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Retirement plan records: What to keep for IRS purposes
Bruce Bruinsma Religious CommunityDo you ever wonder what records your organization needs to keep and what should have been thrown away years ago? Retirement plan records certainly fit into the "wondering" category. Here is the bottom line regarding retirement plans: If you are audited, you are required to provide complete, accurate records in either paper or electronic format if, and when, the IRS comes calling.
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Why should they volunteer?
William D. Pawlucy Association ManagementAccording the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report, "Volunteering in the United States — 2013," the volunteer rate from September 2012 to September 2013 was the lowest since the annual report began in 2002. The U.S. volunteer rate declined by 1.1 percentage points to 25.4 percent, with 62.6 million people volunteering at least once for an organization.
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How to create events that wow your guests without stressing you out
Deborah Ike Religious CommunityMost churches offer a variety of special events throughout the year. From couples' retreats to junior high lock-ins, these events require significant effort to pull off with excellence. Unfortunately, what should be a fun and impactful event often wears out staff and volunteers from all the last-minute chaos. So, how do we avoid the craziness and actually get to enjoy the fruits of our labor?
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Your church’s elusive magic bullet for communication
Mark MacDonald Religious CommunityA friend recently texted to request help with a computer issue. I knew how to do it, so I gladly offered to sit and show him. There was a pause, and he asked, "Can you just give quick instructions now?" He obviously wanted me to text back a single tweet that would educate him to do a difficult task. Can 140-character count actually do that?
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What does ‘customer service’ have to do with ministry?
Deborah Ike Religious CommunityWhen we think of ministry, we typically think about preaching, praying with people, discipleship, and various programs or events. The phrase, "customer service" probably isn’t the first thing to come to mind. Perhaps it shouldn't be at the top of the list, but if you focus on the second word, "service," it feels less like a business buzzword and more like ministry. So, whom do we serve?
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3 time-savers for church communications
Mark MacDonald Religious CommunityAs I visit churches across the country, I realize that ministries have so much to communicate. Events, promotions, services, requests and stories. Sadly, the more I research behaviors of church staff, I see we're doing more and more while having less time to get it all done.
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Church communication: Why bother?
Jennifer Johnson Religious CommunityI receive a plethora of advertising and marketing materials related to "church communication" on a daily basis. They arrive via email, Facebook, direct mail, in person and by other media avenues. With all of those outlets constantly reminding me how to do something the "right way," it's easy to push aside why being a church communicator is important.
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Church goals? It’s all about the baseline
Mark MacDonald Religious CommunityI love dreaming up goals for myself personally, for ministry and for business. Have you done it yet? January tends to be the time to set goals and start thinking about fresh ideas. I'm not talking about resolutions that will be forgotten in a few weeks. I'm talking about committing time to focus on things that need changing and then creating a path to conquering the goals.
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Church retirement plans: Is it time for everyone to participate?
Bruce Bruinsma Religious CommunityChurch retirement plans — 403(b)(9) Church Plans — are traditionally focused on benefits for the clergy. The minister's housing allowance distribution option and the pre-SECA tax benefit are prime examples of clergy-only benefits. Further, many church boards are focused on the pastor and not the staff.
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2 ways to stretch your church communications budget in 2015
Mark MacDonald Religious CommunityIt's that time of year. A lot of churches have already established their budgets for 2015, and most want to do more with the limited funds that are budgeted. When it comes to church communications, there are usually two goals for your church.
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