Dates to Know
July 3 – Our Office and US banks will be closed in celebration of Independence Day.
August 1 – June Financial Reports will be due for US Missionaries.
August 1 – July Financial Reports will be due for Non-Resident Missionaries.
September 1 – July Financial Reports will be due for US Missionaries.
September 1 – August Financial Reports will be due for Non-Resident Missionaries.
Things to Consider When Mentioning Financial Needs to Donors
You may occasionally have financial needs that are not covered by your regular support funds. WWNTBM asks that you contact us prior to seeking designated funds from donors. It is good for your donors to be aware of the needs of your ministry. However, there are some things that you should think through when mentioning such needs to donors. Please keep these in mind, and contact our office if you have any questions.
First, if you are asking to raise funds for a specific project, we request that you confirm for us in advance that your sending pastor is aware of and behind the project. In order for WW to issue tax receipts for specially designated funds, the Executive Board has to include it in our minutes, and they prefer to know that your sending pastor is aware of the situation.
Second, there are many logistical items the Office can assist you with. For instance, it may not be advisable to ask donors to mark a gift as “France Building” because we may already have another missionary raising funds with that designation, and it could create confusion for how we would post the donation. Therefore, it is always best to confer with the Office prior to contacting donors, so that we can help advise on the best way for funds to be designated. In addition to the designation, there may be tax implications to you based on the manner in which funds are designated. We can help ensure the best tax situation for you as funds are received.
Third, we always recommend that donors make checks payable to WW, rather than to the individual missionary. Although we do have the ability to cash checks in your name, this makes for a smoother process and can avoid unnecessary tax paperwork for the church and the missionary. (If a church makes funds payable to you in the amount of $600 or more over the course of the year, they are required to issue a separate 1099 to you, even if the funds came through WW. In addition, if you are not a US citizen, there may be other tax and visa implications for you.)
How to Record Canceled Flights on Your MFR
Many of our missionaries had flights that were canceled due to the COVID-19 virus. This creates a unique situation for MFRs. Here are some guidelines to keep in mind.
If you received a cash refund of the costs but had not yet listed the ticket purchase on your MFR, you can simply leave all records of the transaction(s) off of the reports.
If you received a cash refund of the costs and had already listed the original purchase as an expense on a previously submitted report, you should list the refund as “income from other sources” in the month you received the refund. This shows a full paper trail of the financial transactions.
If you received an airline credit, rather than a cash refund for the tickets, you may still list the cost of the ticket on your report. However, you should ensure that you only exchange the credit in the future for the purchase of another qualifying ministry flight. Because the cost was already accounted for, you would not list the cost on a future MFR when redeeming the credit later on, which would result in a duplication of the expense. However, ticket change fees or mileage redemption fees related to using the credit may still be listed as additional costs on your report.
Software Policy
Microsoft allows WWNTBM, as a non-profit, to provide discounted software to our missionaries. After an audit from Microsoft, we realized changes in their policy cause us to make adjustments in our policy.
Missionaries and their nuclear family are eligible to receive discounted software through WWNTBM. Children out of the home are not eligible.
Board members are eligible to receive discounted software for their personal computers; however, their ministries and families are not eligible to receive discounted software through WWNTBM.
Ministries such as churches, schools, orphanages, etc., are considered separate entities and are therefore not eligible. If your non-profit ministry needs discounted software for its office, you can seek to establish a non-profit relationship directly with Microsoft.
If you are interested in obtaining discounted software or have questions about the above policy, please contact Rebekah Tolley.
New Baby!
Elijah Thomas Elwart was born on June 1. He weighed 8 pounds 13 ounces and was 21 inches long. Elijah is the first son of Jackie and Brittany Elwart, who are on deputation to go to Big Bear, CA. He joins his sisters Charlotte (13), Audrey (11), and Sadie (9). Pray for the Elwarts as they travel and raise their support.