Gift Card

Discuss questions around local unit policies for budgeting, reconciling, etc. This forum should not contain specific financial or membership information.
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brown67
Member
Posts: 66
Joined: Fri Jan 27, 2017 3:29 pm

Gift Card

#1

Post by brown67 »

Can we buy gift cards for helping people with gas? Bishop would like to keep a couple of cards in his desk. We would like to use fast offering money, but can't enter a recipient name for the reimbursement. Any ideas? If Ward members gifted the card would that work?
eblood66
Senior Member
Posts: 3907
Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2007 9:17 am
Location: Cumming, GA, USA

Re: Gift Card

#2

Post by eblood66 »

Using church funds to buy the cards would make them pretty much the equivalent of a petty cash fund which is not allowed (Handbook 1 section 14.6.7 second paragraph). Giving cash directly to fast offering recipients is also discouraged and gift cards are pretty much cash equivalents so really the same would apply.

I don't know of any policy that would prevent a member from giving a gift card to the bishop to use as he wishes. But it would not be considered a donation to the church and would not be on any church records. However, the policies for handling church funds are there to protect both the church funds and to protect the bishop and clerks from accusations of misuse of funds. Those protections for the bishop wouldn't be there in this case. Personally, I would recommend against it if my bishop were to ask me.
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