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A fond farewell from your Director of Finance and Asset Management
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Pictured above Liz Ashmead, Director of Finance and Asset Management
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As I prepare to retire from my job at the DBF on Saturday, I would like to thank all those of you with whom I have communicated over the years. It has been such an interesting job – I have done it for nearly seven years and have met many lovely people along the way. I hope I have gone some way to making the finances more accessible over my time in office - that has been my aim. I leave at a very challenging time for the Church and for us all personally. I am not sure at this point exactly what retirement will look like as it has been so long in the coming and now it is nearly upon me it all feels rather weird.
Thank you all.
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Ride+Striders
Well done to everyone who took part in Ride+Stride! Do send us your stories and photos – and if you recorded your route, I would love a copy so we can use them to compile pilgrim walks. Send them to the email at the bottom of this email.
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Facebook Treasurers group
Do you have an accounting question? You can find an expert among your fellow church treasurers on this Facebook group. A great place to share knowledge.
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An update from your Giving Advisor
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This month I have found myself mostly in Dorset, with visits to churches in Verwood, West Moors, Winfrith Newburgh, Corfe Mullen, Talbot Village and Cerne Abbas, looking at contactless card giving in services, thanksgiving, events, weddings – and discussing options when there is no mobile phone signal (we will find a way!).
Meetings at St Mary’s and Holy Trinity in Weymouth focussed on grant fundraising – adding an accessibility ramp and fixing a stained-glass window, for starters.
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Nigel, Liz and I met with the Pewsey Deanery Treasurers, where we explored possible cost savings across the benefice, and looked at the CollecTin More contactless unit. (I take it everywhere; Tracie at St Nicholas, Corfe Mullen is trying to get me to name it!)
To all who ventured out in an epic rainstorm for the Milton and Blandford Deanery Synod – thank you for inviting me; it was lovely to meet you and put faces to names.
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Pictured above Anna Hardy, Giving Advisor with members of St Michael's, Verwood.
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Gillingham and Shaftesbury Show trials are contactless!
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I can’t tell you the number of times I have met people across the Diocese who are prepared to put themselves out of their comfort zones and try something new. I am inspired by you all day in, day out. This month, I want to say thank you to Shane Johnstone and Jo Churchill, who together made it possible for coffee and cake purchases to be made contactlessly in the Gillingham and Shaftesbury Church Tent. We learnt a lot, and it was invaluable. Plus it raised £186 on top of cash donations – all of which was split between three local charities. I am keen to make the most of all our county shows and events.
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If you are planning to attend one, I would love to be part of your preparations, to understand what’s involved.
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Offline contactless!
From November the GWD Midi will be able to store donations offline when there is no internet connection - just like GoodBox used to. It is a more expensive model, but I am told it is generally higher quality, eg typing on the tablet is much quicker making it easier to enter email addresses for Gift Aid. I do think for many churches, the Gift Aid is most likely covered by the Small Donations Scheme, so this might not be a factor. Check on Parish Buying for more information.
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Generosity Week: 25 September to 2 October
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As Christians, we’re called on to be generous with our giving all throughout the year, but sometimes it helps to have a specific time to focus on what it looks like to be generous. The National Giving team have really excellent resources for all those who would like to take part. I especially like podcasts. There are eight, each about five minutes long. If you haven’t been tuned in, you can catch them here.
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They help us reflect on what the Bible says about generosity – and remind us how giving – in all its forms – has always been at the heart of Christian Discipleship.
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Is it too soon to plan for Christmas? (Of course not!)
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The National Church has just announced our theme for Christmas: Follow the Star – the Great Invitation. A new resource ‘Christmas in a Box’ provides a small number of model services that you can take or make your own. They will be launching a webinar on Tuesday 20 September where we can explore the resources available for Advent and Christmas. Get ahead! Sign up here.
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New Parish Giving Scheme members
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Welcome to Stalbridge, and Kingston Lacy and Shapwick, who joined PGS this month. Over 40% of people sign up online by Direct Debit, which is a real advantage over Standing Orders. Also, the PGS team do all the hard admin work AND claim the Gift Aid. If you would like to register your church, you can find the form on the Diocesan website.
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South Newton have created a new leaflet, to invite the local community to donate, even if they don’t come to worship. Have a look and if it’s something you would like to try, let me know.
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I’m going to mention A Church Near You again (and Christmas!)
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I watched a great webinar on ACNY this month – I really recommend it. The National Church puts advertising budget into promoting ACNY for our festival events, and it is a key way for new people to find out about their local church.
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I recently found out that my own church had over 5,000 page visits in the last year. They can’t all be me! Christmas is the time when lots of new people search ACNY to find out about carol concerts and Christmas services – so it’s sensible to make sure your church page is up to date. Add a chatty welcoming message on the main page, and check your website link works. And for free top tips and advice, visit their support hub.
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Get in touch!
If you have a giving or fundraising success story – or if you would like to share your struggles and dilemmas, get in touch – that’s why I'm here!
Anna
Anna Hardy
Giving Advisor
E: Anna.Hardy@salisbury.anglican.org
T: 07500 831566
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