Rideau Park United Church - 2010 Stewardship Campaign – Q & A
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Rideau Park United Church

 

2010 Stewardship Campaign – Q & A

Once again the 2010 Stewardship Campaign has compiled a series of questions and answers that respond to the common issues surrounding this campaign. Most of them appear on this web page. More specific concerns can be addressed during the campaign or on the Pledge Now Sundays. You are encouraged to speak with:

  1. What are the objectives for the 2010 Stewardship Campaign?

    To gain your commitment to generously share your time and talents to help us fulfill the many demands of our extensive church program;

    1. To secure pledges through this campaign, of $415,000 of the 2010 estimated revenue requirements for the Rideau Park Ministry and Programs Fund (General Fund);
    2. To secure pledges through this campaign of $100,000 for the United Church of Canada (UCC) Mission and Service Fund;
    3. To secure 165 pledges raising $45,000 for year 7 of the 2004-2011 Long Range Property Renewal Plan;
    4. To have another 20 contributors switch to PAR for their pledged givings.
  2. I want to know what’s going on at Rideau Park. Where can I find out about all the church activities? What is the national church doing?

    Once again the staff has prepared an extensive 2009-2010 Activities Booklet that details the wide number of worship, spirituality, music, Christian development and other program activities available at Rideau Park. This booklet can be picked up at the church. You can also find much of the brochure’s content on Rideau Park’s website www.rideaupark.ca. This is a super source of information about the life of Rideau Park that shares the variety, depth and richness of our church community.

    In addition, to keep abreast of what’s happening, there is the weekly Rideau Park News available at the worship services and Rideau Park’s periodic newsletter Churchpost. For those interested in the work of the national church each household in the congregation receives (ten times a year) by mail a copy of the UCC award-winning magazine – The Observer. Another excellent source of information is the UCC website www.united-church.ca.

  3. Can I simplify the stewardship process?

    Yes, by considering the following steps:

    STEP 1. Carefully scrutinize the 2010 Stewardship Campaign materials provided to you.
    STEP 2. For those who are able to attend the worship services, reflect on the messages from your Campaign Co-Chairs and their designated speakers. (These will be provided on-line also whenever possible)
    STEP 3. Think carefully about the needs of our Rideau Park church community and your capacity to share your gifts (financial and time).

    There will be two “Pledge Now” Sundays on October 4th, and October 18th. For those who have grown to welcome this effective way to complete and submit their pledge - once again “Scrumptious cake will be waiting for you in Beecroft Hall!”

    STEP 4. Should you be unable to make it to Church on the “Pledge Now” Sundays you are asked to complete your pledge and return it to the Church by hand or mail by October 11th (the earlier the better) so that it can be included in the results from the “Pledge Now” Sundays.
    STEP 5. Outstanding pledges will have to be followed up with a 2nd letter and telephone contact. This is both volunteer time consuming and an added campaign expense. However, with everyone’s assistance we will be able to complete the campaign by the November 14th. Please help us advance the process to a successful conclusion by returning your pledges early, we really wish to avoid having to make any calls.
  4. How do we distribute our financial givings?
      % Distribution per
    $1,000 pledged
    Ministry, Worship, Pastoral Care, Christian Development and Social Action and Outreach 38 $380
    Music 10 $100
    Property (operating) and Administration 33 $330
    Mission and Service Fund and Presbytery Dues 19 $190

    The pie chart included in your mailing details the Distribution of Rideau Park’s Budgeted Expenses for 2009. Should you want to know more about the 2009 Budget and the Draft Budget for 2010 please consult the latest Annual Report or the Treasurer, Bob Roden.

  5. How are we involving people and keeping costs down?

    The hard work of our capable volunteers assists the spiritual leadership and staff to deliver our many spiritual, educational, social and community programs. This collective effort is a significant material contribution to keeping church costs down.

    The Treasurer and Committee of Stewards monitors and reviews all church expenditures to ensure we are getting full value for our annual givings to Rideau Park.

    This year we upgraded our photocopier allowing us to send print jobs directly from our computer network and automatically folding copies for pamphlets and the weekly bulletin. We also negotiated a better financial contract for the new unit. For the first time in many years the Annual Report was printed in-house. A new high-quality office colour printer has allowed us to print our own publicity posters and pamphlet covers. Printing savings of $2,000 are being realized.

    The Church payroll responsibility has been contracted out to a third-party supplier for the UCC. This has reduced the monthly church bank transactions and saved some administrative time. We will continue to vigilantly monitor the ongoing work of the payroll company to protect the interest of our employees and the Church.

    Prior year savings from changes to our telephone system, our approach to coffee (mugs) and reducing our electricity consumption through energy conservation practices continue to pay dividends for the congregation. Our exceptional snow removal costs for 2008 ($15,616) have moderated and we are budgeting $7,500 this year. Snow is OK but not too much snow!

    Use of email and the Rideau Park website www.rideaupark.ca is helping to offset some of our printing and postage costs. You can register your interest in this approach by contacting the Administrative Assistant or the Church Administrator.

  6. Are we actively inviting others to join our community of faith?

    Yes this is very important. We continue to seek new members through our spiritual programs and activities. You are asked to help share the responsibility of introducing new members to Rideau Park’s family of faith. Everyone is encouraged to invite friends and other family members to come and experience our worship, our programs and our activities. In addition we are encouraging the full and active participation of all those who are currently part of the Rideau Park family.

  7. There are very significant income tax implications for my contributions to Rideau Park. How do my givings benefit me from a tax perspective?

    A two-tier tax credit system has been adopted for your charitable donations made to Rideau Park, in which the first $200 of donations is credited at the same percentage as the lowest marginal income tax rate of 21%, whereas for donations in excess of $200, the credit increases to 46% the same percentage as the highest marginal tax rate.

    Your
    Weekly
    Giving    		 Your
    Annual
    Giving    		 Annual Tax
    Returned
    to you    		 Your
    Net Annual
    Givings    		 Your Tax
    Return
    Rate
    $2.00 $104 $22 $82 21%
    $5.00 $260 $70 $190 27%
    $7.50 $390 $130 $260 33%
    $10.00 $520 $191 $329 37%
    $12.50 $650 $251 $399 39%
    $15.00 $780 $311 $469 40%
    $17.50 $910 $372 $538 41%
    $20.00 $1,040 $432 $608 42%
    $22.50 $1,170 $492 $678 42%
    $25.00 $1,300 $553 $747 43%
    $30.00 $1,560 $673 $887 43%
    $35.00 $1,820 $794 $1,026 44%
    $40.00 $2,080 $915 $1,165 44%
    $45.00 $2,340 $1,035 $1,305 44%
    $50.00 $2,600 $1,156 $1,444 44%
    $60.00 $3,120 $1,397 $1,723 45%
    $70.00 $3,640 $1,639 $2,001 45%
    $80.00 $4,160 $1,880 $2,280 45%
    $90.00 $4,680 $2,121 $2,559 45%
    $100.00 $5,200 $2,363 $2,837 45%
    $150.00 $7,800 $3,569 $4,231 46%
    $200.00 $10,400 $4,776 $5,624 46%
    $250.00 $13,000 $5,983 $7,017 46%
    $300.00 $15,600 $7,189 $8,411 46%
  8. Why should we make our contributions by PAR (preauthorized remittance)? How can we?

    Choosing to use PAR regularizes our givings, guaranteeing a steady flow of contributions to fulfill our obligations throughout the year no matter the weather, the holiday or simply the busyness of life itself.

    This year 252 contributors, a vast majority (71%), are honoring their pledges through PAR via their banking institutions. We now receive 82.1% of our pledged contributions by PAR. Continued strong support for givings by PAR ensures our cash flow throughout the year and enables us to meet our monthly salaries and operating expenses as well as keep our Mission and Service contributions to the United Church of Canada up to date.

    All contributors are asked to make their givings by PAR. It saves work for our counters each Sunday, it significantly reduces the work for our volunteer Envelopes Secretary, it ensures you are always up to date with your givings and saves the weekly worry of where is my envelope, my pen, my cheque book or wallet. You can add your name to those on PAR by completing the form on your pledge and including a personal void cheque.

    And if you have already signed up for PAR you do not have to complete the PAR form again.