The parishioners of Good Shepherd make our church relevant and thriving through the donations of time, treasures and talents. There are many ways to help Good Shepherd’s financial health and they are listed here. Please note that any donation also has the benefit of counting towards our annual budget if the donation is part of your annual pledge. If you have any questions, please contact Jan, our Admin, at 781-944-1572 or by email at [email protected].
Giving Cash
If you choose to give with a cash gift, request a set of offering envelopes. Each box contains a dated envelope for each week of the year. The envelope has a number that is exclusively signed to you, so that you will receive credit each week for your giving.
Pay by CHeck
A handwritten check in the plate is certainly welcome. If you would like privacy, you may request a set of offering envelopes for your check. As noted above, the envelope has a number exclusively signed to you, so that you will receive credit each week for your giving. Envelopes aren’t necessary as your name on your check helps us identify who the payment is from. You may request through your Bank to have your check sent directly to the church either weekly, monthly and/or quarterly. Contact your banking professional for assistance on how to initiate direct deposit from your bank.
Pay via Realm
Realm is our own program linked to the church for giving. You may access Realm using your computer or via their app on your Smart Phone. See below for instructions for using Realm for you giving. Realm Giving – whether you decide to use Realm via your computer or with the app, you must join Realm by registering on your computer. If you do not have a home computer, you may contact Jan in the office to help with setup so you can use the phone app.
To create an account: 1. Go to the church website: goodshepherdreading.org 2. At the menu bar at the top of the page, click on Realm. 3. Click on Sign up 4. Input your information as requested. 5. You will receive a message that your information was received. Email Jan at the church office (Mail to:[email protected]) so she knows that you have made the request. (Jan has to approve the request on the church Realm Administrative account). 6. Once Jan approves your request you will receive an email confirmation. Click on the link provided to complete your registration. a. You will be taken to a screen asking you to create a password. Suggest you choose a password you are comfortable with and will remember. Click on create account. b. You will then be taken to a screen that says sign in. c. You will be taken to a screen for the church. On the left-hand side, click on giving. d. Then click on Pledge (There are other giving options, including Christmas Flowers, Book of Remembrance and more. Contact Jan for details). In the pledge screen, put in the amount you wish to give, pick frequency, then click on save pledge.
7. After putting the pledge amount, you will have to set up your payment method. To do that, in the upper right-hand corner, next to your name, click on the drop down box, and click on payment method.
a. At the next screen, click on the blue box that says add payment method. b. You are then taken to a screen where you can add your payment method. You can choose credit card/debit card, checking or savings. Complete this information using the payment method you prefer. Once all the information is completed, click on the save box.
8. If you prefer to use an APP on your Iphone or Android phone. a. Complete the registration process as listed above through 6A. b. Go to the app store on your phone and download RealmConnect. c. Sign in using the password information you just created. d. Once you log in, at the bottom of the screen, click on the tab giving. e. Click on pledges and add the amount you wish to pledge. Complete the pledge amount as directed above (paragraph 7).
9. You are now set up for automated giving via Realm – You will receive an email every time your pledge is taken for your account. If you have any questions, or need help navigating this process, feel free to contact Jan in the church office. She will be happy to assist you with this set up.
Give directly from your retirement account, tax free
You must be 70 ½ years old. See below for information. Contact your investment representative for more information.
A qualified charitable distribution (QCD) allows individuals who are 70½ years old or older to donate up to $105,000 total to one or more charities directly from a taxable IRA instead of taking their required minimum distributions. As a result, donors may avoid being pushed into higher income tax brackets and prevent phaseouts of other tax deductions, though there are some other limitations.
