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Charitable Giving Question?

February 12th, 2014 at 08:00 pm

I have a question.

I work for a church. We give 10% of everything we make, our tithe.

Well the church wants me to redo their website, and my fee for that is usually $750.

They are going through a rough patch financially right now, and I can not in good conscious charge them.

I thought maybe I could just take the amount out of my tithes. I would only take out $500. Because I do not mind giving them a deal, but we are talking up to 100 hours of work. As busy as I am, and especially since I have other freelance jobs, I just can not see doing it for free.

Especially since they want it done asap. Which means I will have to devote more of my precious time to the project instead of paying jobs.

Do you think subtracting it from my tithes is fair? Or would you just do it for free?

I am at a loss, and I certainly dont want to short change my church, but at the same time I feel like I would resent doing that much free labor.

Posted in Uncategorized | 9 Comments »

9 Responses to “Charitable Giving Question? ”

  1. Nika Says:
    February 12th, 2014 at 08:40 pm 1392237631
    1392237631

    Redoing website is not an emergency and people won't starve or freeze because it is re-done a month later.
    They should be more flexible with their timeline if they want you to donate some of your hours. And if they want is asap, they can look for someone else who is able to do it asap.

    I don't see anything wrong with what you are suggesting.

  2. klarose Says:
    February 12th, 2014 at 08:57 pm 1392238648
    1392238648

    I feel like it would still count as my tithe. Not a financial tithe, but a tithe of my time and my skills.

    I just have always given 10% of everything I make. Even when I was a kid. So I feel guilty, taking some of that back. Although it would not bother me if they paid me to do it... I am strange I guess.

  3. creditcardfree Says:
    February 12th, 2014 at 09:21 pm 1392240101
    1392240101

    Can you decide how you feel about it when the work is done? I personally would not do it for free. I do think your talent and donation of that time should count towards the value of your tithes. If they paid you $750, you would give $75 back...I would count your time on the project as $675 worth of tithes.

  4. Looking Forward Says:
    February 12th, 2014 at 10:16 pm 1392243385
    1392243385

    I would either charge the $500 discount rate up to the full price of $750 and give a donation back.
    OR,
    deduct the full amount as a tithe.

    Don't do it for "free". Smile

  5. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    February 12th, 2014 at 11:49 pm 1392248956
    1392248956

    I agree - don't do it for free. Your time is valuable as a tithe, just as much as money.

  6. PatientSaver Says:
    February 13th, 2014 at 02:23 am 1392258200
    1392258200

    Yes, I agree with the others. Your time and talent are valuable, and 100 hours of work is far beyond what most people would consider pro bono.Charge $750. God doesn't want you to be taken advantage of.

  7. wowitsawonderfullife Says:
    February 13th, 2014 at 02:35 am 1392258905
    1392258905

    I think that this is a wonderful gift you are offering. It's far more generous than a 10% tithe and certainly more valuable than any cash you could offer. You are provide a wonderful communications channel. But you are only charging $5 per hour at $500. I would do the project for the entire amount less perhaps 10%, but not a 33% discount.

  8. klarose Says:
    February 13th, 2014 at 04:15 pm 1392308152
    1392308152

    Thanks guys! I think I will start it and see how much work and time it entails before deciding on the price. If its not too bad I will stick with the $500 subtracted from my tithes. If it ends up taking a fair amount of work I will just give them the 10% discount.

    It may not take up to 100 hours, that is a high estimate. But 50+ is normal. If problems arise though, or it gets too complicated it can take longer.

  9. PatientSaver Says:
    February 13th, 2014 at 06:26 pm 1392316002
    1392316002

    Don't you have to tell them upfront what the price will be? Otherwise, they could balk and say they weren't expecting that when you hit them with the bill and there will be a big "misunderstanding."

    I quote the rate up front and if it's someone i haven't done business with before, i ask for one third up front, one third at the halfway point and one third upon completion. It protects you from getting totally shafted if they refuse to pay.
    Just becus they're a church doesn't mean they're not capable of trying to get something for nothing.

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