I am so happy to report that for the first time ever St. John will be providing a consolidated giving statements for all our active parishioners who donated to our Parish Family in 2015. This letter is being mailed out as I write this, and you may have already received yours. The consolidated statement includes online giving as well as traditional offertory giving, capital campaign donations, and special collections, all of which are tax deductible for you and your family. You will see on the statements that it lists the total given as well as the detailed breakdown for you based on each giving opportunity you provide your donation to. There are sometimes questions we get about these statements so I hope the following information can help:
Why do I not see all of my giving?
It happens to many of us. We forget our envelope on our way out the door to church. Or maybe we have been away and have not gotten an envelope for that week yet. Unfortunately, any giving that occurs without an envelope (or without your envelope number written on your check) cannot be credited to you on this official statement. A few months ago, I mentioned the importance of using your envelope numbers (https://legacysite.sjecc.org/news/parish-giving-envelopes-essential-tool-for-the-church). Not only do the envelopes illustrate your participation in church (they do not have to have money in them for you to put them in the basket), they are the official way we can account for the over 3200 families that make up St. John and ensure they get their proper tax deduction.
Why are there different donations listed for a single stock gift?
We want to make sure you are properly credited for the gifts you bestow on our Parish Family. And, especially with the capital campaign, many of you have chosen to give with stocks and bonds. When we receive the final amount from the Diocese, that check does not include the fees incurred with the transaction. So, to ensure we provide the full amount, we will credit you the full amount you gave. That can mean a second donation in the amount of the fees.
Why do I not see the donations I gave to Habitat for Humanity or JOP?
Unlike our special collections or second collections, which are the responsibility of St. John to deliver to the Diocese or another organization, there are some organizations that we collect money for that we cannot take responsibility for reporting. Habitat and the Jamaica Outreach Program, for example, are separate entities, with their own accounting processes and 501(c)3 status. They will provide tax letters for your donations directly.
I hope this makes sense and that we make your financial contributions as impactful as possible and make it easy for you to report your amazing support to our Parish Family.