Tithing record-keeping tied to the member number

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nathanhowe
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Tithing record-keeping tied to the member number

#1

Post by nathanhowe »

Along with electronic transfers, the Church really needs a unified system of tithing record-keeping tied to the member number, not just to the name on the slip at the ward level. When I moved from one Ward to another within the same Stake, my donations at the old ward were not accessible by my new Bishop, and I had to go back to my old clerk to get the end-of-year statement. Another place where this is inconvenient is missionary support. A parent or grandparent may pay through a missionary's home ward to help with the monthly mission cost for that missionary. However, if the missionary leaves from a different ward from the one where the parent or grandparent lives, the donation does not appear on the member's statement at tithing settlement. The church keeps records of donations, but at the moment they are not linked to a Church membership record.
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jdlessley
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#2

Post by jdlessley »

Moderator note: This thread was split from the Tithe Online thread, while related, it discusses another topic.
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jdlessley
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#3

Post by jdlessley »

NathanHowe wrote:Along with electronic transfers, the Church really needs a unified system of tithing record-keeping tied to the member number, not just to the name on the slip at the ward level.
Member donations have been tied to the MRN ever since MLS has been around. It may have been that way even in the FIS days.
NathanHowe wrote:When I moved from one Ward to another within the same Stake, my donations at the old ward were not accessible by my new Bishop, and I had to go back to my old clerk to get the end-of-year statement.
The issue is that financial records are currently not transferred along with the membership records to a gaining unit when a member moves. In the U.S. the CUBS transition has addressed, or is addressing, the issue around member donations in more than one unit. Members in the U.S. who had made donations in more than one unit in 2010 were suppose to get a tax valid statement from CHQ [See the FAQ in the wiki article Church Unit Banking Services (CUBS)]. Due to unresolved issues in the conversion this capability was delayed. Members in the U.S. making contributions in more than one unit in 2011 can expect a tax valid statement from CHQ.
NathanHowe wrote:Another place where this is inconvenient is missionary support. A parent or grandparent may pay through a missionary's home ward to help with the monthly mission cost for that missionary. However, if the missionary leaves from a different ward from the one where the parent or grandparent lives, the donation does not appear on the member's statement at tithing settlement.
This has been a long standing issue. One solution is to create an out-of-unit member record for the member of another unit making donations so that the donations will be tied to the MRN. Of course the out-of-unit member will need to provide the information to create the out-of-unit member record - all available on the member IOS. This will ensure a tax valid statement is received from CHQ.

There is a downside issue in creating an out-of-unit member record. Once created, there is no automatic removal of that record from the unit such as occurs for regular membership records when a member moves from one unit to another. The burden really then is upon the member to ensure the out-of-unit record is removed when it is not longer needed.

Having out-of-unit donations connected to a MRN is not necessary. A tax valid statement can be sent to donors if a current mailing address is provided to the unit to which the out-of-unit donations are made. A member may need to prompt the unit to which the donations were made to send the statement. But a diligent clerk will send the statement if they have a valid mailing address
NathanHowe wrote:The church keeps records of donations, but at the moment they are not linked to a Church membership record.
Donations are tied to the MRN for donations made as long as the membership records reside in the unit to which the donations are made or an out-of-unit member record has been created for the the member of another unit.
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russellhltn
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#4

Post by russellhltn »

jdlessley wrote:One solution is to create an out-of-unit member record for the member of another unit making donations so that the donations will be tied to the MRN.

I think that's a bad idea. In the case cited, the only relationship between the member and the ward is missionary support. Creating a out-of-unit record would place that person in the directory and make it appear that they are part of the unit when in fact, they are not.

Out-of-unit member records are typically created for leaders who are serving in a unit, such as a Bishop of a single ward. In that case, the person is participating in the ward and it would be appropriate to have them in the directory.
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johnshaw
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#5

Post by johnshaw »

Since this is a new idea forum, it would be very nice for members of the church to have the ability to go online and see their real-time tithing/donation status - with the ability to make and setup electronic transfers that also reflect on their record in MLS (2-way)- (there should be a way to solve the out-of-unit issue online as well).

Yes, if members keep good records they have this information, yes, if a series of diligent clerks dilligently does their work, you will see all the information eventually. But if we're using technology correctly, we should be eliminating the burden of those locally called to positions to 'get it all done'.

For Instance - the recent announcement for the church automating the excheatment process, CUBS has given us back some time as well with distribution orders, ward missionary accounts, etc. These are all great acheivements and we need to keep pushing more out!
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