LCM@WVU: How Can I Help? Financial Gifts!

+ Personal Gifts
+ Congregational Gifts

Financial Support

Financial support cannot be ignored. Unlike a congregation, we cannot depend on what is placed in the offering plate each week. Consequently, we must depend on the good will of those, like yourself, who are not directly served by this ministry. If you would like to know more about campus ministry finances, click here.

Personal Gifts

There are several ways that you can make a personal tax-deductible donation to the Lutheran Campus Ministry at WVU. Here are the two easiest.

by check

Make check payable to:

Lutheran Campus Ministry at WVU
1497 University Avenue
Morgantown, WV 26505

on-line by credit card or quasi-cash

It is not necessary to be a PayPal member to donate by credit card through the PayPal interface. If you would like more information about PayPal, click here. If you have specific questions about our use of PayPal, click here.

+50%

Thrivent members and owners of Thrivent products, consider exercising the matching gift option provided through Thrivent's Giving Plus® program. Thrivent will match gifts up to $600 at $0.50 on the dollar. Put Thrivent to work for you and us. N.b., the deadline for 2007 matching gifts is January 7, 2008. You can download the member gift form yourself, fill out your sections, and include it with your gift, or we can mail one to you when you indicate that you are a Thrivent member.

Some other ideas and things worth noting

Look through these options and consider which might be most appropriate for you.

Planned gifts. Wills, bequests, and charitable trust annuities are gratefully received. The LCM@WVU is a member of the Lutheran Planned Giving Partnership. The LPGP planned giving officer can provide you assistance.
Stock, annuities, life insurance, and real estate. Yes, these are even possibilities. Please contact us for details.
Pre-authorized automatic electronic cash transfer. A.k.a., auto-debit, this is a convenient way for you to make regular donations to LCM@WVU without the hassle of writing checks and without cost to you. You determine the amount and the frequency of the donation. We offer two options: Thrivent's Simply Giving® and PayPal. Click here to compare and determine which is best for you. Some banks also offer automatic electonic cash transfers. If you would rather set something up with your bank, contact them, and then let us know what we need to do on our end.

For a single sheet PDF of these personal gift options, click here.

Congregational Gifts

Some ways that your congregation might contribute:

A budget line item. Some congregations make regular annual grants to ministries such as food pantries, shelters, church camps, etc., making those grants part of the annual budget.
End of year benevolent gift. Other congregations make an end of year distribution of some or all of their surplus.
Special offerings and collections. Lenten offerings, for example, could be designated for the LCM@WVU.
Donations from auxiliaries & schools. Maybe your sunday church school class, VBS, women's group, men's group, or LYO would be interested in making a gift.
Fund raisers. In one case, a supporting congregation held a spaghetti dinner and donated the proceeds to the LCM@WVU.
Special funds and endowments. Some congregations have endowments and other funds that can be used only special purposes such as benevolent activities. Would the LCM@WVU qualify?
Capital campaigns. Perhaps your congregation is about to undertake a major capital campaign. Would your congregation consider a tithe of a tithe (i.e., 1% of the campaign receipts) as a gift to the LCM@WVU?

Other things to consider:

Don't forget Thrivent. If Thrivent provides matching grants for your congregational activities, check into matching your donation to the LCM@WVU. Visit Thrivent on the web.
Not ELCA? We welcome support from non-ELCA congregations. LCMS, WELS, and other Lutherans may have a particular interest in supporting our work; we are the only campus ministry at WVU teaching according to the Unaltered Augsburg Confession. Non-Lutheran congregations may also find that our work is consistent with their own vision for campus ministry at WVU.

How do I work with my congregation to this end?

Different congregations have different structures and processes, but they all have one thing in common: unless someone makes the suggestion, nothing happens. That means you need to become an advocate for campus ministry. Figure out where decisions are made regarding the type of support that interests you. Is it a council? A committee? A board? An officer? Approach the appropriate authority with your idea. Explain why you think it is important that your congregation support LCM@WVU. Share information from the website. Don't be surprised if you get rebuffed at first. Try again. Perhaps, it is just a matter of "mission interpretation." If you or your council (etc.) needs more information, ask us. We want to work with you.

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Using PayPal to make Credit Card or Quasi-Cash donations.

PayPal is one of the most successful and common electronic banking services. PayPal members, have long enjoyed the easy to use interface and flexibility of the service. Fortunately, rent changes make it possible for non-members to on-line credit card donations. The instructions are easy to follow, and PayPal has an excellent reputation for reliability and security. If you are uncomfortable doing this, don't. We use PayPal because it is so common and easy to use. Still, we value your peace of mind more than our convenience. We do pay a small service fee on every credit card transaction (2.9%+30¢), but it is worth it.

Comparing Thrivent's Simply Giving® and PayPal

Both Thrivent and Paypal provide pre-authorized automatic electronic cash withdrawal services. Here is a simple chart to help you compare the two services. Please note, neither service has a charge for you, but only Thrivent is also free for the LCM@WVU. Contact us if you have any questions.

	Thrivent Simply Giving	PayPal's Subscription Service
Account / membership required	No	Yes
Minimum gift		$1.00
Maximum gift		Up to your PayPal account limit
Frequency	Weekly, monthly, semi-annually, ?	Fully customizable
Ability to set a termination date		Yes
Ability to cancel at any time		Yes
In-line management	No	Yes
Cost to you	None	None
Cost to the campus ministry	None	$0.___ + ___% of each installment

Tax-deductible donations

The Lutheran Campus Ministry at WVU is a church related agency under the ELCA's 503(c) umbrella. All IRS rules apply. If you require proof of our tax-exempt status, please contact us.

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