Donations
Your monthly Pledge is perhaps the single most important
commitment that can
be made to ensure that
Four Quarters and The Circle of Standing Stones
will be held in Trust, in Perpetuity.
When you make a donation to Four Quarters your gift is handled in a special way
and is deposited in an account separate from the general revenues of the Church.
You can earmark your gift to be deposited for special purposes in reserved accounts,
where it will remain until spent for the purpose you specified. Currently the
Pledge Program supports: The Land Fund, The General Fund and The Church Kitchen.
The dollar amount of individual Pledges to Give
runs from $5 to $100 a month, reflecting a broad spectrum of people's abilities,
and all are gratefully appreciated by the Church. People choose to make their
Pledge Annually, Quarterly or Monthly, as suits their preferences. We prefer monthly,
as that best suits our accounting system and allows us to apply pledges directly
to paying down the monthly Land mortgages. But any choice can be accommodated.
Most pledge makers grant us their permission to use/mention their name as being
a part of the Pledge Program, we are honored to do so.
One time cash gifts have been made by Members for specific purposes, for example,
sand for the Drum Circle, gravel for the roads and specific pieces of equipment.
Please do contact us if you have a special need in mind.
We send quarterly statements and updates to Members of the Pledge Drive, and in
January of the new year we send out tabulated acknowledgements of your giving
for your use in preparing your income taxes.
In Kind donations are gifts of objects, things that the
Church can use and benefit from. As an example almost all of the church owned
automobiles were in-kind gifts from our Members. We also provide an end of year
acknowledgement of your in-kind gift for tax purposes.
Members sometimes cover incidental expenses, for instance the food cost of a Moon
Service dinner, or gasoline during a large event. In these cases simply make a
note on the receipt of your name and that it is a gift, and drop it in the church
donation jar in the office. We will make sure that it appears in your year end
acknowledgement.
How to make a Pledge or Gift
 
A word
from Vanco Services
Vanco Services, LLC, is a financial technology
company providing electronic funds transfer services for direct deposit, accounts
receivable, accounts payable, as well as credit card processing. Our client base
currently includes over 6,000 churches nationwide. Information provided to Vanco
Services is treated with extreme respect and is used only for the services requested
by our clients. We operate with the highest ethical standards and an unwavering
commitment to confidentiality. Customer information is never sold, rented, or
given to any other entity. We are dedicated to providing superior service through
experienced and knowledgeable professionals, top quality products, and unsurpassed
attention to client needs. Vanco Services, 12600 Whitewater Dr, Suite 200, Minnetonka,
MN 55343 |
ePledge Automatic Electronic
Checking Account Withdrawal for Pledges
After many requests, and astute suggestions
from Betsy Boynton, we have located Vanco Inc e.service® Electronic
Transfer Service for Churches. This firm works with over 6,000 churches, allowing
members to setup automatic pledge withdrawals from their checking accounts. It
costs you nothing for the service and your monthly pledge appears just like any
other check on your bank statement. Amazingly, it costs Four Quarters less than
the price of a postage stamp each time your pledge is transferred. So far 2/3rds
of our pledge makers have moved to this system and it is very popular with folks
on a limited budget, as it gives a hassle free way to consistently make smaller
pledges. Even $1 a month!
Its easy to set up,
just download the authorization form or ask us to mail you one. Fill it out with
your personal and banking information, the amount and timing of your pledge, and
attach a voided check (just write void on the check). We will call and confirm
your pledge and keep your authorization on file. You can end or modify your pledge
at any time by just calling the office.
And do feel
free to call with any questions about ePledge.
Download an ePledge
Authorization Form  60kb
Download Vanco's
ePledge brochure 350kb
Conventional Mail-in Pledges
For many years our Pledge
Program has been based on our paper pledge cards. Mailed out every January and
available again at Stones Rising. Although now being rapidly supplanted by the
ePledge program, your pledge card still works, trust us! Your monthly pledge will
be entered into our contribution system and you will receive quarterly reports
and the end of year statement for your taxes. If you like, we will be happy to
mail you a supply of return envelopes for your pledge.
Download The
2005 Pledge Card115kb
Annual
Pledges
Some of our Members
prefer to make their pledge as just one payment for the total amount of their
yearly pledge. This works well and your pledge will be recorded and acknowledged
just like any other pledge. Please though, include a note or mark your check to
indicate that this is an annual pledge. Then we will be sure to properly record
and acknowledge your pledge for your taxes.
One Time Special Purpose gifts
Many of the best additions to the camp happened
because a member made it happen. Our very first load of white sand for the upper
drum circle was made possible by a one time donation of $250, specifically to
purchase the sand. The geo-textile fabric and first loads of gravel for the Members
Camp roads are another example where Members challenged the church to match their
own special purpose gifts.
If you see
something that you feel Four Quarters really needs, and you are willing to fund,
call the office. We will let you know what the financial limits are and will work
to make your personal project a reality.
In Kind Gifts
We gladly accept gifts
of stuff. Good stuff that is! If you have something that you think we would find
useful, give us a call. If we can accept your gift, it will be acknowledged just
like a cash gift for your year end taxes. And lots of folks make a donation of
their pocket expenses for the church. Food for Moon Services, gasoline, small
tools. Just mark up the receipt with your name, what was purchased and that it
is a donation. We will enter it and make sure that it appears on your year end
tax acknowledgement.
And there
are some things that we can always use, that would be our wish list.
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