Fundraising at
Mill Woods United Church

Thank you for your interest in organizing a Fundraiser for your church. Your efforts are appreciated by Council.Before you start there are a few things to be aware of that will help you organize your project as well as helping the finance team with the correct accounting and disbursement of the funds raised.In October 2025, Council updated the 2005 Fundraising Policy as follows. The intention of this policy is to:Coordinate all fundraising events as well as with other church activitiesEnsure events are in keeping with Mill Woods United Church Visioning Statement

Fundraising Policy

Council adopted the objectives of:

Financing ongoing operations of the church through local offerings, building rentals and some fundraising activities; and
Using proceeds of some fundraising activities for specific vision activities that meet purpose vision and core-value criteria if funds are not available through other church avenues

An ideal approach to facilitate these objectives is as follows:

An individual or group identifies a need that falls within the scope of this policy as identified above.
The project is presented to the Fundraising Coordinators prior to significant advancement of the project (it is recognized that some initial groundwork may be required to determine feasibility).

Upon receipt of the proposal, the Fundraising Coordinators will review the project to:

Confirm that the scope falls within the objectives
Ensure that the timing of the project does not unduly impact on other known fundraising or church activities
Identify and resolve any other significant issues that may be known by Council
Identify areas of assistance that may enhance the success of the project.

The purpose of the project proposal and review is to facilitate success of the event.

In planning, advertising and presenting the project to the congregation and/or outside parties, the group communicates the objective(s) including the planned use of proceeds (objectives may not always be in whole or part financial).
Use of the congregation’s finance team resources (deposit, cheque writing, reporting, etc.) is optional but in any event a final reporting to the Finance Team is required.

Fundraising Checklist

To help you through the process, we have developed a checklist that you can use to make sure that all the steps are completed. We have also included some Publicity Tips, a copy of the Mission Statement, the Visioning Statement and our Core Values. Copies of all the forms that you will need are also included.

We hope that all this information will help you to organize a successful fundraiser project providing you with an enriching experience.

If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Fundraising Coordinators:

Carol Hickmann at cjhickmann@shaw.ca or Lane Borstad at laneb@me.com .

Checklist

Submit the form to the Fundraising Coordinators for Council for review and decision at least one month prior to the planned event. The Committee will review the proposal to be sure that all required information is included before a decision can be made. The Coordinators may also speak to you prior to an upcoming Council meeting to ensure they have a good understanding of your project in order to update Council during their meeting.

The purpose of the Coordinator review is to ensure the fundraiser coincides with the Mission and Purpose Mill Woods United Church. For example, if the planned fundraiser were a poker or casino night, there would likely be an issue with the suitability or if the funds being raised were for the Cancer Society of Alberta, the Board would likely not support the fundraiser as the funds raised should be for Mill Woods United Church or one of our outreach programs.

Following review by the Coordinators, you will be notified if the proposal has been approved or not and the reasons why.

As funds are received by the organizer, they must be submitted to the church Office Administrator or Finance Representative in a timely manner. Over the course of the fundraiser there may be two or three deposits. Deposits are made through the church office and must be accompanied with a completed “Cheques/Cash Received” form. Once the funds have been verified, a copy of this sheet will be returned to you as a receipt for the money you submitted.

Expenses you are out of pocket for, or have been invoiced, should be submitted for reimbursement/payment by completing the “Cheque Requisition” form. Attach all supporting receipts or invoices and put into the Cheque Writers mailbox in the workroom.

At completion of the Fundraiser, you are expected to complete and submit the “Fundraising Summary Sheet” with all supporting documentation for receipts, expenditures, etc. to the Finance Committee or the church office.

At completion of the Fundraiser, if funds raised need to be sent to an organization, it is your responsibility to complete a “Cheque Requisition Form” so that this can happen.

At completion of the fundraiser, a summary of the success of the project and future plans should be submitted to the Fundraising Committee. Information could include were enough funds raised; do you plan to repeat the fundraiser; if excess funds were raised, will you re-dedicate the funds to another project or not (if not, why).

A simple ‘Report’ and thank yous to the congregation regarding success of the event is required through What’s the Buzz or during Sunday Announcements.

Fundraising Form

FUNDRAISER PROPOSAL

To be submitted by email to both Fundraising Coordinators (Carol Hickmann, Lane Borstad) at least 30 days prior to the proposed event.

Please use the printable PDF for your submission. The required information includes:

Name of Fundraiser
Proposed date(s)
Purpose
Details / Background
- Why did you chose to support the specific initiative?
# Volunteers Required
How will event be promoted?
Are there specific requirements needed of the church to make this a success?
Main Contact / Phone #s
Secondary Contact / Info

Fundraising at Mill Woods United Church