Parish Giving Scheme

This is our preferred method for receiving regular gifts. The Parish Giving Scheme was set up by the Church of England to facilitate setting up gifts by direct debit. The Parish Giving Scheme also benefits St Mary’s as it allows us to receive the gift-aid within 10 days, rather than the four months it takes through standing orders. It also provides the option for the giver to have their payments automatically increased each year by the rate of inflation. You can set up your gift online at Parish Giving or if you prefer a paper form, please ask the Treasurer or anyone on the Finance Team for an information pack.

Standing Orders

Alternatively, we can accept standing orders. Set up through your bank using the following details:

Account Names: St Mary of Bethany PCC | Sort code: 40-52-40 | Account Number: 00012226

Please let the Treasurer know before setting up a donation so that we can plan effectively.

We are always grateful for one off gifts, and we can accept one-off gifts via a number of ways:

1) Cash or Cheque: Ask a steward for a giving envelope or take one from the display by the entrance to the main Church building. Complete the details on the front, enclose your donation and drop it in the collection plate by the main doors of the worship area. Alternatively, cheques made payable to St Mary of Bethany can be posted to the church office - please get in touch first.

2) Bank Transfer: We can accept transfers to our bank account. Please contact the Treasurer (or look on Churchsuite if you are a member) for further details and to fill out the gift aid declaration form prior to sending your donation.

3) Credit Cards: We have a credit card reader available in church. Please ask a steward if you would like to give using this. We are not currently accepting online gifts by card, as the processing fees cost us money, but please get in touch with the Treasurer if you would like further information.

Yes! If you’re an eligible UK taxpayer, Gift Aid increases the value of your charity donations by allowing charities to reclaim the basic rate of tax on your gift, at no extra cost to you. That’s 25p for every £1 you give. Your donations will qualify as long as they’re not more than 4 times what you have paid in tax in that tax year (6 April to 5 April).

To allow us to claim gift aid, please contact Treasurer and fill out a giving form.

For many people, leaving a gift in their will is a final opportunity to make a lasting gift to God. A will is a legal document that sets out your wishes regarding the distribution of your wealth and possessions. It is also where you can include a charitable legacy once loved ones have been provided for.

A charitable legacy is a gift of money, property or an item left to an organisation in a will. This type of giving to charity is commonly referred to as gifts in wills. Gifts in wills can be left to parish churches, cathedrals and dioceses and are exempt from inheritance tax. If you would like to know more please speak with the Treasurer.

As a charity, we receive over half our income from regular gifts from members of our congregation. The rest comes from a combination of gift aid, one-off donations and legacies.

The vast majority of our expenditure relates to paying staff salaries and our parish share (the contribution we make to fund the work of the Diocese from which we also benefit). We also have to maintain the church building and pay for all our consumables. These are relatively minor costs and kept under tight control.

As a charity, you can always find our accounts on the Charities Commission Website - alternatively get in touch with the treasurer or a member of the finance team and they will be happy to explain in more detail.

YES!

Raise money every time you shop online with www.easyfundraising.org.uk

Whenever you buy anything online - from your Christmas shopping, your weekly shop to your annual holiday - you could be raising a free donation for St Mary’s. There are nearly 3,000 retailers including Amazon, John Lewis, Aviva, thetrainline and Sainsbury's, who will donate a percentage of the amount you spend to St Mary’s to say thank you for shopping with them. It's really simple to register and doesn't cost you anything.

All you have to do is:

1. Click this link to go to http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/stmaryofbethany

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