eGiving with Faith Direct

In October 2017, we introduced a new and exciting way for you to support our parish offertory and second collections: Faith Direct.

You can begin supporting OLGC electronically today by completing the enrollment form, enrolling online or downloading the Faith Direct App!

Se Puede Inscribirse por completar el formulario de inscripcion o en linea o por bajar la App de Faith Direct para empezar apoyando OLGC hoy!

Faith Direct enables parishioners to make your Church contributions through either direct debit from your checking/savings account or through your credit/debit card. No more writing checks or searching for envelopes on the way out the door. Now you can apply the convenience of direct debit to your parish offerings in much the same way as you may now use it to make your mortgage, car or tuition payments.

With the support of the parish finance council, we have selected the Faith Direct program for many reasons, including:

• For 10 years, Faith Direct has worked with hundreds of Catholic parishes throughout the United States and is recognized as the leading eGiving program.
• Faith Direct provides the critical third party security needed. This limits the liability for our parish and keeps your information in secure hands.
• Faith Direct also offers you personalized offertory cards to replace your envelopes for the collection basket.
• In the near future – all events and other non-offertory transactions will also be faith direct. This will be make transactions like Fish Fry much easier.

Faith Direct offers the best user experience interface we could find. You will find it much easier than our previous system for all transactions.

Sign up now

Contact: Tom White, Pastoral Associate, 703-896-7405

Parish Offertory - The Parish Offertory Program invites parishioners to reflect upon the blessings in their lives, their current level of offertory giving, and to consider whether or not that amount is appropriate as a sign of their gratitude to God and yet remains within their means. Every year, each OLGC parishioner or family is invited to increase, decrease, or keep their annual offertory commitment the same, based on their gratitude and their financial ability.

Second Collections and Holy Days (now available for electronic giving) - Some of these collections serve special OLGC parish needs, but most of them directly help diocesan, national, and international organizations to spread the Gospel in word and deed.

Gifts of Stock - One of the most advantageous ways of making a gift to OLGC is through a gift of stock or other securities. Making a gift of securities is simple and offers a number of valuable financial benefits. You will need to contact your broker in writing to provide the proper documentation for a gift of stock. This can be accomplished by writing them and simply providing the information they need on this OLGC Stock Donation Form. Please send a copy of your completed form to your broker and to the Diocese of Arlington, their broker of record, and Our Lady of Good Counsel in any of the ways provided on the form. Contact: Amy Schlanger, 703.896.7424

Matching Gifts - There are many corporations or businesses that have established programs to support the philanthropy of their employees, although they usually have restrictions regarding the eligibility of a charity for these funds. While churches are often excluded, elementary educational programs are usually eligible for support. Please ask your employer if they have a matching gift program.

Corporate and Foundation Gifts - Owners of businesses and directors of foundations (especially Family Foundations) are often able to make contributions through these entities. These donations are most often cash donations, but contributions of products and services are also welcome.

Planned Giving - You can remember OLGC in your estate plans. Although most people think of an estate gift as a direct bequest in a will, there are other ways to designate OLGC in your estate plans. These include gifts from a retirement program and gifts of life insurance. There are also giving mechanisms which can provide a source of income, including charitable annuities and trusts. Lastly, there are giving mechanisms which can protect your assets.

The Diocese of Arlington has a wealth of information regarding all of these giving opportunities on their Planned Giving webpage. If you choose this as a method of supporting OLGC, you are eligible for membership in the Arlington Diocese Catholic Heritage Circle, which recognizes your commitment to the future of OLGC and/or the Catholic Diocese of Arlington.

Also, you can read how one parishioner decided to include OLGC in his estate plans.

Tuition Assistance - Our Lady of Good Counsel maintains a tuition assistance fund for families who wish to send their children to OLGC School but have insufficient funds to do so. The cost of running a school increases every year, and tuition doesn’t cover all of these expenses. Many families have been struggling in this economy, in some cases preventing them from even considering sending their children to Catholic school or requiring them to withdraw their children from OLGC due to financial concerns. In addition, the proceeds from the annual OLGC School Golf Classic provide funds for this program.

Faculty Recruitment and Retention Fund - In order to provide an education of the very highest quality, we must be able to recruit and retain extraordinary teachers.

In January 2006, to accomplish this goal we established a restricted fund dedicated solely to the recruitment and retention of excellent faculty and staff. Donations to this fund provide a source of additional compensation for teachers in order to try to bridge the gap between the diocesan pay scales and those of teachers in Fairfax County Public Schools. This Fund must continue to grow so that we might be able to continue to increase the annual bonus distribution to our teachers who are so dedicated to keeping Christ in the daily lives of our children while also providing an excellent academic environment for them.

Young Teachers Fund - Each school year the Aviat Award is given to teachers who follow the example set by St. Leonine Aviat in her dedication to education and spirit of service to others. Her main focus for those that teach was the fusing together of their dedication to teach and of their love of faith as inseparable.

This award was named in honor of Elizabeth White. Described as the embodiment of faith, hope, and perseverance, Elizabeth followed in the example of St. Aviat. Elizabeth understood that the choice to teach in a Catholic school was one that required certain sacrifices, especially for those who are just starting out. It was her dream to find a way to help those like her to offset the many expenses associated with living and serving in our great community.

Bishop’s Lenten Appeal (BLA) - This campaign supports our Diocese in its mission of sharing the love and mercy of Christ through serving the needy, educating and forming youth, encouraging vocations, promoting a culture of life and assisting the clergy, religious, and lay people who help build and strengthen our diocesan Church.

Second Collections and Holy Days (now available for electronic giving) - At various times during the year, the Diocese of Arlington asks every parish to look beyond itself and help support the needs of God’s people throughout other parts of the diocese, the nation, and the world through some of our second collections. These are opportunities for us, as stewards of the bounty that God has given to us, to reach out to certain worthy organizations with our financial support. Some of these collections serve special OLGC parish needs, but most of them directly help diocesan, national, and international organizations to spread the Gospel in word and deed.

Planned Giving - The Diocese of Arlington has a wealth of information regarding giving opportunities on their Planned Giving webpage. If you choose this as a method of supporting OLGC, you are eligible for membership in the Arlington Diocese Catholic Heritage Circle, which recognizes your commitment to the future of OLGC and/or the Catholic Diocese of Arlington.