giving at the kirk
Online Giving
Giving online is a safe, convenient way for you to give your tithes and offerings from the convenience of your computer or phone. To view videos on how to give via Planning Center, please click here.
Give Stock. Save Taxes.
By choosing to give appreciated stock, you eliminate capital gain tax on the donated stock and increase your giving capacity by eliminating current or future tax exposure. Using tax savings to give more increases your charitable deduction.
Gifts from Your IRA
People over age 701/2, can transfer up to $100,000 from their IRAs to charity tax-free. The gift counts as their required minimum distribution for the year, but it is not included in their adjusted gross income. This can be a great way to avoid having to pay taxes on your RMD if you want to support a charity, and it gives you a tax break.
Contact your investment advisor for further advice.
Amazon Smile
You can support The Kirk when you shop at Amazon. When you are ready to make a purchase, log on to smile.amazon.com. Sign in and choose “Kirk of the Hills-Tulsa” as the charitable organization if you have not already chosen “Kirk of the Hills’Tulsa” as your charitable organization. This is the same Amazon you know. The same products, same prices, same service. Amazon donates .5% of the price of your purchases to The Kirk. Remember each time you shop, to log in to smile.amazon.com. It’s that easy.
Giving at the kirk
Have Questions?
What are the benefits of online/mobile giving?
There are several benefits to giving through Planning Center for both you and the church.
- Simplicity for you and The Kirk – You will not need to remember if you gave this month or pay period, or send your offering checks when you are out of town. Online contributions require less processing from our administrative and volunteer staff since the information is logged to your donor record and deposited automatically.
- Security – Online giving is more secure than giving with a check in that an electronic gift cannot be lost or stolen.
Is it safe to give through Planning Center?
Yes. In many ways giving through Planning Center is safer than writing a check because an electronic gift cannot be lost or stolen. Planning Center continually manages the security of the system.
What forms of payment can I use?
I currently use my bank's online bill pay feature for my donations. How is this different and should I switch?
You do not necessarily need to switch. However, Planning Center donations are immediately recorded to the church and your giving history at the time of your contribution whereas your bank takes time (several days) to process and mail a check to the church. Manually processing the payment by The Kirk may add a further delay.
Can I make a one-time contribution or set-up recurring gifts?
Can I change my personal information, the amount, or the frequency of my gift once I have set it up?
Yes. You can change or cancel your contribution at any time before the date of your next scheduled contribution (once a contribution has been processed it cannot be canceled). Simply log in to the Church Center app using your user name and password and make the necessary changes in the system.
Why are some transactions attributed to my household and others attributed to an individual in Planning Center ID?
All online giving transactions are always attributed to the individual whose Planning Center ID was used to set up and process the transaction. This is because a Planning Center ID is used for one unique person and cannot be shared among multiple people. Paper checks processed by the church are usually attributed to the household. We anticipate this difference not being an issue for married couples filing jointly since it does not matter whose name is on the gift for tax purposes.
For instances where you need to show an individual’s giving on a separate statement, select the person you want to display under the “contributions for” selector and click view. Click the “Download statement” link to generate a statement of the person to view. For statements sent by The Kirk, all individuals of a household are rolled up into one statement for the household unless otherwise requested.
Will I still receive regular contribution statements from The Kirk?
Planning Center gives you the opportunity to view and print a statement at any time for the current year and past years. If you ever need additional printed statements sent to you, please contact our financial office at 918.494.7088.
Can I designate my gift to a particular ministry or account?
Yes, there are options listed in the Planning Center Fund drop down menu. Additionally, during times when special campaigns are occurring, you will be able to give contributions to support the given initiative or campaign.
How will I know that I set up my gift correctly?
Very shortly, after submitting your contribution, you will receive an e-mail from Planning Center verifying your contribution and you will see it in your giving history.
If I have additional questions about online/mobile giving, who can I talk to?
For any questions, concerns or comments about the PushPay giving system, please contact DiAnna Harp in the financial office at 918.494.7088.
What are your online giving security policies?
At The Kirk, we use an online giving and database called Planning Center. Your information will remain private and will never be given away to third parties, other than to process your contributions.
You can schedule new contributions at any time and can modify or cancel those contributions at any time prior to the date they are scheduled. Once the contribution has been processed however, it cannot be cancelled. If you have any problems or questions related to this, please contact DiAnna Harp in the financial office at 918.494.7088.
Your information is held securely by Planning Center systems. Their system allows us to provide access to your contribution records and allows you to make donations online, or through your mobile device. They provide all of the security for the system. This system is used by churches throughout the country and has been fully tested by them.
Please help us keep your information safe by protecting your login information. Access to sensitive personal and financial information can be gained by letting someone else use your account or by leaving the information for someone else to see. The Kirk will never call you to ask for your login information. Kirk office staff cannot access details regarding your specific contributions – for these types of inquiries, please contact DiAnna Harp or call the financial office at 918.494.7088.