Recurring and Special Gifts

Recurring Gift

A good faith intention made by a donor to contribute regularly to Reliant as God enables them to for an indefinite amount of time. For example, a donor by faith may intend to regularly contribute to Reliant $35 per month. This is also called “regular giving.” Most Reliant donors give regular, monthly amounts. However, other recurring gift frequencies are common, including quarterly and annual gifts. To comply with accounting regulations, we do not refer to this as a “pledged gift” or “promised gift,” as the donor may choose to change or stop the recurring gift at any time. “Pledges” can indicate an amount that a donor has made an obligation to fulfill for a set term. Reliant seeks good faith intentions but only records gifts as they are received.

Recurring gifts may be given via EFT automatic withdrawal, credit card, or check. 

Special Gift

A gift by a donor to a ministry account with no expressed intention to repeat the gift on any regular basis. Also called a “single gift.”

Common Channels to Contribute to Reliant

Online Giving

Reliant’s online giving donor website is branded as Reliant.org. It is a preferable method for donor giving for its secure and instant access to all our giving methods, without the need for the fundraiser to send additional paperwork. Recurring gifts may be established online via bank transfer, credit card, or check giving. Checks must be sent in the mail separately from the online transaction. Special gifts may be given via electronic check, credit card or check. Reliant.org requires a secure account be created by the donor using an email address.  The email address is designated as the donor's username. New donors should be directed to start at a missionary's online profile (www.Reliant.org/firstname.lastname) or at Reliant.org/give.

EFT

Reliant provides an electronic funds transfer service (EFT) whereby donors may designate an amount of a contribution to be automatically transferred directly from their bank account to Reliant's bank account. Donors can establish an EFT online (preferred) or via the How to Start Giving form. Automatic recurring EFT giving is available for withdrawal on the 5^th or the 20^th of every month.

Credit Card

Credit card payments may be made via Reliant.org or the How to Start Giving form. For security, online is preferred. Automatic recurring credit card giving is available for withdrawal on the 5^th or the 20^th of every month.

Reliant’s credit card vendors charge a per-gift fee for this service, which is hidden to the donor. Reliant employees may choose to sensitively communicate the additional amount (i.e. “using your Visa card costs Reliant an additional 3%”) and suggest that a donor consider giving a little more because of administrative costs. “Many donors choose to do credit card giving online because it’s so convenient. It costs Reliant a bit more to process these donations than an EFT gift, so many people have elected to give a few dollars more to help cover the administrative expenses and to ensure the ministry is fully funded.”  While credit card gifts do incur additional fees, recurring gifts via credit cards still show a better consistency rate than check giving.

Checks

Checks must be made out to Reliant Mission or Reliant and never to a missionary. If an employee receives a check that is made out to them, the employee must return the check and request a new one made out to Reliant. In the case that this is impossible, the missionary has two options. They may purchase a money order (by signing over the donor's check) and send the money order to Reliant with the donor name in the “from” section of the money order, commonly known as the remitter. This gift can then be receipted appropriately to the donor. Or if the donor’s intent truly was a personal gift to the missionary, they should ask the donor to give a gift card instead. The missionary would then follow the guidelines for donor intent and gift cards laid out in the Field Manual. This important policy stems from IRS rules about tax-deductible gifts, which must be understood by the donor to be for the organization and not a personal gift to an individual. See Check Gift FAQ

Other Channels to Contribute to Reliant

Cash

Cash is not a preferable method of giving to Reliant.  Cash must never be sent in the mail to Reliant. If cash gifts are received by Reliant fundraisers, the missionary has two options. They may purchase a money order and send the money order to Reliant with the donor name in the “from” section of the money order, commonly known as the remitter. This gift can then be receipted appropriately to the donor. Or if the donor’s intent truly was a personal gift, they should ask the donor to give a gift card instead. The missionary would then follow the guidelines for donor intent and gift cards in the Field Manual. See Cash Gift FAQ

Foreign Currency

Reliant prefers to receive contributions in U.S. currency but will accept foreign currency. Contributions will be converted to U.S. dollars, and any receipt issued will be based on the value of the currency after conversion on the date of the deposit. See International Donations for details. Gifts may not be tax-deductible outside the United States.

Stock, Non-Cash, Property, Estate

For less common or non-cash giving options, see Gift Acceptance Policy, Stock Gift FAQ, and Cryptocurrency Gift FAQ. 

Collecting and Submitting Donor Information

Fundraisers should strongly encourage donors to use Reliant’s online giving options, which establish a direct link between the donor and Reliant’s Gift Services department. However, in the case that donors choose to give recurring or special gifts using checks and paper forms, fundraisers have a responsibility to accept the gifts as an agent of Reliant and immediately send or transmit them to the Gift Services department according to the most current instructions laid out. For record-keeping and receipting, the fundraiser is also responsible for accurately collecting donor information, such as name and contact information.

Deadlines for Contributions

For a contribution to be included in the accounting records for a particular month, it must generally be received by the Gift Services department by noon on the last business day of the month. Contributions received after noon on the last business day of the month will generally be included in the next month's accounting.

For a contribution to be included in Reliant's accounting records for a particular year, it must normally be dated and postmarked between January 1 and December 31 of that year. For example, a contribution received by Reliant on January 3, 2016 that was dated December 29, 2015 and postmarked December 31, 2015 will be recorded as a contribution for the year 2015.

Donor Receipting and Correspondence

A donor giving history is available at Reliant.org for all donors, regardless of the giving method.

Reliant sends paper statements to check donors each time a gift is received in order to receipt them for their contribution and to give them a convenient way to give again. Reliant sends paper receipts immediately to donors who give special gifts via check. Donors who discover a mistake on their statement may call or email Reliant Gift Services for immediate attention.

After a calendar year has lapsed, donors are sent end-of-year statements that give a detailed accounting of their contributions during the previous calendar year. This statement will reflect the year in which Reliant received the gift and not necessarily the year in which the donor wrote or sent the contribution. Donors who discover mistakes on their end-of-year statements may write the accounting firm indicated in the information provided with the end-of-year statement.

Fundraisers Knowledge of Giving Options and Policies

Fundraisers are responsible for knowing the information that appears on any website or paper form that asks for funds and must ensure donors have access to the information.

2010 example:

Reliant Mission (member ECFA) is committed to the highest standards of financial integrity and accountability. Reliant strongly supports the ministry of the local church and desires that your gifts to Reliant ministries not cause you to decrease the amount you give to your church. Your gifts support a pre-approved ministry by a Reliant assessed and trained missionary in ministry partnership with a local church or ministry organization. Gifts are tax-deductible; Reliant is exempt from federal tax under IRC 501(c)(3). Reliant always seeks to honor giver intent, however, gifts may not be intended as personal gifts to an individual; Reliant Mission reserves ultimate discretion and full control of donated funds to ensure Reliant's ministry purposes. 

Credit card companies charge additional fees. Reliant recommends recurring giving via bank account for lowest overhead costs. The transaction date for automatic giving is on or near the 5th or 20th of the month, and varies based on business days. You may start, stop, or change your giving at any time by visiting Reliant.org or calling Reliant donor services at 877-614-4600 or e-mailing gift.services@reliant.org. Thank you for your generosity.

Accounts and Numbers Assigned to Employees and Donors

Fund Number

Every fundraiser using the Ministry Team Development process is assigned a ministry Fund Number. This number is used to keep track of the amount of money generated for Reliant through the fundraising efforts for that ministry. Missionaries are assigned a single ministry fund based on their unique ministry job description. However, a fund can have multiple fundraisers (solicitors) in cases of a married couple, some project funds or mission trips. This number also represents an account that the Finance Department uses to reconcile payroll and expenses with the amount of funds allocated to an employed missionary as a result of their fundraising efforts for Reliant. Fund numbers are typically formatted:  FD####.