Due to the fantastic efforts of Treasurers and Gift Aid Secretaries in St Helens and West Derby, almost all their giving is now facilitated by the Parish Giving Scheme (PGS). This means that for the majority of individual gifts, there will not be any delays or interruptions to their regular giving when they become a larger single parish.
PGS is a vital tool in the process of becoming a larger parish. The main reason why? For those who give via the PGS they have no changes to their method of giving so their gift and the Gift Aid claimed stays exactly the same. Administration is simply completed in the background to make sure your gift goes to your church, yet the regular gift and Gift Aid claim is claimed without interruption. So, if you can join the PGS, please do.
For gifts given via weekly envelope and standing order, there is a lot of volunteer time involved in the process or receiving the gift as a church. (see images) In the transition to a larger parish, the charitable status of your church will also change. This would normally mean there would be delays in claiming Gift Aid, and for standing order givers they will need to contact their bank to change the direction of their gift. If givers all used the PGS which is designed to be malleable to changes such as these, you would eliminate any missed donations, delays and manual effort as they do all the claiming for you!
Why the PGS is for everyone
The message to all givers across the diocese is always “PGS is the best way to give to your church” as it lightens the administrative burden on the volunteers looking after our church finances, leaving them with time to share their gifts in other areas of church life. Not only that, but;
the PGS makes possible regular and committed planned giving - and makes sure you are in total control of the amount you give, always.
The Direct Debit guarantee means your gift is safe and secure.
If you can Gift Aid your giving, it is claimed automatically.
You can join the majority of givers and choose to automatically increase your giving annually by inflation.
But particularly for FfM churches, one of the best things you can do to support your church and its administrators is to give (or move over to giving) via the PGS.
If you haven’t yet joined the PGS, there are 3 easy ways to do so:
Complete the PGS gift form, available in church from the wardens, or from the Treasurer or Gift Aid secretary - and then post it to the given address.
Call the PGS team on 0333 002 1271 who will guide you through signing up.
Visit parishgiving.org.uk to sign up online
And if your church is not yet registered with the Parish Giving Scheme, see this testimonial from St Ann Rainhill who embraced the scheme this year: