Blogging Beyond the Numbers

Missions Trips, the most common summer church activity. Let's talk about tax deductibility Donations for a trip can be deductible if the donation 1) is a gift to or 2) for the use of a qualified charitable organization. The first step with missions trips is determining the primary purpose of the trip. A direct connection must exist between the trip expenses and the charitable, volunteer services being per...

As I fly back from the 61st Annual Church Network conference with Scott Haumersen, I am inspired by the number of people and organizations working with churches in our nation. This conference is for church administrators and there were more than 400 people in attendance this year representing nearly 40 states and nearly every denomination. We were there representing Wegner CPAs at the tradeshow for the s...

Written by Dan Busby, President, ECFA Before you know it 2016 will be over and it will be time to prepare to issue charitable gift acknowledgments received by the church this year. Properly issuing these gift acknowledgments confirms to givers the church's credibility. Improper gift acknowledgments may leave givers with questions as to whether the church is a good steward of gift. So, let's review the b...

Recently the Department of Labor raised the salary threshold for overtime protection to $913 a week or $47,476 per year. The new level takes effect December 1, 2016. Types of coverage There are two types of coverage to consider in determining the applicability of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): enterprise coverage and individual coverage. The enterprise coverage is generally not applicable to churche...

Cell phones are such a normal daily part of our lives that it is hard to remember a time when we didn't have them around. Today, we use our cell phones to talk, text, check work and personal e-mail, read the news, record the kids' latest soccer game - the list goes on and on.   Not just cell phones anymore - smart watches and tablets are also commonly used for both personal and business matters. Unfo...

As members of a religious organization, we probably do not want to entertain the idea that the people handling the finances could be dishonest. But, the truth is that fraud is a serious problem in all types of organizations, and religious organizations are certainly not immune.  In fact, religious organizations often have limited resources and staff, which makes it difficult to establish adequate intern...

An important part of outreach for many religious organizations are mission trips.  It is an exciting opportunity for missioners to live into their faith by working in partnership with those they serve, be it across the state or across the globe. As spring approaches, the final planning for summer mission trips moves into high gear. Missioners and their churches have many important things to consid...

As stewards of critical resources that allow faith-based organizations to survive and do the good works they are called to do, those in position of managing the finances of religious organizations must develop the ability to identify financial problems that might be on the horizon. Unfortunately, as is shown by the number of churches and other religious organizations struggling to remain operationally af...