The Path to financial success in our parish – or how to keep a smile on the poor old priest’s face – in easy stages:

1. Give regularly and according to your means. Our maintenance and running costs are quite high: we have the church, the presbytery, the clubroom and Walsingham Hall, and Ker Anna to keep going and property is expensive to maintain. The annual accounts give the details of our income and expenditure.

2. Do it in a planned sort of way – in other words work out in advance how much you want to give. In this way the parish priest can know what the income of the parish is and can, with the help of the appropriate committees, budget accordingly. That’s the point of Planned Giving. There are broadly two methods of doing this:
a) by using the parish envelops (a year’s supply is handed out in March to those parishioners who use this method).
b) By making a direct debit or standing order through your bank (we have our own forms for this purpose)
Some parishioners find it helpful to use a combination of both methods. Some prefer to write a cheque annually. Whatever method is adopted – the principle is the same. You say in advance how much you have decided to give to your church.

3. Income Tax payers can benefit the parish by 25% on top of the net amount they give because the income of the parish is not taxable.

To Sum up: the advantages of Planned Giving are twofold. You make a decision on how much you give and do not leave it to what you might have with you when you come to Mass. If you are a tax payer the parish can recover the tax you have already paid on your actual contribution if you give via Giftaid.

4. Gift Aid is growing in popularity. Income tax payers can make a gift to the parish and, by signing a simple form, ensure that the tax paid can be recovered by the diocese and credited to the parish. Basic rate tax is 20 per cent, so this means that if you give £10 using Gift Aid, it’s worth £12.50 to your church. For donations between 6 April 2008 and 5 April 2011 a charity or CASC will also get a separate government supplement of three pence on every pound you give.

5. Gift Aid forms are available on request – just ask.

6. Remember the parish in your Will. The words to use are:

“To the Northampton Roman Catholic Diocese Trustee whose registered office is at Bishop’s House, Marriott Street, Northampton, NN2 6AW for the benefit of St Teresa’s Parish, Princes Risborough”.

Leaflets about the Planned giving scheme are available in the Church Porch

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/individuals/giving/gift-aid.htm

http://www.northamptondiocese.org/GiftAid/tabid/108/Default.aspx