Read our autumn 2023 newsletter
On this page you will find the latest information, advice and support for giving. If you are looking for the latest information on grants available, please visit our Grant Funding Latest webpage.
Reduced VAT (5%) and CCL Exemption on Energy Bills for Churches
Take a couple of minutes to check your latest energy bill to ensure that your church is being charged the correct rate for VAT. Churches have exempted charitable status and should only be charged VAT at the lower 5% rate. Additionally, churches should not be paying the Climate Change Levy (CCL).
Churches should always fill in a charity declaration when signing up with their energy supplier (or even afterwards if they forgot at first). Otherwise, as churches are classified as businesses and a church will pay 20% VAT and the Climate Change Levy (CCL).
Every energy company has its own form, and once accepted, your church will be charged only 5% VAT and will be exempt from CCL. Churches will generally be eligible for 100% relief, but some church halls will not be able to claim 100% charitable use.
If you have been paying the higher rate of VAT and CCL you should be able to reclaim this as you can ask to have your registration backdated for up to four years.
To help you with this process, Parish Buying have created a list of Britain’s most popular energy suppliers and their corresponding landing pages, giving you more details on how to declare your charity status. It applies to electricity, to gas, and to oil. Find out more
Generosity Week
The National Giving Team has developed an exciting set of new resources, The Generosity Week, to help us develop a better understanding and appreciation of God's generosity and to inspire us to lead more generous lives. You can find all the latest on these resources the Church of England's Generosity Week page.
Online giving: NEW Lower rate for transactions available - Update your account!
If your church is currently using Give A Little for collecting online donations you can now benefit from a lower transaction rate offered by a new merchant provider, Stripe. Currently most Give A Little accounts are linked with Sumup and transactions are subject to a 1.95% transaction fee. However, The National Church have recently negotiated a lower fee of just 1.1% with Stripe and it’s easy to link them to your Give A Little account. See our Digital fundraising and donations webpage for more information.
Contactless and card giving
We have created a new page on our website for churches wanting to explore having a contactless donations device. Parish Buying offer most of these devices at discounted rates along with discounted transaction fees with merchant providers. Please ensure you buy your equipment and set up your merchant accounts through Parish Buying to benefit from these discounts. To find out more please visit our Contactless Giving page.
Webinars and talks on Generosity, Giving and Fundraising
Running a Successful Generosity Fika
A Fika is a half day programme, for small groups to explore God's generosity to us, Biblical generosity and generosity around the world. Through short films, reflections and discussion we can be inspired and encouraged to live more generous lives. Fikas can be an enormously effective way of developing a generous culture within your church. Watch the National Giving Team's video on How to run a successful Generosity Fika.
Ecclesiastical: Top tips to continue fundraising for your church during COVID-19 and beyond
Ecclesicatical Insurance Group has recorded a church fundraising webinar including lots of tips and advice for churches, along with other webinars on fundraising.
A new resource for Clergy and Readers and others teaching about Giving and Generosity:
Generosity Learning Hub
Generosity is at the heart of our faith, and as we grow a generous culture we grow our ministry and mission. The national giving team has launched a new resource for learning and preaching & teaching about generosity, for all traditions and in all settings, the Generosity Learning Hub. We hope these resources will enable you and your church to grow in an understanding and awareness of God’s incredible generosity to us and how we can live generous lives in response. Sign up for the Generosity Learning hub.
Farewill Legacy project
Leaving a gift in your Will to your local church is one of the most valuable and lasting ways you can continue to support its mission and ministry in your community. Making a Will and keeping it updated is the only way to make sure your wishes are carried out after your death, giving you peace of mind that you can continue to support the family, friends and charities you love.
This autumn, the Church of England has partnered with Farewill, the National Will Writing Firm of the Year 2020, to offer an online Will writing service, which you can do from the comfort of your home in less than 30 minutes. Farewill’s specialist team are available to help you over the phone or live chat 7 days a week, 9.00 am – 7.00 pm. There are a limited number of free Wills available on a first-come-first served basis.
If you decide to include a gift in your Will to your church, your gift - great or small - will make a real difference to your church’s life for future generations.
Find out more about the Farewill offer on the Parish Buying website.
Certifying your church as an excepted charity
When applying for grant funding and setting up new online giving accounts, churches will often be asked to provide evidence of their charitable status (i.e. a registered charity number). Most churches are “Excepted Charities” and are therefore not registered with the Charity Commission. In order to provide such evidence churches can now download a PDF that includes their name, address and church code. This PDF, which is an extract from the Church of England’s database of churches, can serve as a certificate for churches requiring proof of their charity status when making applications. The certificate is available in the “More Information” section of your church’s page on A Church Near You.
Honorary Stewardship Advisers
We are looking for volunteers to join our team of Honorary Stewardship Advisers to work with parishes to help them encourage generous giving to our churches. An outline of the role description is downloadable from the bottom of this page. Contact Natalie to find out more.
Who to contact
As always, for any queries and support with Giving or Funding please Email: givingteam@bathwells.anglican.org or contact Natalie Wainwright, Lead Giving and Funding Adviser
Downloads
Giving and Funding News - January 2021