Giving Kiosk Launch

We used this video to help us introduce our giving kiosks this past weekend. In addition to the video, Mark helped introduce the kiosks with a humorous story about a coversation with his son Aaron that helped him realize that people don't carry cash any more. Most people use their debit or their credit card to pay for stuff.

Since no one carries cash anymore, we're neglecting potential donors by not providing a way for them to give with their debit or credit card. So, we decided to use giving kiosks from SecureGive.

Last week, 94 people used the kiosks and donated over $5,700 on them. This past Wednesday evening, another $1,300 was donated on the kiosks. So far, it seems like they're helping.

Online Form 990 Filing

I was preparing IRS Form 990 for a mission organization recently. As I began to write numbers in on the form, I began to realize that there was a lot of complexity and interconnectivity between the various reports and schedules.

So, I started asking myself if there was an easier way to do the 990. I began to research online. I read some articles that suggested it could take 158 hours to complete the new Form 990 the first time through.

Since I don't have 158 to complete anything, I decided I needed some kind of software solution to help me. So, I began to search for online Form 990 tools.

I found efile.form990.org which was a huge blessing. I was a little skeptical at first because I hadn't heard of it. However, I decided to try it. It was easy to use. It cost me $50 and allowed me to file my Form 990 electronically. It significantly reduced the time it took to complete Form 990. I'll definitely use this tool again next year.

Answered Prayer

For as long as I've been a father, I've been praying for my children. One thing I pray every time I pray for them is that they would give their lives to Christ and that they would be baptized in His name. This weekend, 2 of the 455 people that were baptized at GCC were my son, Nolan, and my daughter, Lindsey. They were baptized on my 40th birthday. What an incredible birthday gift and answer to prayer! Praise God! Thanks to Mark for this great picture captured just after. 2 down and 1 to go. I'll continue to pray the same way for Collin.

New Switchfoot

Looking Forward to the new Switchfoot (not sure what it's called anymore...used to be album). Anyhow, it the rest of the album is as good as this song, should be great.

Great Team Exercise - Discovering Strengths

My team and I may be the last team in the country to do this exercise as a team. Recently, we read through Marcus Buckingham's "Now Discover Your Strengths", did the strengths test, and discussed our strengths as a team.

This was very helpful because it preceded a discussion about reorganizing our department and our individual tasks and responsibilities. Knowing our individual strengths and those of our teammates helped considerably as we discussed who should do what. It helped us understand why each of us tend to gravitate to certain tasks and prioritize our time the way we do. It's also helped us since that discussion as we work through issues that arise by reminding us how others in the department approach things. What a great exercise.

My Top 5 Strengths Are:

1. Deliberative
2. Responsibility
3. Analytical
4. Discipline
5. Focus

I know...typical robot accountant.

Online Giving Popular even Expected?

Kem pointed this article about online giving out to me. It's an interesting read. Especially the survey information about what communication donors like to receive and don't want to receive. It backs up my opinion that online giving is an amazing tool for churches and charities. It's becoming more and more popular with donors. In fact, at this point in time, I think donors almost expect it to be a option for giving to an organization. Think about it. It's available 24 hrs. a day, 7 days a week. Its accessible from anywhere in the world. It makes it convenient and easy for a donor to give anytime, anywhere. Churches and charities can greatly benefit from maximizing this powerful tool.

Some things that increase the power of online giving for an organization:

1. A good web presence - Are people visiting the web site frequently and for all kinds of different reasons? The more people visit the web site the more likely they are to use online giving.
2. An easy to find link to the online giving application - I think there's a happy medium here. You want it to be visible, but discrete.
3. The ability to set up a giving schedule (i.e. once a week, once a month, etc.) - This is a powerful tool. It allows donors to decide in advance what they're going to give on a regular basis and provides a regular revenue stream for the organization.
4. Easy to find, easy to understand help information - Sometimes people need help using the application. They need to be able to easily find some easy to understand help documents.

I'm not Counting on Social Security

Read this article today. It reminded me why I'm not counting on any mismanaged government program like Social Security to provide for me. I'm planning to take responsibility for my own retirement. I'll invest my money in separate retirement funds to cover my entire retirement period. If, by some miracle, I get some social security benefits when I retire, it will be gravy. Unfortunately, it appears that the government intends to continue taxing me more and more to keep this failed program on life support. Hopefully, they'll let me keep enough of my money to fund my own retirement. It's my responsibility, not the government's.

Gearing Up for a Plastic Economy

I just checked my wallet. I have exactly $0. That's not atypical for me either. I just don't carry much cash with me anymore. I also don't carry a checkbook around with me either. I assume that most places I go, I'll be able to use my debit or credit card.

I think that the reality is that most people are moving toward plastic or electronic means to pay for goods and service or to pay their bills. Given this shift, what is the church doing to acknowledge and embrace this shift in the way people handle transactions? How do we give our members and guests opportunities to give electronically or with plastic? Well, at GCC we currently offer online giving at http://www.gccwired.com/. However, in the very near future, we'll be offering this:


These are giving kiosks from SecureGive. They will allow us to offer our guests an option to give on our campus using their debit or credit card. I'm excited about this. I think it will allow people who normally wouldn't give an opportunity to give. We'll soon see.

The Future U.S. Economy

How are you preparing for the future based on the current U.S. Ecomony? This article has some predictions for the future economy and action steps for today.

As a Church Finance Director I'm considering how these predictions might affect our future resources.

FASB Codification Project

Another article about the new FASB codification project. It warns that some of the coding may affect internal controls and accounting manuals.

"The harder issue," says Hepp, is that CFOs will need to review all accounting manuals and internal controls to adjust for the new system. "You have to make sure you weren't relying on any ambiguity in the wording or that there wasn't something in lower-level GAAP that's been brought up [to be authoritative]," he says. "When you change words from 'should' or 'generally' to 'must' or 'will' - which has been done - there could be some changes. And such changes could lead to a restatement if there's a significant change.

This project has taken all GAAP and combined it into one web site. You can find it here. It's free to use until July 1. After that, the basic version will be free. A one person license will be $850.

I Love this Sound!

Nothing like the deep, rich sound of a good muscle car. Crank the speakers and hit play.

2009 Innovate Conference

Innovate 2009 Pricing (Did you know, we slashed the prices back to what they were in 2005?!? Sometimes going old-school is cool.)

- $199 per person

- $189 for 2-5 people

- $179 for groups of 6+

To register and get details on speakers, the schedule and what to expect at this year's conference, go to innovateconference.com.

We’re changing up Innovate….
NEW:
• Innovate Arts Mash-Up (four churches, one theme, four live interpretations.)
• People's Choice Storyteller (you pick the speaker, on the spot, from the crowd.)
• Guest speaker Shannon O'Dell from BrandNewChurch.com (he broadcasts church from a Hummer in the
middle of nowhere, uh, wow)
• Live streaming of all general sessions on InnovateConference.com (you can't bring everyone,
but everyone can watch.)
• Registration fees rolled back to rates from 2005 (times are tough, we get it, we're trying to help.)

YOU:
• You're in control of more topics and real-time questions via live texting and roving mics.
• Your live tweets will show up on the ginormous big screen live during the conference.

FASB Codification Project Almost Complete

According to this article the FASB codification project is almost complete. When it's finished all non-governmental U.S. GAAP information will be available and searchable online at www.fasb.org. All GAAP in one place and searchable. That's really helpful. It's still in beta mode and free until July 1. So, now is a good time to check it out before you have to pay a subscription fee.

What do Puffy Coats, Nick Burns, and Technology Have in Common?

A new perspective. Kem gave this keynote at Dynamic Church 09. For me, it was on the heels of a discussion with my team about our role and customer service. This helped reinforce that discussion with a new perspective. Check it out. It's really good.

DC09: Kem Meyer Keynote from Fellowship Technologies on Vimeo.

Dynamic Church Conference - Online Giving Presentation

I recently did an online giving presentation at the Dynamic Church Conference. It was about the power of online giving and how to maximize it for ministry.

Here's a link to the presentation.

Dave Ramsey Townhall for Hope on Hulu

My friend Todd, who has a cool new blog, turned me on to this today. Thanks Todd!

Dave Ramsey's Townhall for Hope is on Hulu. You can check it out here.

June Workshops + Practicums

You're probably just about ready for some sun and a vacation. Have you considered Granger, Indiana as your next vacation destination? Perhaps you've always longed to see the cornfields of Northern Indiana? No?

Hmm. How about considering Granger as a learning destination then? Thursday-Friday, June 25-26, WiredChurches.com will be hosting a variety of workshops at Granger Community Church, just 90 miles east of Chicago.

It's easy. Pick one of the following workshops to attend all day. Come for one day or stay for two. Your materials and lunch are included. The experience? It will be packed with real-life examples of what works and what doesn't, with space for questions and interaction. The cost? Just $99 per person, per day.

Thursday, June 25 [9 a.m.-4 p.m.]

- Less Clutter. Less Noise. [How to get the word out.]
- EnterMission [Engaging your people in local and global missions.]
- First Impressions [Keep guests coming back to your church.]
- Kids [Creating safe, fun space for kids to know Jesus.]
- Multi-site Church Practicum [Strategies for launching a multi-site.]

Friday, June 26 [9 a.m.-4 p.m.]

- Less Clutter. Less Noise. Day 2 [Extend Day 1 with consulting.]
- Lasting Impressions [Keeping guests growing and engaged.]
- Simply Strategic Volunteers [Finding and keeping great volunteers.]
- Information Technology Practicum [IT best practices, resources and tools.]

Pay off the House or Invest

From time to time, I've had discussions with friends about whehter it's wise to invest extra cash or to payoff the house with extra cash. The argument is always: "Why wouldn't I just pay my mortgage at 5 1/2% and invest extra money to earn 10%?" That's a great question! Logically speaking, the numbers seem to suggest that earning 10% and paying 5 1/2% is the prudent way to go. I'm even prone to say that if you've got the assets to sell to pay off your house in an emergency, invest the money.

The problem with the logic is risk. I have to give Dave Ramsey credit for opening my eyes to this argument. If you could borrow money at 5 1/2% and earn 10% on it day in and day out, why not borrow twice the value of your home and invest it? What about three, four, or five times the value? Eventually, everyone says that would be silly. Why? Because once the number gets big enough, we inherently factor in the risk.

What is the risk? There is risk in borrowing and risk in investing. The times we're living through right now illustrate the risk precisely. Lots of people are losing their job, the value of the stock market has been cut in half, and the value of homes has dropped significantly. If someone who decided to invest instead of paying off their house lost their job recently, had their investments cut in half, and lives in a home that is worth less than they owe, how do they stay in their home if they can't pay the mortgage? How do they pay the mortgage without the income from a job? What do they do with the investments that are worth half of what they invested? I don't know. Personally? I think I'd rather be looking for a job in a paid for house than worrying about how long my devalued investments are going to cover my mortgage.

Hillsong London Coming to GCC - Got Tickets?

Hillsong Church London is coming to GCC for a night of worship. It should be an incredible experience. I have my ticket and I'm looking forward to it.

Do you have your Hillsong tickets? I understand that after 1 week of promotion here at GCC, we’ve already sold half of the available tickets! So, if you're planning to go, don’t wait until the night of – there won’t be tickets left. Get them today! You can get them here.

Ways to Find Extra Cash

With the economy the way it is, I thought I'd suggest some ways to find extra money when jobs are being lost and salaries are being frozen. Usually, I say that there are 3 ways to find extra money:

1. Make more money - Would require another job, a better job, or a raise.
2. Sell Stuff - Clean out the garage or basement and have a sale.
3. Spend Less - Create a budget and control cash outflow.

In this economy, making more money may not be an option. However selling some stuff and spending less are always an option to explore. No matter what, having a strict budget in place for expenditures is helpful to control cash outflow. Clip coupons for groceries. Cancel luxury services like cable TV and Cell Phone or home phone. Eat out less. Brown bag lunch. Have an emergency fund for unexpected/unplanned expenses.

If there's a need for extra cash right away, selling stuff is a quick way to get it. It's only stuff. When times are better, stuff can be replaced. Right now the market for good, used stuff is as good as it's ever been. So, here are my suggestions:

1. Search closets, basments, garages - Anything that's been sitting for a year or more is available for sale. Clothes, sporting goods, electronics, tools, furniture, etc.
2. Use Ebay or Craig's List to sell it. With Ebay there is the benefit of the auction process to drive the price higer, but there is a fee for using the service and the cost and hassle of shipping the stuff. With Craig's there is the benefit of local buyers and no cost, but the auction benefit for price isn't available.
3. Don't forget about old or unused jewelry. Gold and silver are trading at all time highs. Even if jewelry is broken, it can still be sold for the gold or silver content at a relatively high price to a local jeweler or gold dealer.
4. Selling blood plasma is an option for those who don't mind needles.
5. Sell services - Mowing, painting, cleaning, etc. Start with family and friends.

This isn't an exhaustive list, but it's a start. Any other suggestions for finding extra money in a tough economy?

Give Yourself a Raise

In my last post I wrote about how a lot of companies are freezing salaries this year. In this post, I'd like to suggest that you might be able to give yourself a raise.

Every year at tax time I have conversations with people who tell me what they are going to do with their tax refund. They are going to go on vacation or pay off debt or buy a TV. After I cringe while trying to appear not to, I think, "Do they think that's free money that appeared out of nowhere?"; "Don't they know that's their money they loaned to the government for free for a year?"; "What could they have done or avoided if they had kept that money in their paycheck?"; "Did they let their credit card balance increase at 18% while loaning their pay out at 0%?"

Tax refunds seem to be a replacement for regular saving or a safegaurd against a large tax bill. Unfortunately, its a poor savings plan. Most people laugh at passbook savings rates, but don't mind loaning their money to the IRS for free. Additionally, most people aren't in danger of large tax bills at the end of the year if they fill out their W-4 correctly. Some exceptions would be dual income families, families with large amounts of investment income, and families that have 1099 MISC income.

So, if you got a large refund this year (I'd say $300 or more), check the exemptions on your W-4. Without any of the exceptions noted above, you should be able to complete it as prescribed and get a raise in your paycheck. You can then use it to meet your monthly bills, pay off debt, or save for an emergency. Even If you're worried about a large tax bill, at least keep the money and put it in an emergency fund that you could use to pay your taxes. Better in your pocket than the IRS.

Enjoy your raise.

Spring Is Coming but Salaries are Frozen

According to this article one in four companies has frozen salaries for 2009. It also suggests that some companies are cutting salaries. Our auditors said they've seen a lot of companies freezing or reducing salaries this year.

Potential New Financial Statement Format

Have you heard about the new financial statement format that the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the Internation Accounting Standards Board (IASB) is considering? I first heard about this concept at a CPE class I attended in December.


If not, this article will introduce the concept. I'm not sure if it will apply to Churches. My guess is that it will.


I haven't formed an opinion on it yet. I think it's going to be a big change to get used to. Balance sheets that don't balance like they do now; categorized balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement; and a cash flow statement prepared using the direct method.


Read the article and let me know what you think.

New Payroll Withholding Tables for Making Work Pay Credit

The IRS has published the new tax withholding tables for the Making Work Pay Credit which is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The related article with additional information is here.

Specific & Practical Help for Churches & Leaders

The latest addition of our WiredChurches Specific & Practical Magazine is available as an Ezine. You can find it here.

Lots of helpful articles from GCC Leaders like Mark, Tim, Kem, Rob, and Butch along with information about 2009 WiredChurches Workshops and Conferences.

Check it out. It's FREE!

What's in Cyberspace stays in Cyberspace

Loved this post by Tim about how companies are searching Blogs, Facebook, and Twitter to get a feel for who a potential job candidate is. Tim also suggested that the same could be done when considering a ministry candidate or volunteer. Pretty good advice.

Who Needs to be on the Dave Ramsey Plan?

I was listening to Dave Ramsey's podcast today. He read a twitter post from Congressman John Culberson from Texas. The post said that this economy needs "Americans to get on the Dave Ramsey Plan".

Although Dave was flattered by the compliment and agreed that Americans need to get on the Dave Ramsey plan, he also said that Americans need Congress to get on the Dave Ramsey plan not Congress telling Americans to do it. Later he said that the Congress that is spending out of control needs to change and chanted, "I want term limits" over and over again as he went to break.

I couldn't agree more Dave. I couldn't agree more.

It's Audit Time

Our independent audit firm is here this week auditing our 2008 financial statements. We have them come in every year and audit our books. Yes, we hire them to do it. Most people think that's like beating yourself up for lunch money.

I'm glad we do it. It provides our church, bank, staff, and donors with some assurance that we're accounting for our resources properly. It also gives me an opportunity to get some independent feedback on our internal control, processes, and business practices.

You Think Charitable Giving is Down Now...

We've seen our giving decline in recent years. Most notably, in recent months, the economy in our area has had a negative affect on our giving revenue. In fact, with staff costs increasing and revenue decreasing, we recently had to endure, as Mark Beeson so ably wrote it, a Horrible Difficult Day. Probably one of the top 5 worst days of my life. It really was a horrible, difficult day.

Well, if the current economic downturn hasn't hurt charitable giving enough, I'm wondering how what I'm reading about here, here, and here will affect charitable giving. Would these proposed changes in the deductability of charitable giving coupled with an increase in taxes have an affect on charitable contributions? Would it have an affect on GCC's contributions? Should we be considering the possibility that we may receive less in charitable giving over the next few years?

An ABC News article said this:

'The administration is attempting to redirect vast sums of money from businesses and wealthier individuals to those with lower incomes and enact ambitious and costly new programs for energy, education and health care. "

"Much of the spending is being done with money the government does not have, creating a $1.75 trillion deficit next year alone."

"Almost $1 trillion of the spending, $989 billion, comes from new taxes during the next 10 years. When the Bush administration's tax cuts expire at the end of 2010, new tax increases will target families earning more than $250,000 a year. "

The government is trying to spend money it doesn't have. There is no Federal Money-Tree forest. The proposed solution is to raise taxes and eliminate deductions. If "wealthy" can be arbitrarily assigned to those earning more than $250,000/yr., it seems like "wealthy" could be arbitrarily adjusted to $100,000 or $50,000 if $250,000 doesn't produce enough revenue.

So, if the federal government is attempting to redirect "vast sums of money" from "wealthy" individuals to those with lower incomes, won't the "wealthy" just assume that the federal government is the charity that they're supporting? Isn't it logical that, at the least, they would give less to charity?

Hilarious - Accountant Gangsta Rap