Category: Church Paperwork

  • What Happens When You Don’t File a Nonprofit Annual Report with Your State

    What Happens When You Don’t File a Nonprofit Annual Report with Your State

    Almost every state has an ongoing nonprofit annual report requirement for nonprofit corporations such as churches. This is business you need to take care of regularly. Or this could happen… Almost every year I get a panicked phone call or email from one of my churches. They’ve gotten a notice that their corporation was suspended […]

  • 20 Steps to Children’s Ministry Safety for Your Church Plant

    20 Steps to Children’s Ministry Safety for Your Church Plant

    Children’s ministry safety in your church plant is serious business. But it doesn’t have to be mysterious. Here are 20 practical steps to stellar children’s ministry safety: No question, Jesus holds children in high regard. I’d say that churches in the US do, too, though we haven’t historically done the best collective job at protecting […]

  • 11 Church Plant Health Insurance Options (yes, eleven!)

    11 Church Plant Health Insurance Options (yes, eleven!)

    Turns out there are lots of church plant health insurance options. It’s still a little complicated, but you have more options than ever to choose from. Here’s an overview as a springboard to your research. If you’re a new church hiring staff or an established church that’s never offered health insurance before, you have two […]

  • How to Get a Church Nonprofit Authorization Number and Save Thousands

    How to Get a Church Nonprofit Authorization Number and Save Thousands

    The following is a guest post by Holly Goff, production manager at d2design, which specializes in direct mail solutions tailored to churches and their goals. Chances are, you’re planning to use direct mail at some point in your church’s marketing plan. It’s cost-effective and maintains great response rates: Once again, direct mail response rates rank […]

  • How to Save $530 by NOT Getting a Church Bulk Mail Permit

    How to Save $530 by NOT Getting a Church Bulk Mail Permit

    If you’re sending out direct mail to announce the launch of your weekly services, save $530 and don’t open a church bulk mail permit (but still get all the benefits using this secret). There are two permits required to get the lowest postage rate for your church plant’s mailing: the church bulk mail permit the […]

  • How Much Money CAN Church Plant Postal Permits Save You?

    How Much Money CAN Church Plant Postal Permits Save You?

    In addition to your community service and word of mouth marketing, you’re thinking about sending out direct mail postcards to your community to announce the Grand Opening of your church plant. You could potentially save thousands of dollars in one mailing with church plant postal permits. A 1st class postcard stamp costs 35¢ these days […]

  • Do Church Boards Have to Use Robert’s Rules of Order?

    Do Church Boards Have to Use Robert’s Rules of Order?

    A church planter challenged me recently on whether church boards have to use Robert’s Rules of Order to conduct meetings. I started digging around and opened a whole can of worms. His question came from a common place: I haven’t met a church planter yet that likes (understands?) Robert’s Rules. But it also came with […]

  • How to Digitally Sign Church Legal Documents to Save Time

    How to Digitally Sign Church Legal Documents to Save Time

    How can you get legal documents signed quickly when your signer is across town or across the country? Use one of these digital signature software options to digitally sign church legal documents. Whether you’re a corporation or an unincorporated association, every church organization has legal documents to sign, like meeting minutes and bylaws. The old […]

  • Beware of a Fake Annual Report Notice in Your Mail

    Beware of a Fake Annual Report Notice in Your Mail

    The tricksters are back at it, mailing out a fake annual report notice to unsuspecting churches. Here’s what they’re up to, how to spot it, and what to do. Depending on your state (see my growing reference list), your church corporation has to file some kind of annual renewal. It lets the state know that […]