GIVING FAQs
What is the tax deadline for annual contributions?
Cash and check contributions must be received or postmarked by December 31st to be included on your giving statement for that year. To be included, online transactions must be initiated by 11:59 pm PST on December 31st. Please Click Here to contact the Finance Department or call during business hours at 408.997.4600 with any questions about the contributions deadlines.
Are there any hidden fees or charges to give online?
You will not pay any fees. The dollar amount that you select to give will be recorded on your contribution statement. However, the church does incur fees for processing. The most cost-effective way to maximize your giving is to give online from your bank account. To give this way, click the GIVE ONLINE button on this page, and choose the ACH Bank Account option as your payment method whenever you make a one-time gift or set up a recurring giving schedule.
How do I change my online recurring giving schedule or cancel it?
You can make changes by logging into your account with Kindrid.
Simply choose SIGN IN
What kind of records do I need in order to prove I made a contribution?
That depends:
For an individual cash contribution of under $250: You must have a bank record (such as a canceled check) or a receipt from the church containing the church’s name, and the date and amount of each cash contribution.
For individual contributions (cash or property) of $250 or more: You must receive a written receipt from the church with the church’s name, the date and amount of each contribution, and states whether you received goods or services for your contributions (and if so, a description and good faith estimate of the value of the goods or services received). Canceled checks cannot be used to substantiate cash contributions of $250 or more.
For non-cash property valued at $500 or more: Other rules apply (see instructions to IRS Form 8283). If the value is more than $5,000, you must obtain a qualified appraisal of the property and attach an “appraisal summary” (IRS Form 8283) to the tax return on which the contribution is claimed. Some exceptions apply.
How do “Qualified Charitable Distributions” work?
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 made permanent qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) from individual retirement accounts. A QCD allows annual direct transfers to a qualified charity of tax-deferred IRA savings. Funds must be made payable to the charity, not the IRA owner.
The benefit to the donor is realized in the lowering of adjusted gross income, while fulfilling the required minimum distribution.
Requirements:
- Only individuals who’ve attained age 70 ½ may make QCDs
- Venture Christian Church is a qualified charity to accept such distributions
- QCDs may be made from any IRA or individual retirement annuity, but not from a simplified employee pension, a simple retirement account or an inherited IRA
Making the Contribution:
Contact the financial institution holding the IRA Account. Inform them of your desire to make a QCD.
Venture Christian Church
16845 Hicks Road
Los Gatos, CA 95032
The check must be payable to Venture. It won’t qualify if the trustee or custodian makes the mistake of putting IRA money in a non-IRA account of yours as an intermediate step. It won’t qualify if the check is made out to you. The law doesn’t provide a way to correct mistakes. The Internal Revenue Service has said that a check from an IRA may be made payable to a charitable organization described in section 408(d)(8) and delivered by the IRA owner to the charitable organization.
How do I get a Giving Statement?
Please notify Finance if you’d prefer it to be mailed to you, which will be mailed to the address we have on file.
Please ensure that we have your correct email and mailing address.
If you move or need to update your information, please do so by logging into your Venture (Rock) profile. You will need a login user id and password to access your Venture (Rock) profile. If you do not already have one, go to: https://my.venture.cc/
Is online giving safe? Is your site secure?
Yes! We take very seriously the security of your personal information and data. Your payment information is not stored by Venture Church; it goes directly to Kindrid, our vendor for online transactions.
All sensitive financial information is stored with bank level security and secured with 256 AES encryption, stored by our banking partner to Level 1 PCI compliance standards. Additionally, all transmissions to our banking partner and on our site are via an encrypted HTTPS connection. All this means they conform to the highest set of security standard in the payment card industry.
Can I use my debit card, credit card or give directly from my bank account?
Yes. We accept any credit card issued by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. Debit cards are great, too; simply select the Credit Card option as your payment method. To give from your bank account, choose the ACH Bank Account option as your payment method.
Can I deduct the value of the volunteer work I did for church?
No. The value of personal services are never deductible as a charitable contribution. However, unreimbursed expenses you incur in performing services on behalf of the church may be. For 2020, you can use a “standard mileage rate” of 14 cents to compute a deduction for any miles your drive in performing services for the church. Be sure to maintain accurate records.
EXAMPLE: Several church members go on a short-term mission’s trip to another country. The value of their labor is not deductible, but they can deduct their unreimbursed travel expenses (transportation, meals, lodging) incurred in performing the trip.
How do I give through stock donations?
For detailed instructions, please Click Here to contact the Finance Department or Call during business hours at 408.997.4600.
Giving at Venture
Still Have Questions?
Trusting an organization with your money is a big deal. Answers to many common questions can be found in our FAQs, or you can contact us.