Mechanics of Pledging at St. Mary’s
When you make a financial pledge to St. Mary’s you are fulfilling one of three offerings of stewardship… the sharing of treasure. It is your gift to St. Mary’s that allows our ministries to flourish, and provides guidance in developing our annual budget.
Pledging
Pledging – committing to give St. Mary’s a certain financial gift over a calendar year – is critical to our ability to budget and manage the finances of St. Mary’s.
We prefer electronic pledges at this time. Access our Online Pledge Form for 2023 – Click here If you prefer a paper pledge form, you can access a printable pledge form here.
**Only a couple of people know what you pledge: The rector and the Pledge Clerk. Your pledge will never be public knowledge.
Now that I’ve pledged, what are my options for paying my pledge? How can I make a gift to St. Mary’s?
Thank you for wanting to give to St. Mary’s. We have multiple options. Electronic giving – either through Vanco or your bank – benefits St/ Mary’s in that the church receives a stable, consistent, pledge income, making budgeting and management of church finances easier.
Online System – Vanco
Through Vanco, you can make a one time gift (in payment of a pledge, as a special donation, or for building use) or set up a recurring payment to St. Mary’s via your credit card or direct debit from a checking account. There is a fee for this service, which you may choose to cover when you make your donation.
Automatic Bill Pay
This service is available through most banks and it is generally very easy to set up a recurring payment to St. Mary’s. You set the amount and date each month and your bank mails a check to St. Mary’s. There is usually not a fee for this service.
Check or Cash
Checks with “pledge” written in the memo line, or cash in a pledge envelope, can be placed in the offertory plate during Sunday services.
Or you can mail your check directly to St. Mary’s, attention: Counters.
Donating stock as your pledge gift
The following DTC transfer instructions are given to the broker or institution that holds your stock certificates:
UBS Financial Services
0221, Account # RP03824
FBO: St. Mary’s Episcopal Church/Your Name
It is very important that these instructions include your name, as UBS has no way of knowing who this stock is from for purposes of communicating that information to our Accounting Clerk.
To ensure that the St. Mary’s Accounting Clerk is aware of your donation, simply drop them a note letting them know you have transferred stock for purposes of fulfilling your pledge.
Donations to St Mary’s are tax deductible, so some time in January you will receive a statement that you can use when filing your tax return.
The St. Mary’s pledge clerk and Finance Team are always available to answer any questions regarding your pledge.
Beyond annual pledges, Planned Giving is something we encourage, you can find more about how that works on this page.