There are a number of ways in which you can support financially the work we do in our Parish of Saints Joseph and Swithun.
Weekly Offertory Donations
Financially, the life of the Parish depends entirely on the generosity of our parishioners through the weekly offertory donations. These donations meet the day-to-day running costs of the Parish and we have to rely on income from hall lettings and contributions to the Building Fund to meet all other costs. We therefore invite you to give according to your means and the needs of the Parish, and to consider Gift Aiding your contributions, because we can claim a quarter of what you give from HMRC at no additional cost to you.
Cash and standing order donations
You can make cash donations when the collection basket is handed around during Mass. But our preferred way for you to give is by bank or building society standing order as it reduces the work of volunteers who have to count a large amount of coins and notes each week and then carry them to the bank. For details on setting up a standing order, please e-mail the Gift Aid Co-ordinator at bromleygac@rcaos.org.uk or call the Parish Office on 020 8402 0459.
Credit/debit card and direct debit donations
You can now donate by direct debit and credit/debit card through the Parish’s ChurchSuite account. Please click on the Donate button below. This will redirect you to the Parish’s ChurchSuite website. Please ensure you select Weekly Mass Offering/Collection in the “My donations are for” box. You don’t have to be registered on ChurchSuite, but if you attend Mass regularly, it helps if you register as it is the main way we communicate with members of the Parish.
Donor cards: cashless offertory donations
If you are making your offertory donations electronically, we don’t expect you to also make a contribution to the collections at our Masses. However, some people may feel slightly embarrassed if they are seen not to contribute. To overcome this, we have created donor cards which you will find at the back of our churches (example below). Pick one up as you go into mass and pop it in the collection basket. We retrieve these cards and recycle them for subsequent Masses.
Building Fund
The purpose of the Building Fund is to enable us to improve and develop our two churches and facilities. For example, we recently refurbished the St Swithun’s Hall kitchen and the St Joseph’s Hall kitchen and Club Room have now been completely refurbished. You can help by making regular standing order contributions to the Building Fund. For details on setting up a Building Fund standing order please e-mail the Gift Aid Co-ordinator at bromleygac@rcaos.org.uk or call the Parish Office on 020 8402 0459.
You can also make a regular or one-off donation to the Building Fund by clicking on the Donate button below. This will redirect you to the Parish’s ChurchSuite website. Please ensure you select the Building Fund in the “My donations are for” box.
Making a bequest or large gift to the Parish
If you would like to make a bequest or a large gift to Saints Joseph and Swithun Parish Community, we will ensure your donation will be put to good use. Bequests and large gifts transform our finances and allow us to invest in the infrastructure and facilities of our two churches. Please contact the Parish Office on 020 8402 0459 or e-mail bromley@rcaos.org.uk if you would like us to explain how the process works.
Gift Aid
If you are a UK taxpayer, we can reclaim the tax you have paid for any donation* you make to the Parish. For example, if you are a standard rate taxpayer and donate £1 then the Parish will receive a further 25p from HMRC. It does not cost you any more, but you do have to be a UK taxpayer and you must have signed a Gift Aid Declaration (GAD). Please send your completed GAD to the Parish Office** in an envelope marked “for the attention of the Parish Gift Aid Co-ordinator”. If you have any questions or if you are not able to print the GAD please e-mail the Gift Aid Co-ordinator at bromleygac@rcaos.org.uk or call the Parish Office on 020 8402 0459.
Soon after you return the completed GAD to the Parish Office, the Gift Aid Co-ordinator will provide you with a pack of weekly numbered envelopes if you chose to make weekly cash contributions. This is to enable the Parish to record the amount given as a prerequisite to reclaim from HMRC the tax you have paid.
If you pay tax at the higher or additional rate, you can claim the difference between the rate you pay and the basic rate on your donation. You can do this either:
- through your annual Self-Assessment tax return; or
- by asking HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to amend your tax code.
*Donations will include Weekly Offertory Donations, Donations to the Building Fund, large gifts and Mass stipends
**Holy Trinity House, 15 Marian Gardens, Bromley, BR1 2PR
Donating by text message to 07380 307 800
If you have a smart phone you can now donate by sending a text message to the Parish’s Churchsuite account. You need to send the text message “SJSBROMLEY GIVE” to 07380 307 800. Please follow the message ChurchSuite sends you.
The message will read: “To give to Saints Joseph and Swithun Parish Bromley, use this link: https://give2.ch/xxxx” where xxxx is a unique reference code.