Common Questions about Giving to the Church

AKA Questions You've Always Had about Giving to the Church (and were maybe too afraid to ask)

Over the months of October & November each year, as a Parish we are preparing to pledge and then pledging -- how we support the important work that happens in our church and its ministries.

As a part of this preparation, I have put together complete and hopefully easily understandable answers to questions we often get about giving to the Emmanuel. I hope that you find this series helpful! If you have other questions not answered here, please feel free to email or call the office and we will get back to you.

Why should I pledge? Won't my dollars get spent the same anyway?

Churches run (or don’t) on the gifts of their congregants. 99% of our Parish’s annual income is donations from parishioners, and we have to make a lot of big decisions each year based on what we estimate people will give. That’s pretty tricky – imagine trying to make your own household budget without any idea how much you might make any given week! Pledges are a way for you to let the church know what you plan to give, so that we can plan to steward those gifts in the best possible way. 

Pledges help us decide if we can afford to keep staff, hire new staff, keep giving free lunches (and how many), and so much more. Choosing to forego completing a pledge when you know approximately how much you plan to give could be the difference between us deciding to cut or significantly scale back an important program to ensure we’re operating within our means. Every pledge, no matter how small, makes a difference and can sway how we end up allocating the budget. 

How often should I be giving?

Whenever you can give, we are grateful. If you are able to give on a regular basis, monthly is a very helpful schedule as we budget, report, and also pay our diocesan assessment (the money we owe to the diocese) each month based on our income. That said: 

• Weekly giving is a wonderful tradition for many and helps a lot of people remember it.

• Giving monthly is regular enough to help us maintain adequate cash flow to operate while also minimizing data entry. 

• Some parishioners give based on their tax return, or at other irregular times due to their specific circumstances, like quarterly payouts from retirement accounts. AWESOME! We can definitely work with that. :) 

• Regardless of how often you’d like to give, you can use our online giving tool, Tithely, to schedule an automatic recurring gift in the amount and frequency of your choosing. Many find this helpful so that even if they forget or are out of town, they are still supporting their parish! 

Do I get a tax write-off for giving to the church?

Yes! Emmanuel Episcopal Church of Shawnee is a nonprofit organization, to which financial gifts are tax deductible. We keep donor records and send out annual Giving Statements in January of each year detailing your household’s giving for the previous year for your tax purposes. This letter includes our federal EIN, which is sometimes needed for some financial reporting, especially in relation to investments. If you have any questions, please contact your Parish Administrator. Remember, cash given in the plate that is not in an envelope with your name on it will not show up on your donor records. 

How much am I supposed to be giving? I heard I’m supposed to give 10%.

“Tithe” is taken from the Latin of “tenth” and there is biblical support for this; it is a good goal, but many parishioners’ financial status and stability varies widely, and can often change. That’s why we ask that each family give what they are able, when they are able. 

If your family is just making it by, we understand and you are not alone; 10% is much more than many people can afford. However, don’t underestimate the power of a small amount given here or there as you are able. For example, here are some things we could do with $5 a month, aka $60/year: 

• Pay for the communion bread needed for 2 months

• Pay the Porch House’s water bill for a month

On the other hand, if your family is very comfortable financially and you have more to give, it may be pertinent for you to know that we do not have all the money we need each year. In fact: 

• We have tabled several facility maintenance and improvements until we can raise the funds to complete them (like putting french drains and turf in the courtyard/playground, which floods every time it rains and is then too muddy to use for the next week).

• Although we have been able to assist many, we also turn away hundreds of people over the course of a year asking for utility & rent assistance because we do not have the funds available to help.

• We have job positions we would love to hire for that our growing church could use… if we had funding for them, like a Children’s minister and a full-time parish administrator instead of part-time.

How can I give my offering?

• In the plate - During each Sunday morning service after the Peace, offering plates are walked up the aisle by the ushers of the day. During this time, you can place your cash or checks in the plate. 

  • If you’re giving cash in the plate and you want those gifts to be “credited” to you for your pledge and/or tax purposes, put the cash in an envelope with your first & last name on it.

  • Checks with your name on them will automatically be added to your donor record. If your checks have a name that is not what you “go by” or just initials, a note in the memo can help ensure your gifts get appropriately attributed to you. 

• Online - Give once or set up auto-recurring gifts at EmmanuelShawnee.com/give! This method is especially helpful for people who aren’t able to attend on Sundays regularly, don’t use checks very often, or just know that they won’t remember to give regularly on their own. If you do choose to give online, there is a small processing fee. You can choose when setting up your gift to cover the fees, or have them taken out of your gift. 

• By Mail - Regardless of whether you are personally mailing your gifts to us or if a financial institution is mailing it on your behalf (this is the case for gifts coming from retirement accounts, investments, or bill pay services), IT IS VERY IMPORTANT to mail these gifts to our secure PO Box, NOT the church’s physical address. Our mailing address is PO Box 1905, Shawnee, OK 74802. 

• To the office in person - We are always happy to receive your gifts via personal delivery to the office Monday - Thursday. 

What if I want to give to a special project or specific ministry?

We would never discourage anyone giving to the church; however, we DO encourage you to give your tithe unrestricted (not earmarked for a specific ministry or project, unless we are fundraising for something specific), so that we can steward our funds as effectively as possible. When a lot of incoming dollars are restricted to specific expenses or projects, it can become difficult to get bills paid or make bigger financial decisions because our monies are “stuck” where they may not be needed at that time. While we often take for granted that the church building has water, electricity, printed bulletins and a staff, these basics are costly. Giving without restriction allows your elected leadership and the staff that carry out the goals of the parish the ability to make important stewardship decisions. (Example: A turfed playground is definitely warranted, but we also need to make sure the leaky roof is repaired and the HVAC repairs that already took place are paid for first.) 

If you have a special project in mind or want to give to a specific ministry of the church, please chat with Father Tom about it to make sure it is the most impactful use of your funds for the church at that time. 

CAVEAT: The Clergy Discretionary Fund exists to allow anonymous benevolence to be given to parish members in need of assistance, or individuals from the community. Funds given to this ministry primarily pays utility bills, rent and deposits, and other unique needs that ensure people can access or maintain adequate housing. In 2025, we have budgeted to spend at least $600 per month on this ministry, but monies given above and beyond this amount directly to this fund means that we can have a bigger impact in this area.