For the Small Church Pastor Thinking About Givers

If you pastor a church of eighty people, you probably handle the bulletin, the hospital visits, and half the building maintenance. 'Planned giving' sounds like something for churches with a development director and a parking team.

It is not. A retired couple in your pews may want to give stock. A young family may give through a donor-advised fund. A widow may want to leave something to the church in her will. None of them need your church to be big. They need it to be ready.

Why Readiness Is a Pastoral Act

When a member wants to give in a way your church cannot receive, the gift often goes somewhere else, or nowhere. That is not a failure of their generosity. It is a gap in the church's plumbing.

Getting ready is not about chasing money. It is about removing friction for people who have already decided to give. It honors their intention and protects the church.

It also protects you. When the process is written down and handled by a treasurer or finance team, no pastor has to make judgment calls about a member's gift alone, and no member has to wonder whether their gift was handled well.

Four Things to Have Ready

Most of this is one afternoon's work with your treasurer.

1. 1

   Your Legal Name and EIN

   Givers, sponsors, and attorneys need the church's exact legal name, EIN, and mailing address. Keep them in one place.

2. 2

   A Way to Receive Stock

   Open a brokerage account in the church's name, with a written policy to sell gifted shares promptly.

3. 3

   A Simple Gift Policy

   A one-page policy says what the church will accept, like cash and stock, and what the board will review first.

4. 4

   A Letter Confirming Status

   A short letter on letterhead confirming you are a church, plus a W-9, helps DAF sponsors verify you quickly.

Churches are generally not required to apply for IRS recognition, so your church may not appear in the IRS search tool. That is normal. DAF sponsors have their own ways of confirming churches, and a prompt reply to their questions keeps grants moving.

Receiving a DAF Grant

A grant from a donor-advised fund comes from the sponsor, not the member. The check or deposit will carry the sponsor's name, often with the member's name in a note if they chose to share it.

Thank the member warmly, but do not send them a tax receipt for a DAF grant. They already received their acknowledgment when they gave to the fund. Also, a DAF grant cannot pay for anything that benefits the member, like a retreat fee or a child's camp, and most sponsors will not let a grant pay a personal pledge. Knowing that saves everyone an awkward phone call.

Record DAF grants in your books as gifts from the sponsor. If members like to see all their giving in one place, a note in their file is fine, as long as the year-end tax statement leaves the grant out.

Thank-You Letters That Also Do the Paperwork

For any single gift of $250 or more given directly to the church, the giver generally needs a written acknowledgment to claim a deduction. It should state the amount, or describe noncash property without valuing it, and say whether the church gave anything in return. For most church gifts, the honest line is that the church provided only intangible religious benefits.

A year-end giving statement that includes that language usually covers it. Add a handwritten line when you can. People remember the note more than the numbers.

Teaching Without Pressure

Your people do not need a campaign. They need to know it is possible. A few low-key habits go a long way.

• Once a year, mention in the bulletin that the church can receive stock and DAF grants, with a contact name.
• Keep the church's legal name and EIN on the website's giving page for anyone writing a will.
• Preach generosity as worship and trust, never as a way to get something back from God.
• Honor quiet givers. Many pastors choose not to see individual giving records, and that can be a wise boundary.

Small Is Not a Disadvantage

A small church knows its people. When a member gives something unusual, the pastor can pick up the phone and say thank you in person. That kind of care is something large institutions work hard to imitate.

It also means you can teach generosity in a way that feels like family. A short testimony from a member about why they give, shared with their permission, often does more than any sermon series.

Getting ready is just a way of making sure that care is matched by a church that can actually receive what people want to give.