From Stewardship and Resources Officer, Chris Boden:
Following a recent decision by the Institute of Fundraising, guidance has been updated on fundraising for churches. In particular, it is now important to explain in your fundraising material what will happen to any money if:
- You do not raise enough
- You raise too much
For example if you are trying to raise £100,000 for your tower, but only raise £80,000, so cannot complete the project, what will you do with the £80,000 – is it returned or used for other purposes? Similarly, if you raise £120,000, what will you do with the additional £20,000?
Secondly, it was strongly recommended that PCCs have a complaints policy, so if someone complains about what happens with money that is raised there is a procedure in place. A draft policy, that can be updated for your church, can be found on the Parish Resources website.
