Give To Go Green - Round 3

The next round of Give To Go Green has started and we are encouraging all churches, those already on their Net-Zero Carbon journey as well as those just starting out, to get involved. 

Give To Go Green is a match-funding grant project from the National Church, matching locally raised donations for carbon-reducing building projects.

Applications are open now, and will close in March 2025. Further information, including the Application Pack, is available at the link below.

The GTGG team are holding two information webinars in November for churches to find out more and ask questions about the project. You can register for these at the links below.

Making the Most of Digital Giving This Christmas - 6th November Webinar

It's never too early to plan for Christmas! This webinar, hosted by the National Digital Giving Team and the Digital Labs team, will dive into Digital Giving and how it can help your church, whether it's online donations or contactless and in-person. In the webinar the team will introduce templates for promoting donation QR codes, and explain how to edit those on Canva. They will explore how you can maximise opportunities for giving over the Advent and Christmas period. Please register at the link below, if you can't attend the webinar live, still register and you will receive a recording afterwards.

Click the link below to download a Digital Giving Checklist to ensure you have everything set up and ready to go before the busy festive period.

Christmas Digital Clinics with the Stewardship Team

Book in for a 1-2-1 Digital Clinic with the Stewardship Team to ask any questions you might have about digital giving, setting up online giving or contactless giving, using QR codes, or advice on how to maximise these methods in time for Christmas.

We can support you in setting up all the accounts needed in time for Christmas, to ensure all attending your church during this period have every opportunity to give. Click the link below to book in a meeting with us in November.

Clergy Training - Generosity at Christmas

The National Giving Directorate are hosting a webinar for all clergy on the 12th November, 12.30pm. The webinar is designed to equip clergy on how to celebrate and encourage giving and generosity over Christmas. The birth of Jesus, one of the greatest acts of generosity, is a great time to consider how we can live out generous lives, inspired by a generous God.

In this one-hour session, the team will cover why talking about giving and generosity is important at Christmas and how to do it well with our congregations and visitors over the festive period. There will be lots of practical ideas for clergy to take away to put into practice this Christmas. Register for the webinar at the link below.

You can also download the 'Celebrating a Generous Christmas' checklist at the link below. This checklist is perfect for facilitating generosity during the festive season.

Generosity Week Stories - Swillington, St Mary

St Mary's Church has recently used the Generosity Week resources for their harvest service, focusing on God's gifts and preparing their own gifts for the local community pantry. As part of this week, St Mary's also relaunched the Parish Giving Scheme, to provide a simple mechanism for congregation members to set up regular or one-off gifts to the church. See the full story at the link below.

This year's national Generosity Week ran from the 29th September to the 6th of October, and we would love to hear more stories from parishes who have taken part with their community.

Please get in touch with the Stewardship team at resourcingparishes@leeds.anglican.org to share your Generosity Week stories.

Parish Buying - New Heated Pew Cushions

Is your church struggling with inadequate heating as the colder months approach? Consider keeping your congregation warm during services with heated cushions from Sit and Heat. These cushions are designed to fit a variety of pews and chairs, offering a practical way of heating the person, not the building. As a Parish Buying member, you can enjoy a 20% discount on these products.

The Church of England’s Net Zero Carbon Officer recently visited St Bridget’s Church in St Bride’s, Wales, to donate heated cushions and demonstrate their effectiveness. Watch the video here now to see how they work and how they can make a difference in your church!

To find out more about Heated Cushions you will need to Log In or Register for Parish Buying by clicking the link below.

Other great Net Zero Carbon options on Parish Buying include EV Charging and Energy Audits. Plus there is advice on Solar PV and LED Lighting. Funding is available for all of these through Give to Go Green.

SumUp Verification & Phishing Emails

New verification checks are now mandatory before taking payments, this is the case for all accounts set up after the 5th August 2024. If you set up your account before then, you will need to keep a look out for ad hoc 'Know Your Customer' checks. There is additional guidance for setting up your SumUp account and completing the verification checks at the link below.

Also note, there have been some reports of SumUp phishing emails so please ensure you are logging in to your account via the usual SumUp link here.

Excess Data Usage in CollecTin & Payaz Contactless Devices

CollecTin & Payaz have spotted a change in Google Play settings that have caused higher data usage in some SIM using devices. They have put together some advice for churches who are noticing higher data usage than expected.

See the advice linked below.

PayaCharity Merchant Account Closure

Paya are currently closing their merchant account and offering churches the option to switch to Just Giving as a payment processor. Please note, that the transaction rates with Just Giving contactless are 5% so it could be worth exploring options for cheaper contactless devices.

If your parish is going through this change process, do be in touch so that we can share your learning to others. Please contact us at resourcingparishes@leeds.anglican.org

Parish Share Requests 2025

The 2025 Parish Share requests are being circulated by email to PCCs this week (w/c 4th November) accompanied by a link to a video message and letter from Bishop Nick and our updated Parish Share Digital Guide. If you have not received your Parish Share request and accompanying information please email resourcingparishes@leeds.anglican.org

Parish Share Update

If you missed last month's Parish Share report update please see details below. October's Parish Share report will be available on the Diocesan website later in November at the link below.

As of September 2024, the overall parish share payments stand at 51%, showing a slight increase compared to the same period in 2023, which was at 49%.

The total amount requested for 2024 is £15.29 million, with £7.82 million paid so far.

This reflects a small but positive variance compared to last year’s payments by the same date. Despite some fluctuations across different areas, the overall payment percentage has slightly improved.

You can find the latest Parish Share report on the website here.

Can you Help Advise A Fellow Treasurer?

Following our September Treasurer Forum meeting we circulated a Treasurer Ambassador (TA) Registration and Resources Survey form. I'm delighted to report that a further three treasurers have now registered bringing our total number of Treasurer Ambassadors across the Diocese to six with at least one TA in four of our Episcopal Areas (except Wakefield). Five additional treasurers, not wishing to become TAs, are happy just to advise on the banking or accounting systems they use. If you'd like to volunteer as a Treasurer Ambassador and/or offer advice to fellow Treasurers within your Deanery, Episcopal Area or across the Diocese you will find details of the role on our Treasurer Forum webpage and how to register using the links below.

If you need help with your role as a Treasurer, please email the Stewardship Team on resourcingparishes@leeds.anglican.org. The next Treasurer Forum meeting will take place early in 2025 and all treasurers will receive a direct email invitation.

Are You Looking for a Festive Fundraising Idea?

Did you know 70% of shoppers will do their Christmas shopping online this year? And did you know this shopping can easily turn into funding for your church? 8,000 popular online shops including eBay, Argos, John Lewis, Currys, Etsy, M&S, Boots, Waterstones and Moonpig will donate money whenever your parishioners shop with them. To take advantage of this festive fundraising idea, register your church with funding website easyfundraising at the link below. 

Stobart Sustainability Fund - Supporting Community Sustainability Projects

The Stobart Sustainability fund is currently open to applications and is looking to support community-led sustainability projects and initiatives led by non-profit organisations, community groups and educational facilities, such as schools and colleges. They want to fund projects that transform the local community through tackling climate change, reducing carbon emissions or protecting or enhancing the environment.

For more information and to apply, click the link below.

Funding Available for Nature Hubs

Groups can apply for grants up to £6,000 to set up or enhance community-led green spaces through the Community Nature Network Nature Hubs Fund.

This funding is for groups setting up or enhancing a community green space that's accessible to the public. They are looking to fund projects that increase access to and bring people together in nature, upskill community members, and are committed to reaching audiences beyond those who already access green spaces.

The Nature Hubs Fund is in partnership with Starbucks, and all Hubs must be located within 5km of their nearest Starbucks store to encourage connections between stores and projects. For more information, click the link below.