Creative Strategies For Giving
Deciding what and how much to give is a choice to be made between God, you, and your family. All things belong to God and He wants us to wisely use what He has given to us. Prayerfully consider what God would have you give. The following list may generate some creative ideas for giving.
GIFTS IN KIND/APPRECIABLE ASSETS:
Transferring ownership of stock, bonds, real estate, etc. Tax codes are generous toward this form of giving. Giving the asset to the church, then allowing the church to sell eliminates potential capital gains taxes and can increase after-tax proceeds, providing significant tax savings.
INCOME-PRODUCING ASSETS:
Interest income, payments from rental properties, or monies from other income-producing assets provide sources of increased giving.
GIFT SOME ASSETS:
Gifting major assets such as a house, car, land, or business provide sources of increased giving.
EMPLOYER-MATCHED NON-PROFIT GIVING:
Many employers today will match a portion of their employees’ non-profit giving. For more information on how you might maximize your giving in this manner, please email info@emetro.org.
INCOME RAISES/BONUSES/TAX RETURNS:
Donating raises, bonuses, and tax returns are also avenues of increased giving.
FREEDOM FROM DEBT:
As debt obligations are fulfilled, additional revenue may become available for increased giving.
UNIQUE SKILLS INCOME/SPECIAL SALES:
You may have marketable hobbies or skills, which enable you to give from those profits. Or, consider holding a garage sale and donating the proceeds to the BEYOND A BUILDING campaign.
GIVE UP SOME LUXURIES:
Lifestyle adjustments can help make extra money available to give to the BEYOND A BUILDING campaign. Consider canceling cable subscriptions and frequent coffee trips or scaling back on entertainment and eating out.
Commitment Breakdown
As of July 1, 2018, 207 commitments were made to Beyond A Building. This breakdown can help you see the range of commitments and how you might participate in this opportunity. Those who made these commitments intend to fulfill them by June 7, 2021.
Above $50,000 – 7 commitments
$10,000 - $50,000 – 61 commitments
$1,000 - $9,999 – 139 commitments
Frequently Asked Questions
SHOULD I REDIRECT MY TITHE OR REGULAR GIVING TO THE BEYOND A BUILDING CAMPAIGN?
Your giving commitment to the campaign should be above and beyond your regular giving to Metro. Our church and ministries will continue as usual throughout the entire three-year campaign, and those associated expenses will not go down.
HOW DO I MAKE MY COMMITMENT TO THE CAMPAIGN?
In June 2018, 207 Metro individuals and families made their financial commitments to Beyond A Building. Since that date, people who are new to Metro or who were unable to commit earlier have joined with us by adding their commitments. Your participation in Beyond A Building is critical to the success of this initiative. Our desire is that everyone who calls Metro their home church would participate in this great endeavor!
We invite you to prayerfully consider what God is leading you to commit to the future of Metro Community Church and our ministry in this community between now and June 7, 2021.
Commitment cards are available at the Beyond A Building table or from a Welcome Team member on any Sunday. Once filled out, the commitment card can be placed in the offering bag, handed to a Welcome Team member, or sent directly to our church office. You can also visit www.emetro.org/beyond and make a commitment online!
IS MY COMMITMENT CONFIDENTIAL? CAN IT BE CHANGED IF NECESSARY?
All giving to Metro Community Church is completely confidential. This includes giving to the BEYOND A BUILDING campaign. Commitments can be changed if necessary — allowing you to either increase or decrease your commitment as needed; however, your decision to change your commitment should be done only after much prayer.
WILL I BE BILLED MONTHLY FOR MY COMMITMENT?
No. Your commitment to the BEYOND A BUILDING campaign is between you and God, and we trust that you will fulfill your commitment by June 2021. Having said that, you are most welcome to set up recurring giving to the campaign via the Metro App or website. For more info on how to give on a recurring basis, see the ‘How do I give toward my commitment?’ section below...
HOW DO I GIVE TOWARD MY COMMITMENT?
Giving to Metro’s building fund is as easy as giving your regular tithes & offering! There are four ways to give:
1. Cash/check — cash or checks to the BEYOND A BUILDING campaign may be placed in the offering basket on Sundays. Be sure to enclose your gift in the offering envelope provided with your bulletin, writing your name and email clearly on the envelope, and denoting the amount you wish to give on the Building Fund line.
Alternatively, you can mail your offering envelope directly to the Metro office at the following address:
Metro Community Church
291 South Van Brunt Street, Suite 4
ENGLEWOOD, NJ 07631
2. Electronic Transfer — you can give electronically on Sundays via credit, debit, or bank account at the Offering Kiosks in the lobby outside of the sanctuary, where our offering team will be there to assist you!
3. Metro App — probably the quickest and simplest way to give is via our Metro App*.
On the app's giving screen, simply select the amount you wish to give, whether you want to give one time or on a recurring basis, and choose Building Fund as your 'Giving Type'.
If you don’t already have a giving account at Metro, the app will take you through the necessary steps to establish one with our giving platform, Pushpay. Once you’re set up in the system, giving is as quick as 10 seconds or less!
* If you do not have the Metro App, you can easily download it for iPhone or Android devices by searching for "Metro Community Church - NJ" in your app store.
4. Website — finally, you can give via the website. Visit www.emetro.org/give and click the "Give Now" button and follow the exact same process as the Metro App above.
OTHER THAN CASH , WHAT DONATIONS CAN BE GIVEN?
Donations other than cash may include stocks and non-liquid assets. You can set up a Giving Fund through National Christian Foundation and choose Metro Community Church as the recipient of these assets and receive an income tax deduction at the time of the donation. For more information, visit www.nationalchristian.com.
WHAT HAPPENS IN THE EVENT THAT MORE OR LESS THAN THE OUTLINED GOAL IS COMMITTED?
If more than $2,500,000 is sacrificially given over the next three years, this will allow us to expand the scope of our project and/or reduce the size of the building mortgage. This would be a wonderful problem to have! However, if less is given, we may need to delay the project until more funds become available.
WHAT IS EXPECTED OF ME?
Ask questions and be informed. Most importantly, seek God. Take time to prayerfully consider what kind of sacrifice God is asking you to make. To whom much is given, much is required. Together, we have an opportunity to make a difference in our city for this and the next generation — all for God’s kingdom!
HOW CAN I BE SURE THAT THE MONEY I DONATE WILL BE MANAGED WISELY?
Metro’s staff and leadership are committed to full transparency in the BAB campaign. To ensure proper stewardship, we're placing all donations into an interest-bearing account, separate from other Metro funds, and have formed a Building Committee that is responsible for managing the funds, approving all fund expenditures, and will welcome any fund related questions throughout the process. Moreover, Metro’s staff and leaders provide regular progress reports to the Metro congregation and will continue our established practice of annual audits or reviews by our accounting firm, Wegner CPAs.
HOW DO I GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE BEYOND A BUILDING CAMPAIGN?
To learn more about the BEYOND A BUILDING campaign, please check out our entire Beyond A Building site, read our mission proposition at emetro.org/beyond/misision, or email info@emetro.org.