How to Give
UU Lansing gratefully accepts your financial gifts in many forms, including checks, cash, online donations, qualified charitable distributions, and stocks. Gifts may be designated for your church pledge, the monthly Special Plate, or other funds, such as paying down mortgage principal. If you have questions after reading relevant sections below, contact our Congregational Administrator Adam Bouverette (abouverette@UUlansing.org; 517-351-4081 x107) or Ralph Putnam Treasurer@UULansing.org.
Note about end-of-year donations:
End-of-year gifts are accepted any time through the last day of December, but if you want to be doubly sure the gift is counted in 2024 for tax purposes, we suggest submitting your donation a few days early.
Online giving by credit card or bank/credit card transfer
Online donations are especially useful when you cannot be in church in person or when you want to make scheduled donations automatically. Click the red circle button on any of our webpages (appearing at the top or bottom), or click here. If you have not set up your account, it will take you to a form in which you can enter your email and set your password. You can set up a regular transfer to pay your pledge or contribute to our monthly charitable organization. We recommend setting the transfer date for a given month to be at least 4 days before the end of the month to allow time for “paperwork” transfers among the entities involved. If you are using a credit card, you have the option to pay the fee involved (otherwise a fee will be charged to the church); donors saved the church more than $1000 in fees last year.
Stock Shares
Do you own shares of stock that have appreciated? Have you thought about donating some of these shares to UU Lansing? Several congregants already pay their pledge or make other gifts to UU Lansing with donations of stock shares. For some stock owners, it is a great way to take care of a pledge or special gift to the church, and it can be a great way for some stock owners to save on taxes. We suggest you talk to your financial or tax advisor, but here is here is an example article to help you start thinking about it. To request a convenient form with instructions for stock donations, send an email to Congregational Administrator Adam Bouverette (abouverette@uulansing.org) with “Stock donation form” in the subject line. The form will ask for number of shares of which stock(s) and its symbol, and your account number, to give to your broker. The form will provide details for your broker to make the transfer to the church. The church will need a copy of the form after you make the arrangements with your broker.
Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) from a Traditional IRA (seniors only)
Are you 70 ½ or better and the owner of one or more Traditional IRA’s? If so, you may want to consider making a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) to UU Lansing. For some people, a QCD can mean welcome tax savings. We stress here that the donation check must come to UU Lansing directly from the financial institution holding the IRA; it is NOT a QCD if the check is written to you and you then pass on the money to the church. Several congregants already pay their pledge or make special gifts to UU Lansing with QCDs, so you will be in good company. We suggest you talk to your financial or tax advisor, but meantime, here is an example article with some good information, and, if you want the tax info directly from the IRS, here is the IRS link . A convenient form with instructions for QCDs is available to facilitate the process.
Checks
Checks can be put in the collection plate on Sunday morning or mailed to the church (5509 S. Pennsylvania Ave., Lansing MI 48911). To help the church record your checks correctly, it is very helpful if the memo line indicates what it is for—pledge 2024, pledge 2025, special plate (indicate month or recipient organization), endowment mortgage paydown,…whatever.
Cash
Loose cash in the plate goes to the monthly Special Plate recipient organization, but if you want it to go elsewhere, use one of the convenient envelopes to indicate your choice. Including your name on the envelope assures that it will be credited to you and will appear on your giving statement.