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~ Addressing Congregational Finance and Administration ~

In This Issue

Treasurer's Tips

Important Dates

April 30

Lay delegate certificates due

NOW

Minimum Wage & New Sick Time Requirement by the City of San Diego

September 1

Audits due to the diocese
2017 grant requests due

October 7

Waiver requests for voice and vote due

November 7 - 23

Health insurance open enrollment

November 11-12

Diocesan Convention @
St. Margaret's, Palm Desert

November 30

Common Life Share pledges due (formerly known as Mission Share Pledges)

December 1

Exempt employee minimum wage change

January 18

Schools Summit

February 25

Leadership Academy

Quick Links

Manual of Business Methods in Church Affairs

Peter K 5 Minutes to Fitness

August 2016


	`Canon Young`

My church is gearing up for the fall so I imagine all of you are as well. As always, the summer raced by and kids are heading back to school already.

Summer memories include an amazing youth trip to Mexico as well as Backpack Bashes throughout the diocese.

This month's newsletter includes resources to help you with addressing summer lulls in giving and stewardship campaign planning. I hope you and your congregation will take advantage of the information that is available to maximize the possibility of a vibrant and successful campaign.

Hope your summer has been delightful!

Warm regards,

Canon Julie Young

Canon for Finance and Administration and Diocesan Treasurer

jyoung@edsd.org

Office of the Bishop Address

The Episcopal Diocese of San Diego

2083 Sunset Cliffs Blvd.

San Diego, CA 92107

Treasurer Tips of the Month

Summer Budgeting and Stewardship Planning

Although some of you are probably grieving the end of summer and the more carefree time it often brings, I suspect the finance and accounting staff and volunteers are waiting for the fall and the return to normalcy of giving patterns. If you are experiencing a cash flow crunch created by the perhaps inevitable summer downturn, I recommend the following tips from Church Law and Tax Store:

update your church database with accurate data
diversify your communication with video messages
mail ministry updates to regular givers with a postage-paid courtesy reply offering envelope
communicate ministry results through the lens of life change
construct spending habits to match giving patterns

And - start your stewardship planning now if you have not already done so.

Stewardship

Recruit Your Dream Team Now

True Story: The week school let out for summer, I received four invitations to lunch and knew it was time to recruit next year's stewardship team. Each of those invitations represented a networking or volunteer request. Don't lose your best volunteers by waiting too late to invite them to join in. Use the tips below to recruit your stewardship Dream Team now.

Try this: Avoid the temptation to raid the finance committee or vestry for your stewardship team. Instead, list the skills you need: organization, communication, theological grounding, hospitality and creativity. Then invite people with those skills to lunch and recruit like this:

List your needs; list their talents: For example, "We're building a team to make this year's fall stewardship drive creative and fun. We want to emphasize St. James' importance in people's lives and you are such a great storyteller."

Then listen: Ask what interests them. Be prepared to adapt your plan to their passions. You'll be glad you did. Check out this ECF Vital Practices article for a story on when a parishoner's call doesn't meet the volunteer opening.

Be like Uncle Sam: Nothing builds commitment and loyalty in a volunteer like saying, "I want you." Close the conversation by saying, "You could really help us make a difference. I'd like you to lead this part of the project."

For a more complete guide to recruiting your stewardship team, visit ECF Vital Practices to watch this free webinar.

HR Tips of the Month

Use the Bishop's Office for Admin Help with New Hires

When hiring a new lay employee, use the Office of the Bishop as a resource. Julie Young will review letters of offer and job descriptions. Keren Mondaca, registrar, will process background checks that are both quick and affordable. This is especially useful because we have people who float from one church to another and - very infrequently - are not ideal candidates for youth ministry and financial positions.

Updated Labor Posters Effective August 2016

The wage and hour division of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued updated posters under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA). These revised posters, which the DOL published on July 26, 2016, took effect on August 1, 2016. Employers subject to the FLSA and the EPPA may want to post the updated posters now if they have not already done so. View the full story and copies of the posters.

Congregational Audits Due Sept. 1

We appreciate those churches who have already sent their 2015 audits. We also appreciate the rest of you who are diligently working on completion of your audits. If you know that you will not meet the September 1 deadline, please email Rosa Feeney and let her know when you expect to send it.

Grant Applications

With convention in November, our budget timeline has changed. Congregational requests for 2017 grants will be due September 1; those congregations that are eligible for grants have been emailed the application. Property grant requests can be submitted by any church that has conducted a physical needs assessment. Property Grant. Outreach, program and ministry grants are also due September 1: Outreach, Program & Ministry Grant.

Waiver Requests

Congregations not up-to-date on their Common Life Share/Mission Share Pledge payments, or have reduced their pledge to less than 10% will be required to submit a waiver request in order to have voice and vote at convention. Waiver requests are due October 7.

Open Enrollment

The Medical Trust is in the process of finalizing plan selections and pricing for 2017. These will be available to the diocese in September at which time the personnel committee will choose which of the plans to offer. Information about the plans and their pricing will be provided to you then. Open enrollment will take place in November. Stay tuned!

Wellness Tip of the Month

Tip: Look Away from the Screen

Every hour, look away from your computer screen for at least 60 seconds. Every two hours, get up and take a 15-minute break. This will help prevent eyestrain, blurry vision, trouble focusing, dry eyes, headaches, neck, back and shoulder pain.

The Episcopal Diocese of San Diego and its employees do not provide, and none of the information furnished in this email should be viewed as investment, tax, or legal advice. The content of this email is provided for your information purposes only.

The Episcopal Diocese of San Diego | 619-481-5453 | jyoung@edsd.org | www.edsd.org

~ Serving and Assisting Financial and Administrative Leaders ~