Parishioners have many opportunities to support Christ Our Light Parish
Text to Give: (856) 363-3383 First time users will be prompted to set up an account with Parish Giving.
If you have a Parish Giving Account already set up with your mobile phone number registered, just Text (856) 363-3383 with a dollar sign followed by the amount you would like to donate, for example, $25. You will get an immediate response confirming your contribution to Christ Our Light. Additionally, you will receive an email when your transaction is processed. The email will be your receipt for the transaction.
If you do not have a Parish Giving account, just Text (856) 363-3383 with a dollar sign followed by the amount you would like to donate, for example, $25. You will receive a prompt to sign up for an account with the link provided. Once you provide your contact information and either credit/debit card or bank information, along with your email address and phone number you will be all set up. The process takes about 2 minutes! Then you can text a dollar sign followed by the amount you would like to donate and you will receive a response confirming your contribution to Christ Our Light.
On-Line Banking: Regular/Ongoing donations can be made directly through your bank’s on-line banking platform. To do this, set up Christ Our Light, 402 North Kings Highway, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034, as a payee and schedule the recurring or one-time donation on the date that works best for you. Advantages of on-line banking are ease in making payments, elimination of postage expense and elimination of fees associated with your donation. On-Line Banking is reliable, efficient and convenient. On-Line Banking allows you to “turn off” your envelopes as well, thereby saving printing and postage expense for the parish. Or, you can keep your envelopes coming in the mail and use them for special collections.
Parish Giving: Christ Our Light has enlisted Parish Giving to provide its members with the opportunity to use Electronic Funds Transfer as an alternative method for giving. It is offered free of charge and provides parishioners with a reliable, efficient, and convenient means to process contributions. Parish Giving allows you to “turn off” your envelopes as well, thereby saving printing and postage expense for the parish.
On this giving site, you will be able to select from the various opportunities to contribute to our parish. You can contribute to the Sunday Offering, Holy Days, Catholic Star Herald, Special Collections, Easter, Christmas, Flowers, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, All Soul’s Day, etc. This is the electronic version of using the envelopes you receive monthly. Keep in mind that all contributions are processed once a month. Following is an overview of some of the features:
- Ability to make recurring or one-time contributions
- Ability to select your billing date
- Ability to use Credit Card or Bank Transfer
- Ability to access end of year contribution reports
Memorial Gifts: A wonderful way to support our parish and pay tribute to someone that you care about is through a memorial or tribute gift. When a loved one dies, often family members want to make a memorial gift in the name of the deceased.
Legacy Gifts: A legacy gift is a planned future donation to a charity, given through a will or other formal designation. It is a decision that each person makes in their own financial planning process, taking into account their charitable wishes and values. Speak with your financial advisor if you are considering a legacy gift to Christ Our Light.
House of Charity – Bishop’s Annual Appeal
The House of Charity – Bishop’s Annual Appeal provides the day-to-day operational income that supports the pastoral, charitable and social ministries of the Diocese, including: Catholic Charities, support for seminarian education and housing for retired priests, support for Vitality Catholic Healthcare Services, support for Catholic education, as well as support for our various pastoral ministries. The House of Charity – Bishop’s Annual Appeal supports people to people ministries that serve the South Jersey Community today. In service, we encounter those in need where they are, accompany them on their journey and bring them to a place of hope. Monies that are raised in this fiscal year are expended next fiscal year. Without the House of Charity, the diocese could not fulfill the mission that Christ gave us to care for His people.
For more information visit: House of Charity
Catholic Strong – Campaign for the Catholic Community of South Jersey
Catholic Strong – Campaign for the Catholic Community of South Jersey is an effort to raise a minimum of $50 million in gifts and pledges. Seventy percent (70%) of all dollars collected up to the parish’s goal will be used to support the needs defined by each parish. Christ Our Light’s goal is $1,800,000. The parish component will focus on School Enhancements, Church/Parish Center Enhancements and a Reduction in Diocesan Debt from Previous Construction. The remaining thirty percent (30%) will be directed to the Diocese of Camden and will meet needs that cannot be met by the House of Charity. The diocesan component will focus on Strong Schools, Strong Service and Strong Faith.
For more information visit Catholic Strong
Year-End Charitable Giving via a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD)
If you are looking to lower your taxable income, you may want to consider a QCD. If you are age 70½ or older, IRS rules require you to take required minimum distributions (RMDs) each year from your tax-deferred retirement accounts. This additional taxable income may push you into a higher tax bracket and may also reduce your eligibility for certain tax credits and deductions. To eliminate or reduce the impact of RMD income, charitably inclined investors may want to consider making a qualified charitable distribution (QCD).
A QCD is a direct transfer of funds from an IRA custodian, payable to a qualified charity, as described in the QCD provision in the Internal Revenue Code. Amounts distributed as a QCD can be counted toward satisfying your RMD for the year, up to $100,000, and can also be excluded from your taxable income. This is not the case with a regular withdrawal from an IRA, even if you use the money to make a charitable contribution later on. In this scenario, the funds would be counted as taxable income even if you later offset that income with the charitable contribution deduction.
Please consult a tax advisor to learn more. If you are 70½ or older, own an IRA, and donate to charity, QCDs may make sense for you; consult a tax advisor regarding your specific situation.
