Why (and How) We Give

QUICK LINK:GIVE ONLINE

Take 3 minutes to set up a weekly or monthly automated gift. Your giving will stay on track while you enjoy the summer!

At Elmbrook Church, giving is an act of worship, as important a spiritual practice as prayer or listening to God's Word. We rely on your generosity to fuel ALL of our ministries, around the block and around the world.

HOW you give is a personal decision. Many people give an offering during weekly services, in the offering basket or on their phone. Others choose to give online. [DID YOU KNOW? The easiest way to increase the impact of your giving is by setting up an automated recurring gift. This stabilizes our revenues on weekends when life keeps you away from church.]

HOW MUCH you give is also a personal decision between you and God. Our prayer is that you “give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:7)

The Tithing Challenge

Commit to being a tither — giving God the first 10% of what He has blessed you with — for four months. See how He provides!

(We love to hear stories of God's provision. Share yours at elmbrook.org/story.)

LEARN MORE:

1st Quarter Financial Update | Nov. 7, 2018

October 31 marked the end of the first quarter of our fiscal year. Below is a summary of the financials for Elmbrook Church during the quarter.

Contributions

First, thank you for your generosity, which is allowing God’s mission to be propelled forward at Elmbrook Church. Combined contributions are currently at 103% of our giving budget (Home Fund is at 108% and Harvest is at 86%).

Spending

We are currently spending less than budgeted. Combined spending is at 88% of budget. That includes 86% in the Home Fund, due to some personnel savings and some capital projects we had deferred until later in the year, and 95% in the Harvest Fund. We ended the quarter with a combined deficit of $17,000.

December is an important month for Elmbrook Church. In that month alone, we anticipate receiving almost 20% of our annual budget.

We continue to have a strong balance sheet. Our cash reserves are ahead of our targeted amount heading into the end of the calendar year. We continue to pay down the mortgage for the Lake Country campus, with a current mortgage balance of $3,788,903.

We just completed the audit of our 2017/2018 financial statements, and received a clean audit report (available upon request).

If you have any questions about Elmbrook Church financials, please contact Joy Peterson at or 262.780.1818.

   

4 Ways to Give

1

Online RECURRING GIFTS

Recurring gifts allow you to establish a comfortable and consistent giving schedule. You can give online in just a few clicks using SecureGive. Contributions can be set up to draw from a bank account, credit or debit card. This link can also be used to give one-time gifts. You can even give anonymously.

2

Check or Cash

Place your contribution in the offering basket during any weekend service. If you are giving cash, please use an offering envelope, found in the pews or at any Info Center. 

 

 

3

Text TO GIVE

1. Text the keyword and amount you would like to give to 74483. You can give to the Home Fund or Harvest Fund by typing EBHome or EBHarvest followed by a space and the amount you would like to donate. (e.g. to give $50 to the Home fund, simply text "EBHome 50")

2. The first time you text a gift, you will receive a confirmation text with a link to create (or sign into an existing) SecureGive account. Follow the prompts. 

3. Reply Y for the gift to process.

SMART Giving

Giving appreciated assets (i.e. stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etc.) when the market is high is a great way to save on taxes, and minimizes the impact on your cashflow!  Learn more about Smart Giving: email or contact our Finance Department at 262.780.1818.

Estate Giving

If you'd like to speak with someone in our Finance Department about estate giving, please call Joy at 262.780.1818. 

The National Christian Foundation is a great third-party resource for more information about giving strategically. Their stated mission is "to enable followers of Christ to give wisely to advance His Kingdom." Contact their Brookfield office at 262.796.9910.

 

Funds

We have two opportunities to impact lives through giving at Elmbrook Church. However you make a contribution, you can choose the amount you wish to allocate to each fund. Here's where your money goes:

home
Home Fund

God is doing so many wonderful things through our ministries at Elmbrook Church. We are a non-profit organization, funded through voluntary contributions. Giving to the Home Fund provides the money needed to fund ministries, staff, facilities, operations and ongoing capital needs on all our campuses. We also know that we are blessed so that we can bless others, so our Home Fund allows us to continue to be a resource to other churches by sharing the programs and resources that have been developed here with churches which do not have the ability due to limited resources. Home Fund giving, on average, makes up 2/3 of our total annual budget.

Through your generous giving, God is able to work in and through our church to impact His Kingdom. It is important to remember that every dollar goes towards helping lives to be rooted in Jesus and released to His mission.

harvest
Harvest Fund

Throughout its history, Elmbrook has had a global vision and continues its engagement in world mission today — both globally and locally — through the Harvest Fund. From our neighborhoods in southeast Wisconsin to people in villages and cities around the world, Elmbrook serves as the hands and feet of Jesus among the poor, least-reached and under-equipped.

Through our Harvest Fund, over $2.5 million is invested annually in missionary support as well as in strategic global and local initiatives. This amount is largely determined by our annual Faith Promise commitment, held each year after Harvestfest. As a result, every individual is able to participate in and experience what God is doing in our community and world.

 

Current Giving Numbers

Each week we post here our current giving totals, as compared to our year-to-date budget. Numbers reflect the total giving and budgets across all our campuses.

While we share our overall church giving numbers and budget openly, we also believe that what you give is meant to be between you and God. All contributions are treated as confidential and we use secure solutions for online giving.

VIEW 2018/2019 BUDGET

Smart Giving

What is Smart Giving?

Smart Giving is the gifting of appreciated assets (e.g. stocks, bonds, mutual funds) to Elmbrook Church BEFORE selling them. It lets you be more generous in your giving... while not depleting your cash AND paying less in taxes. Win-win! 

Assets That Can Be Gifted:
  • Stocks, Bonds, Mutual Funds
  • Real Estate: Land, houses, other properties
  • Business Interests: Ownership in closely-held businesses
  • Personal Property: Royalties, copyrights, patents or precious metals
  • Estate Gifts: Proceeds from wills, trusts, or life insurance policies
  • Retirement Plans: 401Ks, IRAs or pension plans
  • Life Insurance: Whole, universal or variable

An example of Smart Giving:

  • Joe bought 50 shares of Apple stock at $75 per share, for a total cost (basis) of $3,750.
  • Today, Joe's 50 shares of Apple stock are worth $166 per share (a total of $8,300).
  • If Joe sells the 50 shares, his gain of $4,550 is all taxable. Assuming he pays approximately 30% taxes, his net profit from the sale will be about $3,185.
  • Instead, Joe gifts 50 shares of stock to Elmbrook Church. 
  • Elmbrook receives a gift of $8,300 (50 shares x current value of $166 each).
  • Joe gets a charitable tax deduction of $8,300.
  • Joe pays no tax on the $4,550 gain on 50 shares.
  • Joe's $8,300 gift cost him $3,750 (the original cost of the stock). 

Interested in learning more about Smart Giving? Contact Joy Peterson at  or 262.780.1818. 

For instructions on how to make a donation of stock or securities, CLICK HERE.