The Support Goal Worksheet (SGW)
This is the tool we use to calculate your financial needs to ensure that you have exactly what you need to thrive in your ministry location. Your monthly support goal is the amount of recurring giving that you need to raise each month to cover every aspect of your ministry, including personal salary and ministry-related expenses. We will set this during your Reliant Training, but you will update it throughout the course of your ministry. The following video will walk through each section of the support goal worksheet.
If you would like to talk through your support goal with the International Liaison, schedule a time here.
Video Tutorial
To review
Your Support Goal is comprised of recurring expenses that you are likely to incur monthly:
| Monthly Salary Tab | This tab calculates your Gross Monthly Salary as a household unit. |
| Monthly Ministry Expenses Tab | These are expenses that are related to the ministry you are doing. They will not be part of your salary, but you can receive the funds through reimbursements or bonuses as expenses occur. |
| Support Goal Summary Tab | Calculates additional expenses from the MTD account, including some employer taxes, 401k match, benefits, and admin fees. These amounts are drawn directly from the account you are responsible. |
| Paycheck Calcuator | Divides monthly income between spouses and calculates Net pay after deductions. |
You will also have One-Time goals, either prior to launch or at various times in your ministry:
| Pre-Launch Goal | Budget for one-time needs as you launch to your ministry location for the first time. |
| Annual Ministry Expenses | Budget for annual expenses to get an idea of larger needs that you may need to raise additional funds for. |
Updating your Support Goal
There are certain times throughout your employment when you will need to update your support goal worksheet. This may or may not also initiate a change in your salary.
Anytime you make changes to your support goal worksheet, you must re-share the worksheet with international@reliant.org. Also, send an email letting the International Liaison know what you are changing. Salary changes must be submitted by the 16 of the month to be effective on the next paycheck.
| Initial MTD Phase | When you are onboarded with Reliant, we will work with you and your supervisor to complete the Support Goal Worksheet. Some of the categories, such as housing or ministry expenses, should be a close estimation, but may not be exact. That is okay! We hope to get your goal 80-90% accurate in the beginning. |
| Six Months In | About six months into your ministry location, it is a good idea to evaluate the actual cost of housing, utilities, and ministry expenses to make sure your support goal is accurate. |
| Annually (Oct/Nov) | Every year you should update your support goal worksheet to include any changes in insurance premiums, job role, cost of living, or ministry expenses. Late fall is a great time to be aware of potential shortfalls in your budget or giving so that you can reach out to partners for an end-of-year ask. |
| Qualifying Events | Anytime you have a significant change in your family situation, ministry role or responsibilities, or cost of living, reach out to the International Team to discuss how this may change your support goal and your salary. |
