday or checks can also be sent through the mail to the church office. The church gets 100% of the value for cash or check gifts. 
• Electronic Giving – Electronic Giving is accomplished by transferring money from your bank account or by charging your credit card for the funds. The church is setup to receive electronic gifts through Vanco and Givelify and either system can be used to give to the church. These are two separate companies with slightly different appearances, and both charge the church a small fee for handling the transfer of funds. If credit cards are used, the credit card company also adds an additional charge to the church of around 3% for the funds. Periodic gifts (weekly/monthly) can be setup to occur automatically in either system. You can create an account or profile with either system to remember your information which makes repeated access easier. Accounts or profiles are not required.

Givelify Electronic Giving

Vanco Electronic Giving

• Stock – There are some tax advantages of giving appreciated stock. If you are interested in giving stock or other such gifts, you should contact the church Treasurer (treasurer@amesucc.org).
• Gifts in other formats - If you are considering giving a gift in some format other than above, check with the church Financial Secretary (finsect@amesucc.org).

 
Types of Gift Designation

1. Pledge (Operating Budget) – Payment on annual pledge for operating budget
2. Non-pledge (Operating Budget) – Gift for operational expenses of the church which are not part of a pledge.
3. Special Offering (Non-budget) – Special appeals made through the church for additional donations (i.e. Neighbors in Need, One Great Hour of Sharing, etc.).
4. Memorial Gifts (Non-budget) – Donations made to the church in memory of someone.
5. Theologian in Residence (Non-budget) – Donations to cover the cost of this specific program.
6. Pastoral Emergency Fund (Non-budget) – Funds provided to the pastor(s) to provide emergency relief.
7. Undesignated Outreach (Non-budget) – Funds provided to the Social Justice and Outreach Team to increase their support of outreach programs.