Prayer for Israel and Palestine at this time Click here for more details
Site search

Quicklinks

Last updated 11th August 2022

Parish Fundraising

Fundraising or giving?

The ministry of our churches is supported by the generous and regular (monthly or weekly) donations of individuals.  You can find out more about how to encourage regular giving including how to set up online giving and obtain card readers here or contact the Stewardship Resourcing Officer stephanie.rankin@blackburn.anglican.org

However, when there are one off repairs to carry out, or to support another charity or set up a special project, you may need to do some fundraising or consider applying for grants. 

These can be to face fundraising events but also consider virtual/online fundraising activities.  

Letting people know about your event

Whether you are organising a face to face or virtual event, you need to make sure that lots of people hear about your fundraising event and are encouraged to get involved and donate.  Think about the people in your local community and how they communicate and make sure you also include information on your church website and facebook page and encourage your members to share the information to all their facebook/twitter/instagram contacts.

To be successful you need to communicate the vision for whatever you are trying to raise funds for clearly so that you capture the emotions of the people within the community you are trying to reach rather than just the regular worshippers.  Don’t focus on what you are doing but think about the impact that will be created by whatever your funds are for.

Roof appeal

Restoring the roof so that St Emilion’s remains a warm and welcoming space for future generations

Graveyard fund

Ensuring the churchyard is a pleasant safe space for families visiting to remember their loved ones.

Easy Fundraising

Some parishes have signed up to the easyfundraising scheme.  Once registered, anyone can use the easyfundraising website to access one of over 6,000 shops and sites in the usual manner, and once a purchase is made the retailer gives easyfundraising a commission for their purchase. Easyfundraising turn that commission into a donation and give it to your parish.  

You can now sign up eaily for that scheme through our Blackburn Dicoesan link here and there is further infromation on our website here.

The ethical aspect of applying for lottery funding

Some parishes may question whether they should have anything to do with the National Lottery. Each parish is free to make its own decision. The policy agreed nationally in 1995 by the House of Bishops is as follows:
 

"Throughout the debate on the establishment of the National Lottery, the Church of England, along with other churches, has made known its reservations. We accept freely our own financial responsibility in worship, witness, evangelism and pastoral care, and see no basis on which Lottery money should be used by the Church in these areas.
 
"However, it is clearly the Government's intention that the Church's heritage responsibilities should attract grants from public funds made available through the Lottery.
 
"Sometimes the Church resists proposed changes in our society, but when the decision is made we have to live with it. In this instance we recognise that the Government has made it clear that the Lottery is the way it will increasingly fund heritage and charitable and other matters.   "The decision whether or not to apply for such help is a matter for the responsible body in each case."   It should be noted that the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) will not, in any event, provide money for worship, witness, evangelism or pastoral care: the HLF's priorities are learning, conservation and participation.

Resources

You might also be interested in...

Pages

Latest News